Plum Sheet Cake

Name: Plum Sheet Cake
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 1 h 25 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Ingredients: 400 g Plain flour (type 405); 1 pack Dried yeast (7 g); 200 ml Milk (3.5% fat) (lukewarm); 50 g Sugar; 60 g Butter (softened); 1 Egg; 1 pinch Salt; 1½ kg Damson plums; 200 g Plain flour (type 405); 120 g Sugar; 1 pack Vanilla sugar; 1 tsp Cinnamon, ground; 150 g Butter (cold); 200 ml Whipping cream (30%)

with buttery crumble

2 hr 10 min (45 min active) · Medium

You'll need: Oven

This Bavarian tray bake only exists while plums are in season – so now. Light yeast dough, fruit packed tightly together and a crumble topping, some of which is guaranteed to disappear before it ever reaches the oven.

Ingredients for 12 servings

12 servings

For the yeast dough
400 gPlain flour (type 405)
1 packDried yeast, 7 g
200 mlMilk (3.5% fat), lukewarm
50 gSugar
60 gButter, softened
1Egg
1 pinchSalt
For the topping
1½ kgDamson plums
For the crumble
200 gPlain flour (type 405)
120 gSugar
1 packVanilla sugar
1 tspCinnamon, ground
150 gButter, cold
To serve
200 mlWhipping cream (30%)

Contains: Gluten, Eggs, Milk

Method

Step 1: Warm the milk until lukewarm and stir in the yeast. Knead with the flour, sugar, softened butter, egg and salt for 5 minutes into a smooth, supple dough. Cover and leave to rise in a warm place for 45 minutes.
Timer: 45 min
Step 2: Meanwhile, wash the plums, cut them lengthways and remove the stones so they still hold together on one side.
Step 3: For the crumble, mix the flour, sugar, vanilla sugar and cinnamon. Add the cold butter in small pieces and rub it in with your fingers to form coarse crumbs. Keep chilled until needed.
Step 4: Preheat the oven to 180 °C top and bottom heat. Roll the dough out on a baking tray lined with baking paper (approx. 30 × 40 cm) and leave to rise for another 15 minutes.
Timer: 15 min
Step 5: Arrange the opened-out plums tightly in rows on the dough, slightly slanted like roof tiles. Scatter the crumble evenly over the top.
Step 6: Bake on the middle shelf for 35 minutes until the crumble is golden brown.
Timer: 35 min
Step 7: Leave to cool on the tray, cut into pieces and serve with freshly whipped cream.

Tips

Pack the plums really tightly – they shrink as they bake, and gaps look sad.
Late-season damson-style plums (Zwetschgen) are firmer and less juicy than round plums, so they don't make the dough soggy.

Swaps

Without yeast: a shortcrust pastry made from 300 g flour, 150 g butter, 100 g sugar and 1 egg.
Instead of cinnamon in the crumble: a little grated lemon zest.

Storage

Keeps covered for 2 days at room temperature and freezes very well in pieces.

Nutrition per serving

Nutrition per serving
Calories	490 kcal
Protein	8 g
Carbohydrates	65 g
Fat	21 g

Approximate values per serving. Calculated with BLS 4.0.

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Image credits

Image credits:

Cover image: Garitzko · Public domain