Yeast cake with streusel and plums Recipe
Fluffy yeast cake with plenty of plums and a thick layer of buttery streusel. In many Polish homes it’s a late-summer classic, when plums are at their cheapest and sweetest. It smells like a mix of a home bakery and an orchard after rain.
Yeast cake with plums and streusel is the quintessence of Polish late summer – a fluffy, buttery traybake where the sweetness of the dough is balanced by the slightly tart juice of baked plums. A thick layer of crunchy streusel scented with butter and cinnamon makes every piece feel like a small, homemade sweet bun from the neighbourhood bakery. It’s a bake that tastes best still slightly warm, when the plum juice gently soaks into the crumb.
Chef's tips
Watch the temperature of the milk – it should be clearly warm but not hot; if you dip a finger in and it feels just a bit warmer than your hand, it’s perfect for the yeast. Knead the dough until it starts to come away from your hand and the bowl, and when pressed with a finger it springs back – that’s a sign the gluten has developed well and the cake will rise nicely. I always arrange the plums skin side down so the juice doesn’t soak into the dough too quickly and the base doesn’t get soggy.
How to serve
It’s best on the day it’s baked, served slightly warm with a mug of cocoa or a large glass of milk – for us that’s the obligatory set after a Sunday walk in the forest. For a more “grown-up” version you can serve it with a cup of black tea or a mild coffee with milk. It’s great for picnics, school bake sales and as “something homemade” to take to work – it’s easy to cut and pack into a box.
Ingredients
- wheat flour - 500 g
- milk - 250 ml
- yeast - 25 g
- sugar - 80 g
- butter - 80 g
- egg - 2 piece
- egg yolk - 1 piece
- salt - 0.5 teaspoons
- plums - 600 g
- sugar - 20 g
- cinnamon - 3 g
- wheat flour - 120 g
- sugar - 60 g
- butter - 80 g
Preparation
- Gently warm the milk so it is warm but not hot (it should feel pleasantly warm to the touch).
- Crumble the fresh yeast into a small bowl, add 1 tablespoon of sugar and 3 tablespoons of warm milk, and stir until the yeast dissolves. Add 1 tablespoon of flour, mix and set aside for 10–15 minutes until foam appears on the surface.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, remaining sugar and salt. Add the risen yeast starter, the rest of the warm milk, the egg and the egg yolk.
- Knead the dough by hand or with a dough hook attachment for about 7–10 minutes, until smooth and elastic and it starts to come away from the sides of the bowl.
- Add the melted, cooled butter and knead for another 3–4 minutes, until the butter is fully absorbed and the dough is soft and slightly glossy.
- Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave in a warm place for about 60 minutes, until the dough doubles in volume.
- Meanwhile, prepare the plums: wash and dry them, cut in half and remove the stones. If they are large, you can cut the halves into quarters.
- Prepare the streusel: put the flour and sugar into a bowl, add cold butter cut into cubes. Rub with your fingers until you get crumbs resembling wet sand. Place the streusel in the fridge.
- Line a rectangular tin about 25×35 cm with baking paper. Transfer the risen dough to the tin, gently stretch it out and level the surface with hands lightly greased with a bit of oil.
- Arrange the plums on the dough, skin side down, pressing them lightly into the dough. Sprinkle the fruit with sugar and cinnamon.
- Take the streusel out of the fridge and sprinkle it evenly over the plums.
- Cover the tin with a cloth and leave the cake to rise again for 20–25 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 180°C (top and bottom heat).
- Place the tin in the preheated oven and bake for about 30–35 minutes, until the streusel is golden and the edges of the cake are lightly browned.
- After baking, remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool for at least 20 minutes before cutting.
Storage
Store the cake covered at room temperature for up to a day; for longer storage keep it in the fridge in a closed container. Before serving leftover pieces, briefly warm them in a low oven or microwave so the crumb softens again.
