I first tried this a couple of weeks ago on a Sunny Munich morning. The cafe’s shelves were heaving with trays and trays of this stuff, either plain or with streusen (crumbs! The waiter was grateful for my help with the translation of this word to aid his tourist cake pushing prowess!) so I figured it was a speciality and tried a slice, for breakfast. It has fruit on it, it can’t be that bad a start to the day? And as it swiftly disappeared, I wondered why nobody had actually told me about it before – it’s amazing. If you are in Bavaria and come across this, and you do not actually try a piece, then you cannot call yourself a lover of cake OK?
Made with Zwetschgen, tiny hard plums from Italy that are only available at this time of year (they are the plum of choice as their firmness works well in the baking process), sandwiched between the sweetness of the crumb and the pastry, their tartness works particularly well. Should you not find any in your neck of the woods, then I think apricots would work equally well, or apples possibly, and I would give it a go with Damsons too!
You will find Zwetschgendatschi in two forms here, one with a dough base, and the other a short crust bottom. The short crust version is by far my favourite. I am not saying I wouldn’t eat the dough bottomed version if someone put it in front of me again, but having tried it, it kind of reminded me of Yorkshire Pudding, and as much as I am partial to Yorkshire Pudding, I am not that keen on it with plums.
Faced with a day at home yesterday with a grumpy unwell five-year old (not that sick that he couldn’t help bake though funnily enough), we decided to make our own. It’s a bit of a long drawn out process, but I promise it’s worth it…
First we made a sweet short crust pastry and stuck it in the fridge for an hour to rest. While it was putting its feet up, we got busy with the plums and de-stoned them and sliced them up. Pastry ready, we then squished it into a couple of 26 x 20cm tins, and pushed the sliced plums into the pastry, like so…
Masterpiece finished, we sprinkled over a (rather generous thanks to my helper…) tablespoon of cinnamon (not a problem – I am a cinnamon addict), and a tablespoon of sugar. We then made a hasty crumble topping, and stuck it in the oven for 40 minutes at 190deg. Even though I say it myself (and admittedly, this is probably not the exact recipe used by every Bavarian Hausfrau), it tasted pretty much identical to the one I enjoyed at the sophisticated bakery the other morning for breakfast. They might also tut at the fact that I served it with Birdseye Custard but it was sehr gut!
Perfect stomach lining material before heading out to a certain Bierfest that started today? I am going later in the week, I will report back!
I found you via Your best recipe 2012 and this looks utterly delicious. Just a note though Birds Eye make frozen food (I used to work for them) and Birds make custard, just in case you confused the readers! And did you know that Wall’s ice cream aren’t the same company as Wall’s sausages although I do think they started off as one! Happy New Year.
I often confuse myself, let alone the readers! :D Thank you for pointing that out, and it’s interesting how companies start and branch off isn’t it? Thanks for commenting, and a very Happy New Year to you too! :)
This looks divine! Happy new year and thanks for linking up. x
Thanks Emily, Happy New Year to you too! :) x
Mmmm! Yum! I’m going to try and make this thanks xxx
I hope you do! :) xxx
Looks gorgeous! Fab photos too.
Thank you! I hope you are well! :)
I don’t remember much of my tour of Germany but I do remember the cakes! Beautiful photos. I would swap my branflakes for that any day of the week.
Thanks Gemma! One day I will live in a land that doesn’t have cakes I am sure of it, so for now, I am making the most of it! :) xx
Oh this looks amazing. We have golden plums here that require a ladder to get at them but this has inspired me to face my fear of heights!
Thank you! It will be worth it… Promise! :)
This is one of my favorite German cakes–they make it up our way (near BeNeLux), too–I must remember to have some soon. Yours looks fantastic!
Thank you very much! Approval from a hausfrau is more than I could have hoped for, especially as I didn’t use the real recipe (Translation is not my strong point)! I hope you find some in your neck of the woods very soon! Emma :)
Oh no, I don’t qualify as a lover of cake! It looks delicious but cake and fruit are a huge no-no for me. I just can’t get my head round the combination. Cake belongs with chocolate or vanilla :-)
Do you know, I used to be like that too, usually I would choose chocolate over any other cake, but I had to try this because it’s everywhere, and it is sooo good! You can still be a lover of cake! I will let you off! :D
Erm, that looks totally delicious! Great shot.
Thanks very much (:
Food of the Gods – Used to have something similar in Switzerland when I lived there and I could have eaten it all day every day.;
Lovely stuff isn’t it? I too could quite possibly eat it every day… :D
Oh that cake sounds and looks delicious! I’m priding myself on being very brave trying to make a blackberry tart tomorrow for the first time ever, after our blackberry picking today!
xx Jazzy
Thanks Jazzy! That sounds equally good! Good luck! :) xx
oh my goodness wheres my passport is there any left??
There is a whole one in the freezer! :D
Hey, well done – the finished result looks so authentic and even more delicious then the ones in the bakers!! xx
You would say that, you taught me to bake!! Not sure it is even more delicious either! :D xxx
wow, try saying that ten times fast. i speak german (grandparents were from lubeck) but i’ve never heard that word before. maybe it’s a southern thing?
your photos are striking, especially the plums in the strainer.
I think it’s a Bavarian word. Most Bavarian words are tongue-twisters! Thank so much for the lovely comment about the photos… Getting to know a new camera takes time, but I think I am finding my way around a little more! :)
Yum! If only skype were just a tad more sophisticated…
That would be incredible wouldn’t it? :)