This plum cake is a German classic for "kaffee und kuchen" ie coffee time. It's easy to make and really lets the juicy, sweet-tart plum flavor shine.

slice of German plum cake (pflaumenkuchen) with cup of coffee to side

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Germany and Austria were countries I visited often as a child. Most of the time we more traveled through Germany to get to Austria, if I'm honest. But we did spend a bit of time in a few areas. Then as a student, I lived in Eastern Germany for a semester as well.

All of the various visits gave me an appreciation of Germanic cuisine. Yes, many of the mains are porky and/or hearty, like Sauerbraten and Spaetzle. Desserts too, sometimes, like Dampfnudel. However it's worth remembering may dishes come from the need for farmers to pile on the calories.

lifting slice of German plum cake (pflaumenkuchen) out of dish

One part I particularly enjoyed as a student was going to get coffee or a mug of Gluhwein to warm up on a cold day. As Christmas neared, the cafe often put a small slice of Stollen on the side. But even before then, I could sometimes be tempted by the various cakes on offer.

Germany's cake style

While I am not a huge sweet tooth on the whole, I did grow to enjoy many German desserts/treats. I think it helped cinnamon is a popular flavoring, which I love.

While not an absolute rule, the "kaffee mit kuchen" tradition may involve a simpler cake like apricot cake during the week and something more elaborate, like a Black Forest cake, at the weekend. This cake is probably more of the midweek style, but I for one think it's still something special.

Variations in German plum cake

This cake goes by a few different names (Pflaumekuchen, Zwetschgenkuchen) depending on where you are, and has some variations in how you make it as well. Some have streusel on top, others don't and the base varies.

While you can make this with more of a shortbread base, I went for the yeasted cake base that I remember and loved. Don't be scared by the fact that it's a yeast dough - it comes together very easily, doesn't need much kneading and only a short rise time.

What kind of plums are best?

While it might be tempting to go for those big, juicy sweet plums that you find in summer (which are great for plum jam or a plum crumble though!), for this I'd actually go for something different. Here, you are more looking for a slight complexity of flavor and the smaller, more tart plums tend to be better. Not to mention, they fit a bit more easily in the dish and hold their form better once cooked.

So I'd opt for relatively small plums, maybe damsons if they are available. I've seen suggestions of using "prune" plums as well. I had a small variety but it wasn't actually named. They should be ripe but not overly so. It's nice to have some juice come from them, but you also don't want the base soaked.

Whatever plums you choose, you want to cram them in tightly to get as much wonderful flavor as possible. Slightly offset from one row to the next works well.

Depending on how sweet or tart the plums are, you can add a little extra sugar over the plums. Do this before you add the streusel rather than before the dough is left to rest/rise. If you leave it on a while, it can make the plums release juice and moisten the base.

You don't have to make the streusel layer (and some versions don't), but for me it's a must. First, it adds a lovely texture to top it all off, but also there is a hint of cinnamon in there which just works perfectly with everything else.

If you decide not to add the streusel, then at least sprinkle a little cinnamon and sugar on top to get a little of the classic flavors.

If you have any of this left, it will keep a day or two at room temperature in a sealed container. You can re-heat it, but if you do so in the microwave the streusel will melt. I'd say it's optional - when fresh, I like this warm but go either way the next day.

For me this German plum cake brings back delicious memories, but the whole family (who don't have that) loved it as well. It's easy to make and a wonderful way to enjoy a fruit that can be under-used. Give it a try and you'll be sure to agree.

slice of German plum cake (pflaumenkuchen) on plate

Try these other tasty treats perfect with a cup of tea or coffee:

Swedish cardamon buns
Polish gingerbread cake/honey spice cake (piernik)
Coconut mango scones
French pear cake
Sour cream mocha cake
Plus get more snack recipes, both sweet and savory, and German recipes in the archives.

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5 from 7 votes