German Plum Sheet Cake (Zwetschgendatschi)

This traditional German plum sheet cake recipe is the most delicious late summer dessert. It tastes just like the real deal but it is gluten and dairy-free and Paleo-compliant. If you successfully reintroduced eggs on the autoimmune protocol you can enjoy this recipe as well. If you have not check out my plum crumble recipe.

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German Plum Sheet Cake (Zwetschgendatschi)

I present to you my absolute favorite dessert of all time…Zwetschgendatschi…which is a traditional German plum sheet cake. If you’ve ever been to Germany in August or September you will find this cake on every corner. There are two different ways to make the dough and two camps of people that prefer one over the other. My favorite version, which is also the most common and original one is made with a lovely yeast dough. My grandmother used to bake this cake back in the day and there have been times where I almost ate the whole thing myself. Not recommended by the way….but it is that good!

The mix of sweetness and tartness makes this plum sheet cake irresistible. It is the ultimate late summer, early fall dessert, that Germans love to enjoy in their garden on the weekends or in an outdoor cafe during some of the last warm days. Often with a spoon of whipped cream.

My mouth is watering while I am writing this. So if you have never tried it, please do yourself a favor and try it. You will not regret it. This is my grain-free/ Paleo version of this German classic recipe, and I have to say it tastes like the real deal. My whole family approved it and I am so excited to share this recipe with you.

german sheet plum cake

Ingredients

  • coconut milk
  • coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
  • active dry yeast
  • cassava flour
  • arrow root flour
  • salt
  • eggs
  • coconut oil
  • prune plums/ italian or european plums
  • cinnamon 

Do you have food sensitivities and don’t know what to eat? Get my FREE substitution chart to learn how to make easy swaps, because life is too short to not enjoy food. Suitable for gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, Paleo, and AIP.

What Type of Plums You Should Use

Here in Germany, we call these specific plums Zwetschgen..hence Zwetchgendatschi. As you can see in the picture below they look different than the regular round plums you might be used to seeing in the grocery store. They are oval in shape, smaller and the color is dark purple and they are actually referred to as prune plums (or Italian plums, sometimes also called European plums).

Unlike their bigger relatives, prune plums are freestone, meaning you can remove the pit easily. Taste-wise they are different as well and therefore ideal for baking. And yes you can definitely get your hands on this variety in the US as well. The best place to get them will be at your local farmer’s market. For this recipe, it is ideal to pick small prune plums that are ripe.

HOT TIP: Visit your local farmer’s market to get prune plums/ Italian or European plums. They are oval in shape, small and dark purple.

prune plums on a plate
Photo by Lum3n

How to Prepare the German Plum Sheet Cake

  1. In a small saucepan carefully warm up the coconut milk to 105 – 115 degrees Fahrenheit or until it is warm to the touch. Add coconut sugar and stir well. Add yeast, mix and cover with a kitchen towel. To activate the yeast, let it rest for 5-10 minutes. It should become bigger in size. If nothing happens the coconut milk temperature is either too cold or too hot or the active dry yeast may be too old.
  2. In the meantime mix the cassava flour, arrowroot, and salt. In a separate bowl mix the eggs with a whisk. Once the yeast mix has rested for 10 minutes add it to the eggs and mix well. Combine it with the flour mix to form a dough. Finally, add the coconut oil and mix well. The dough will be quite soft, something between a batter and a dough. Do not add more flour as this is the right consistency for this grain-free yeast dough.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Distribute the dough evenly onto the baking sheet. Cover with another baking sheet and let it rest in a warm place for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
  4. In the meantime take the stones out of the prune plums. You can either use a stone remover or simply slice the prune plums lengthwise with a sharp knife. Once you got rid of the stone cut the halves into two slices. In a small mixing bowl mix coconut sugar and cinnamon.
  5. Once the dough has rested for one hour, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the prune plums on top of the dough in tight layers, halfway covering each other (see the picture in the post above). Sprinkle with coconut sugar and cinnamon mix.
  6. Bake for 20- 30 minutes or until the prune plums are soft and the dough is golden brown.

Tips For the Best Result

  • How to remove the pit: If you have a stone remover more power to you. No worries if you don’t, simply slice the prune plums lengthwise with a sharp knife. If they are ripe enough it should be fairly easy to remove the stone.
  • How to cut the prune plums into the right shape: Once you got rid of the stone, cut the halves into two slices as I did in the picture above.
  • How to get the authentic look and flavor: The secret behing a great German plum sheet cake is that you want to cover the dough tightly with the sliced prune plums. You achieve this by laying a new row of prune plums halfway covering the previous row (see the picture above). If you simply lay them next to each other there will be too much space in between after it is done baking. Authentic german plum sheet cakes are tightly covered with the stone fruit.

HOT TIP: Make sure you tightly cover the dough by layering the prune plums tightly for the most authentic and delicious results.

This recipe contains eggs. So if you are currently following the autoimmune protocol and haven’t been able to reintroduce eggs, or if you don’t tolerate eggs for other reasons check out my AIP prune plum crumble recipe.

More Fall Desserts

I hope you love this plum sheet cake recipe as much as I do. If you make it, please rate it and leave a comment below. And as always don’t forget to tag me in your food pictures on Instagram

Happy baking

~Annika

German Plum Sheet Cake (Zwetschgendatschi)

This traditional German plum sheet cake recipe is the most delicious late summer dessert. It is gluten and dairy-free and Paleo compliant.
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 16 pieces

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 1.5 tsp active dry yeast
  • 1 cup and 2 Tbsp cassava flour
  • 1 cup and 2 Tbsp arrow root flour
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 3 eggs (pasture-raised)
  • 3 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 4.4 lbs (prune plums) or Italian/European Plums, Zwetschgen about 50-60 small/medium prune plums (2 kilos)
  • 2 tsp coconut sugar (to sprinkle on the prune plums)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon (to sprinkle on the prune plums)

Instructions
 

  • In a small saucepan carefully warm up the coconut milk to 105 – 115 degrees Fahrenheit or until it is warm to the touch. Add coconut sugar and stir well. Add yeast, mix and cover with a kitchen towel. To activate the yeast, let it rest for 5-10 minutes. It should become bigger in size. If nothing happens the coconut milk temperature is either too cold or too hot or the active dry yeast may be too old.
  • In the meantime mix the cassava flour, arrowroot, and salt. In a separate bowl mix the eggs with a whisk. Once the yeast mix has rested for 10 minutes add it to the eggs and mix well. Combine it with the flour mix to form a dough. Finally, add the coconut oil and mix well. The dough will be quite soft, something between a batter and a dough. Do not add more flour as this is the right consistency for this grain-free yeast dough.
  • Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Distribute the dough evenly onto the baking sheet. Cover with another baking sheet and let it rest in a warm place for about an hour or until the dough has doubled in size.
  • In the meantime take the stones out of the prune plums. You can either use a stone remover or simply slice the prune plums lengthwise with a sharp knife. Once you got rid of the stone cut the halves into two slices. In a small mixing bowl mix coconut sugar and cinnamon.
  • Once the dough has rested for one hour, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the prune plums on top of the dough in tight layers, halfway covering each other (see the picture in the post above). Sprinkle with coconut sugar and cinnamon mix.
  • Bake for 20- 30 minutes or until the prune plums are soft and the dough is golden brown.

Notes

Tip:
Prune plums are a specific type of plums. As you can see in the picture above they look different than the regular round plums you might be used to seeing in the grocery store. They are oval in shape, smaller and the color is dark purple and they are sometimes also called European plums. Unlike their bigger relatives, prune plums are freestone, meaning the pit is easily removed. Taste-wise they are different as well and therefore ideal for baking. The best place to get them will be at the farmers market. For this recipe, it is ideal to pick small prune plums that are ripe.
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