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Ein Stück Zwetschgen Mohnkuchen mit Pudding und Streusel

German Plum Poppy Seed Cake with Streusel

A juicy German Plum Poppy Seed Cake layered with a creamy homemade poppy seed pudding filling, tart prune plums, and buttery streusel topping. This is an old-fashioned classic from Grandma’s kitchen — without store-bought poppy seed filling!
Course Dessert
Cuisine German
Keyword German Poppy Seed Cake
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry

  • 350 g 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 80 g ⅓ cup + 1 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 175 g ¾ cup + 2 Tbsp cold butter, cubed
  • 1 egg large
  • A few drops almond extract optional

Poppy Seed Pudding Filling

  • 750 ml 3 cups whole milk
  • 2 packages 37 g each / 3 oz total vanilla or almond pudding powder (see note for cornstarch substitute)
  • 165 g ¾ cup + 2 Tbsp sugar
  • 200 g 1 ¾ cups ground poppy seeds
  • 1 Tbsp dark rum optional
  • 💡 Substitution: If you can’t find pudding powder use 6 Tbsp cornstarch + 4 Tbsp sugar + 2 tsp vanilla extract in its place (this equals about 2 standard pudding packets).

Fruit Layer

  • about 12 Italian prune plums pitted and quartered
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar mixed with a pinch of cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Make the shortcrust pastry:
  2. Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add butter cubes and rub into the flour mixture until crumbly. Add the egg and quickly knead into a streusel-like dough.
  3. Use about two-thirds of the dough for the base and sides: Press directly into a greased and parchment-lined 26 cm / 10-inch springform pan (no rolling needed). Form small “sausages” with pieces of dough, press them along the inside edge, and shape into a rim about 3 cm (1 inch) high. Chill the remaining dough in the fridge for later.
  4. Make the poppy seed pudding filling:
  5. In a saucepan, whisk together cold milk, pudding powder (or cornstarch substitute), sugar, and poppy seeds. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and cook until thickened. Remove from heat, stir in rum if using, and let cool for about 10 minutes.
  6. Assemble the cake:
  7. Pour the poppy seed filling into the crust and smooth out. Arrange the quartered plums on top and sprinkle with the brown sugar-cinnamon mix.
  8. Add the streusel topping:
  9. Take the reserved dough from the fridge and crumble it evenly over the plums.
  10. Bake:
  11. Bake in a preheated oven at 160°C / 320°F (top/bottom heat) for about 60 minutes. The low temperature ensures the crust doesn’t brown too quickly, the filling sets gently, and the streusel turns golden without burning.
  12. Alternative: Bake at 180°C / 350°F for 45–50 minutes, but cover the streusel with foil toward the end to prevent over-browning.
  13. Cool & serve:
  14. Let cool completely before removing from the pan. Serve with whipped cream if desired.