This Easy German Dessert Has Been In My Family for 5 Generations

I come from a long line of incredible home cooks. In fact, my family published cookbook! “Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family" was written by a relative of mine (Judy Kancigor, a.k.a. Cousin Judy) and has sold thousands of copies. It features recipes from my mom, grandmother, and great-grandmother and is peppered with stories of our family history.

My great-grandmother Herta (Nana) lived to be 98 years old, and she was still putting herself to work in the kitchen well into her nineties. Her fabulous bakes were always a centerpiece at our Rosh Hashanah and Passover celebrations. She learned to bake from her mother-in-law (my great-great-grandmother) when she was in her twenties, so her recipes have been in my family for at least five generations!

When I got my own copy of the book, my Nana's zwetschgenkuchen was the first recipe on my to-make list. Zwetschgenkuchen is a mouthful, but in German it translates simply to “plum cake.” My great-grandmother’s version of this recipe is more like a tart with shortbread dough as the base. She actually used the same dough recipe to make her beloved shortbread cookies. 

While I come from German roots, I had never attempted to cook German food before, mostly because the heavy, meaty dishes like stuffed cabbage and schnitzel just didn’t seem up my alley. But I couldn’t resist this recipe. After all, who can say no to a buttery cookie topped with fresh summer fruit?

A Tip for Serving This Plum Tart

After this tart comes out of the oven, you sprinkle 2 tablespoons of sugar on top.  This step is what makes this dessert especially delicious, but it also turns it into a ticking time bomb!

The sugar will bring out the juice in the plums. After about 30 minutes, the juice may start to seep into the crust and make it soggy. If you plan on having leftovers, I would recommend slicing the tart, then sprinkling the sugar only on the slices you are going to eat.

How To Make This Recipe Your Own

My Nana made her zwetschgenkuchen with fresh Italian plums, but those can be hard to come by, so any plums you can get your hands on will do. This recipe is also great with peaches or nectarines.

I like to arrange the plum slices in a spiral, but you can get creative here and arrange them however you’d like. Don’t worry about getting them too neat—the final product will taste great no matter what.

Easy Summer Sweets

• Peach and Raspberry Pandowdy
• Apricot Cherry Galette
• Blueberry Crumb Bars
  
• Peach Dumplings

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Grease a 9-inch springform pan.

Make the dough:

Add the butter, 1/2 cup of sugar, salt, and egg yolk to a large bowl. Using a hand mixer with beater attachments, mix the ingredients on low speed until just combined.  

Add 1/4 cup of flour and mix on low speed until just combined. Repeat this process 4 more times until all of the flour has been incorporated. The dough should be soft and slightly crumbly.  If the dough is too sticky to work with, add an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour.

Assemble the tart:

Press the dough into an even layer in the bottom of the prepared pan.  

Pit and slice 1 pound of plums into 1/2-inch slices, reserving the rest to see if you need them to cover the top. I used 1 1/2 pounds of plums.

Arrange the plum slices over the dough in a spiral formation. Start by creating a ring of plum slices at the outer edge of the tart, then work your way in, creating 1 or 2 smaller rings in the center. The dough should be mostly covered, with about half an inch peaking out at the edge.

Bake and serve:

Bake the tart until the crust at the edge of the pan is browned, 42 to 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes; 10 minutes before slicing and serving, sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar over the plums.

Any leftover tart without sugar on top can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 days. You can store it in the springform pan covered with plastic wrap.  When you are ready to serve it, take it out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature for 30 to 40 minutes. Then sprinkle the sugar on top and serve.

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