At the beginning of autumn it makes hobby bakers happy: the plum cake scores with quick and easy preparation and great enjoyment. September is the right time for thatdelicious fruit cake, because now plums are in season. We give you several recipes for crumble and sponge cakes and explain how you can bake plum muffins. Say goodbye to summer and welcome the golden autumn with a heavenly delicious dessert!
Plum cake: plums vs. plums, what's the difference?
Whether in strudel, preserved in a glass or to flavor semolina pudding: in late summer and autumn, plums and damsons are a must on every table. For many hobby bakers, the question then arises as to whether they should use plums or plums for baked goods. What is the difference between the two types of fruit?
Botanically, both plums and plums belong to the same plant genus and have a common origin. Numerous subspecies have arisen through crossing with other families. Because of the large variety of colors and shapes, even professional bakers sometimes find it difficult to distinguish between plums and plums. There are also many variations in taste. Basically, the plum fruits have an oval shape, a dark blue to black-purple color and yellowish flesh. Their core easily separates from the pulp. The flesh itself has a lower water content than plums and changes little when baked.
In contrast, the fruits of the plum have a reddish-blue color, are slightly larger than the plums and have a sweet taste. The core is difficult to separate from the pulp.
Due to the different water content, plums are mainly used in baking. Plums are also ideal for canning. However, professional bakers prefer plums when preparing sauces and jams.
When are plums ripe?
The harvest time can vary depending on the variety, but the local plums are ready to pick in mid-August. Since the flesh remains firm, the degree of ripeness can be recognized primarily by the color of the fruit. Ripe fruits have a dark blue to purple skin. Most varieties are very aromatic and, even when ripe, have a slightly sour taste. Below we list several plum varieties for you:
- The house plum is perfect for baking or preserving. It has small fruits with an oval-elongated shape, dark blue color and the harvest season begins at the end of August.
- The Katinka variety has small fruits and is ideal as a baking fruit. The variety scores with a mild, sweet taste.
- The Bühler Frühzwetschge and the Haroma variety are picked in mid-September. They are ideal for making jams because their fruits have a low water content.
- The Jofela plum is a late-ripening variety whose harvest begins in mid- to late September. It is ideal for distilling schnapps or for marinating in wine.
- The red mirabelle plum is ideal for compotes, preserves and marmalade. Their fruits are already ripe in mid-August.
The plums do not have a long shelf life - if not processed, they will stay fresh in the refrigerator for a maximum of 3 days. The fruits are placed unwashed in bowls or other containers and covered with cling film. For a plum cake you need ripe and fresh fruit.
Prepare plum crumble cake in the Thermomix
The first recipe is for a plum crumble cake for Thermomix. Here are the necessary ingredients:
- 16 plums, cored and halved
- 2 ripe pears, “William” variety
- 100 g butter, soft, unsalted
- 4 tsp maple syrup
- 100 g wheat flour
- 100 g oat flakes
- 25g brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius with fan
2. Clean and clean the plums, core them and halve them.
3. Clean and clean the pears and cut them into quarters.
4. Line a baking tray with baking paper and place the plums and pears in it. Drizzle with maple syrup and bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
5. In the meantime, cut the butter into small pieces and add it to the Thermomix with the wheat flour, oat flakes, sugar and cinnamon.
6. Mix the ingredients for the sprinkles in the Thermomix for 4 seconds on level 5.
7. Take the fruit out of the oven and spread the streusel over it. Drizzle with the remaining maple syrup.
8. Bake for another 15 minutes until the streusel turns golden brown.
You can of course vary the recipe. If you would like to make a plum crumble vegan, you can replace the butter with a vegan alternative. These include, for example, the combinations of palm and coconut oil. You can also mix coconut and rapeseed oil.
Prepare plum crumble vegan
Here are the necessary ingredients for the English dessert plum crumble, prepared vegan:
For the sprinkles:
- 300 g wheat flour
- Pinch of sea salt
- 130 g vegane Butter
- 75g brown sugar
- 50 g almonds, ground
- 2 tsp sliced almonds
For the filling:
- 1 kg fresh plums, cored and halved
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 1 Bourbon vanilla bean
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 1/2 tsp Masala Chai (black tea with milk, sugar and spices)
Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius without fan circulation.
2. Add the ingredients for the sprinkles to the Thermomix and mix for 4 seconds at speed 5.
3. Clean, core, and halve the plums. Place the fruit in a deep bowl and mix well with the remaining filling ingredients.
4. Divide the streusel into two bowls. Spread the first part on the bottom of a baking dish, then pour the filling over it and layer it with the second part of the streusel.
5. Bake the crumble cake for half an hour until the crumbles turn golden brown. Then remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes.
You can store the cake in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Bake plum and curd cake
The plum and quark cake is the ultimate autumn classic. We offer you a simple recipe that even complete beginners will succeed. Here are the necessary ingredients at a glance:
For the yeast dough:
- 325 g wheat flour
- 20g sugar
- 30 g yeast, fresh
- 200 ml milk, cooled
- 1 medium egg
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
For the curd topping:
- 20 g butter, soft
- 300 g Quark
- Organic lemon peel, grated
For the filling:
- 500 g plums, cored and halved
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
For the sprinkles:
- 40 g butter, soft
- 40g brown sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 80g wheat flour
- 40 g almonds, ground
Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Grease a round springform pan.
3. Sift the flour for the yeast dough and put it in a bowl. Add the remaining yeast dough ingredients, making sure the yeast does not touch the sugar and salt. Then knead all the ingredients into a smooth and shiny yeast dough. Make sure that the dough comes away from the bowl easily.
4. Roll out the dough into a round shape and place it in the springform pan. Prick in 8-10 places with a fork.
5. Put the ingredients for the quark topping in a bowl and mix well. Distribute the topping evenly over the yeast dough
6. Sprinkle the halved plums with cinnamon and spread over the curd topping.
7. Add the ingredients for the sprinkles to the Thermomix and mix for 4 seconds on level 5. Layer the crumble on top of the plums and bake the cake in the oven for 55 minutes.
Plums in puff pastry
Plums in puff pastry taste wonderfully delicious and are super easy to prepare. Here come the necessary ingredients:
- Puff pastry
- 10 plums, deseeded and cut into thin slices
- 100g powdered sugar
- 1-2 tsp maple syrup
Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius with fan. Grease a baking tray with butter.
2. Cut the puff pastry into several rectangular pieces.
3. Sprinkle the pitted and chopped plums with maple syrup and distribute them among the pieces of puff pastry.
4. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
Sponge cake with plums
We enjoy a sponge cake at any time of the year, but in autumn we particularly look forward to the sponge cake with plums. Here is a quick and easy recipe for the delicacy:
- 80 g packet of butter, softened
- 1 large egg or 2 small eggs
- pinch of salt
- Powdered sugar for sprinkling
- Lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 200 g wheat flour type 550
- 1 TL Natron
- 1 kg plums, pitted
- 5 tbsp sliced almonds
- 2 tsp butter, softened
Directions:
- Place the butter, eggs, salt and sugar in a deep bowl and stir until the salt and sugar are completely dissolved.
- Sift the wheat flour and mix it with the baking soda and lemon zest in a separate bowl.
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the bowl with the egg mixture and mix everything well.
- Pour the batter into a greased baking pan.
- Distribute the plums over the batter and garnish the cake with the almonds and sprinkle with powdered sugar.
- Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius until golden brown.
Plum muffins
If you want to make plum muffins, you can prepare the same batter from the previous sponge cake recipe and then divide it into muffin cups. Fill the muffin cups halfway and garnish with plums, almonds and powdered sugar. Bake the muffins for about 40 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius with a fan oven.
Dry the plums in the oven
You can also dry plums in the oven. Simply do the following:
1. Line the baking rack in the oven with baking paper and preheat the oven to 80 degrees Celsius.
2. Core the plums and spread them on the baking paper.
3. Leave the plums with the oven door slightly open for 5-6 hours. Then remove from the oven and let dry at room temperature for another 2 hours.
4. Store the plums in an airtight container in a cool and dry place.
Canning plums
Do you have leftover plums and want to preserve them for longer? Then you can can the plums. Below we will explain to you how you can prepare plum jam. You need the following ingredients:
- 500 g plums
- 500 g preserving sugar
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 pack of vanilla sugar
- 3 mason jars, each 350 ml
Directions:
1. Place the clean and pitted plums in a pot with the preserving sugar, vanilla sugar and lemon juice.
2. Bring the ingredients in the pot to the boil and then stir well. After about 20 minutes, remove the pot from the heat and puree the jam until fine. Then simmer for another 10 minutes.
3. At the end, strain the jam finely and fill it into the jam jars while it is still hot.
