Zwetschekuchen (German Plum Tart)

This Zwetschekuchen recipe is for a German plum tart or cake with a rich, buttery crust topped with fresh Italian prune plums and a sprinkle of sugar.

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins
• Calories: 451 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste
• 1 cup butter, cut into chunks
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon water, if needed
• 3 pounds Italian prune plums
• 1.3333333730698 cups white sugar

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Place flour, 1 ⅓ cups sugar, lemon zest, and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor; add butter and pulse until mixture turns grainy. Add eggs and egg yolks; pulse until mixture gathers itself into a ball. If dough doesn't ball up, stop the machine, sprinkle several drops of water onto dough, and pulse again. Place dough into a covered container; refrigerate 3 hours to overnight (preferably).

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Rest dough at room temperature to warm up for about 30 minutes.

Step 3

Roll out dough on a well-floured surface into a 9 ½-inch circle. Dough will be rich and sticky. Press dough circle into a 9-inch pie plate.

Step 4

Quarter and slice plums; place skin sides-down onto dough in a neat ring, starting at the outer edge and working in a neat row towards the center.

Step 5

Bake in the preheated oven until plums are bubbling hot and crust starts to brown, about 45 minutes. Cool tart. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar before serving.