Austrian Zwetschgenkuchen: Plum Sheet Cake with Cinnamon Streusel

Heat the oven to 350°F and line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment, letting it overhang on the long sides.

Serves 12

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 pounds Italian prune plums, halved and pitted
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 5 tablespoons cold butter and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, for the streusel
• Powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and line a 9x13-inch pan with parchment, letting it overhang on the long sides.
2. Make the streusel first: rub the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and cold butter together with your fingertips until you have coarse, pea-sized clumps. Chill it while you make the batter.
3. Beat the softened butter with the granulated sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then mix in the vanilla and lemon zest.
4. Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together, then add to the butter mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk. Mix only until the batter comes together.
5. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan — it will look like a thin layer, which is correct.
6. Arrange the plum halves cut side up in tight overlapping rows across the whole surface. Pack them closely; they shrink considerably as they bake.
7. Scatter the chilled streusel over the plums and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the streusel is golden and a skewer inserted into the cake between the fruit comes out clean.
8. Cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes before lifting out. Dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares.
9. Zwetschgenkuchen appears in Austrian and southern German bakeries the moment the small, dense Italian prune plums come in — a window of just a few weeks in late summer. These particular plums matter: they hold their shape, turn jammy rather than watery, and carry a tartness that cuts the streusel. In Vienna it is afternoon coffee food, served slightly warm with a cloud of unsweetened whipped cream, and it is one of the clearest signals on the calendar that harvest season has arrived.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)

• Calories: 390 kcal
• Protein: 5g
• Fat: 17g
• Carbohydrates: 56g
• Fiber: 3g
• Sugar: 32g
• Sodium: 220mg