Zwetschgen Datchi Bavarian Plum Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Combine flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Mix in 1 cup sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt. Add 1 1/3 cups butter and eggs. Knead everything into a smooth dough. Shape dough into a ball, press flat, cover, and chill in the refrigerator 1 hour to overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet with butter.
• Cut halved plums in half again, without cutting all the way through, so they fan out.
• Roll pastry dough out on a lightly floured work surface. Line the bottom and sides of the prepared baking sheet with dough. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.
• Arrange plums side by side on the pastry dough; very small plums should overlap. Dot plums with 2 tablespoons butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and almonds.
• Bake in the preheated oven until pastry crust is lightly browned, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven. Allow plum cake to cool, then cut into squares. Serve lukewarm or at room temperature.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie pan. Use a fork to beat the egg with 1/4 cup water in a small bowl until combined.
• Put the flour and sugar in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the mixture is uniform. Drop in the butter cubes, toss with a fork to coat in the flour mixture and pulse until the mixture is crumbly and moist, about 8 long pulses. Add half of the egg mixture and process about 15 seconds. Add the remaining egg mixture and process an additional 15 seconds. The batter should be homogenous but not too thick. (Don't worry if it curdles a bit because of the brown sugar. It won't affect the batter.)
• Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Very lightly press the plums into the batter. Bake until the plums are tender and a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly and serve with whipped cream or ice cream if desired.

Steps:

• For the dough: Warm the milk until just warm to the touch (90 to 100 degrees F). Stir in the yeast and a pinch of the granulated sugar and let sit until foamy, about 5 minutes. Combine the flour, remaining granulated sugar and the kosher salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed to combine. Separate 1 of the eggs and set aside the white for the egg wash. Whisk the egg yolk and remaining whole egg into the yeast mixture. Add the yeast mixture to the flour, then mix on low speed to make a smooth, thick dough. Increase the speed to medium and add the butter a piece at a time. Once all of the butter has been added, beat on high until smooth, about 1 minute. Switch to the dough hook and knead the dough until it forms a smooth, springy ball on the hook, 4 to 5 minutes (add a little more flour, if needed, if the dough doesn't form a ball). Grease a large bowl and turn the dough in the bowl to coat. Cover and let rise at room temperature until doubled, 1 to 2 hours.
• For the custard: Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the cream, granulated sugar, cornstarch, kosher salt, egg and yolk. Whisk it together and heat over medium heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the butter and extract; stir until combined. Transfer to a clean bowl. Cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap. Let cool at room temp.
• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the dough in half, then cut each half into 6 equal pieces. Working with one piece at a time, form the dough into balls by folding the dough under itself and pinching to seal underneath. Set the ball, smooth-side up, on a floured surface, and turn in your hand to form a tight round shape. Divide the 12 buns among the lined baking sheets. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Once the buns have risen, gently press down on each to make indentations that will make space for the custard. Fill the indentations with the custard. Top with the plums. Brush the buns with the reserved egg white mixed with a splash of water and sprinkle with demerera sugar, a pinch of cinnamon and flakey salt. Bake, rotating the trays from top to bottom halfway through, until the buns are risen and golden and the custard is set, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the yeast and half of the milk. Mix in 2 tablespoons of the flour and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Allow this mixture to sit in a warm place for 1 hour.
• Combine remaining dough ingredients then add in the yeast mixture. Mix until a smooth dough forms, then knead by hand. Allow dough to sit in a warm place until double in volume.
• Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
• Grease a baking sheet. Roll out dough to fit the size of the baking sheet. Transfer dough to baking sheet.
• Wash plums and remove any stems. Slice each in half and remove stones. Arrange plum halves evenly on the dough - plums should not be lying down, instead they should be standing stem-side up. Sprinkle plums with sugar.
• Crumbs are optional. If you choose to add them, prepare the crumbs by mixing the butter, vanilla sugar, and sugar. Gradually work in flour until mixture becomes dry and crumbly. Sprinkle crumbs over dough, distributing them evenly.
• Allow cake to sit and rise for another 30 minutes.
• Bake cake for around 30-40 minutes or until crumbs and crust become golden brown.
• Remove cake from oven and allow to cool completely.
• Serve at room temperature, with a dollop of whipped cream.