German Plum Sheet Cake
This easy German plum sheet cake with streusel, aka Pflaumenstreuselkuchen, is perfect for a crowd or if you have a surplus of seasonal fruit. Tart plums meet a melt in your-mouth base and buttery crumble – a delicious streusel cake you make with fresh or canned plums.
Growing up in Germany, fruity sheet cakes were commonly enjoyed at family birthday parties, especially during late summer, early fall when there’s plenty of seasonal produce around.
This is an easy streusel cake recipe that works for a variety of other seasonal fruit including cherries, apples, pears, or apricots. It also stores well in the freezer for up to 3 months, making it a delicious way to preserve excess fruit!
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German Plum Sheet Cake
Ingredients Â
Streusel Layer
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
Plum Layer
- 1 kg plums washed, pitted & quartered
- 1 tbsp powdered sugar
Base Layer
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 4 eggs room temperature
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour sifted
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/8 tsp salt
InstructionsÂ
- Preheat the oven to 350F (180C). Place baking paper onto a full-size baking sheet pan.
- In a medium bowl, combine butter, sugar, flour, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well until until crumbles form. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and store it in the fridge.1/2 cup unsalted butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1 pinch salt
- Wash, pit, and quarter the plums. In a medium bowl, mix the plums with the icing sugar. Set aside.1 kg plums, 1 tbsp powdered sugar
- In a large bowl, combine butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Slowly add the dry ingredients including flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well until everything is well combined.1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup powdered sugar, 4 eggs, 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/8 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder
- Pour the dough onto the baking sheet pan. Add plum quarters one by one and top it with the streusel.
- Bake the cake for 50 minutes until the streusel is golden brown and slightly crunchy.
- Once cooled, add a light dusting of icing sugar. Cut it into squares and enjoy it with a dollop of cream!
Notes
Nutrition
Ingredients and substitutions
- Plums – fresh, destoned plums work best for the cake but you can also use canned plums. Just make sure you’re draining them thoroughly before adding them to the base layer.
- Butter – I recommend using unsalted butter for this cake but if you’re using salted, simply omit the additional salt in this recipe.
- Powdered sugar gives the cake batter a fine texture but you can substitute it with granulated sugar as well.
- Vanilla extract – You can alternatively use vanilla syrup or paste.