Sugar Plum Cake (Yeast Cake)

Lately I have been craving a Plum Cake.  When looking at all the beautiful plums that have been popping up all over the grocery store my image was transported to my childhood when I would see plum danishes and plum yeast cakes at this time of the year.  We would go plum picking in my grandma’s garden and then bake these pastry looking cakes.  This time I added some almonds to the traditional crumble and it came out amazing.  This cake is dough heavy and tastes better the second or third day.  If you want to have it more pastry tasting make sure you keep the crust to 1 inch or for a cake recipe follow this one. Of course these recipes can be made with any fruit, especially peaches, nectarines or other pitted type.

For the cake you need: 30 plums (about), 1 (7oz) packet of instant yeast, 3 cups flour, 1 cup milk, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 tbs butter, 3 egg yolks, 2 tbs vanilla extract, pinch of salt

For crumble: 1/4 cup crushed almonds, 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 4 tbs (1/2 stick) unsalted cold butter

Place yeast and 1tbs sugar in a bowl

Pour in 1/3 cup of milk (room temp)

Let rest for 30 minutes, step back do a manicure, take a shower.  Do not wash the kitchen floor since you are not done yet.  Don’t you dare touch that broom.

After the time passes add egg yolks, rest of the milk

2 tbs vanilla extract

Sugar

At this time I mix it, you don’t have to.  You can wait till you add the rest of the ingredients.  For my OCD personality this is much better since I know the sugar is dissolved.  To worry about the sugar at the same time as kneading the dough would be just too much.  I may explode.

Add the soft butter

Flour and pinch of salt

Now it is time to mix, on the beginning the dough will stick to your hands like crazy but keep mixing it by hand and sooner or later it will come into a dough and will fall off your hand.

Place back in the bowl  and let rest for 1 hour

It will look a lot bigger when finished

In the meantime you can take a walk, clean the kitchen, cut the plums into halves and throw away the pits or think up a game that uses plum pits for your kids.  Then blog about it and send me a link.

When an hour passes make the crumble my mixing all the ingredients with my finger tips.

If you do not like almonds or are allergic to them just omit them, the crumble is great without them too.

Place the dough on a buttered pan and spread evenly.  Remember that if you want a danish/pastry like cake do not make the dough taller then 1 inch, most likely on a pizza pan.  If you are looking for a traditional German or Eastern European Plum Cake place the dough on 13×9 (3qt) dish.

Place the plums on the dough the more the better

Sprinkle with crumble

Bake in a preheated to 350 deg oven for 40-60 minutes

Cook until golden, cool fully before eating.