Plum Kuchen
A delicious German-style yeasted cake featuring fresh plums baked in a buttery, yogurt-enriched dough. This traditional dessert combines sweet and tart flavors with a tender, bread-like texture.
Ingredients
- •1 package active dry yeast
- •¼ cup warm water
- •2⅛ cups all-purpose flour
- •1 cup sugar
- •½ teaspoon salt
- •½ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- •1 large egg
- •1½ teaspoon lemon zest
- •1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- •1¼ sticks unsalted butter
- •¾ pound plums
- •1 piece stand mixer with paddle attachment
- •1 serving yogurt for serving
- •sweetened
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
Stir together yeast and warm water in mixer bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn't foam, start over with new yeast.)
5 min
- 2.
Add 2 cups flour, 2/3 cup sugar, salt, yogurt, egg, zest, and vanilla to yeast mixture and mix at medium-low speed 1 minute. Beat in 1 stick butter, 1 Tbsp at a time, until incorporated. Beat at medium speed until dough is smooth and shiny, about 5 minutes. (Dough will be very sticky.) Scrape down side of bowl and sprinkle dough with remaining 2 tablespoons flour. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel (not terry cloth) and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
120 min
- 3.
Spread remaining 2 tablespoons butter in bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan and sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup sugar. Cut each plum half into 5 or 6 slices and arrange in 1 layer pan.
10 min
- 4.
Stir dough until flour is incorporated, then spread evenly over plums. Loosely cover with buttered plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until almost doubled, about 1 1/2 hours.
90 min
- 5.
Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
10 min
- 6.
Bake until kuchen is golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes, then invert and unmold onto a rack to cool completely.
35 min