Instead of greased parchment paper, you also can used greased foil, as I did, to bake this streuselkuchen.
Studies recommend we get at least four servings (about 1/2 cup each) of fruit a day.
I admit that once summer hits, I like to get part of that daily requirement in a fresh baked pastry.
I can’t help myself.
But you won’t, either, not when you try “Plum Streuselkuchen.”
Just what is a kuchen? It’s a coffeecake made with a yeast dough.
It’s kind of cake-like, and a little bread-like, in that the tender crumb is light, fluffy, and a smidge springier than a full-on cake.
The recipe is from “Summer Berries & Autumn Fruits” (Kyle) by Annie Rigg, a cookbook author and food stylist, who lives in London.
The book includes 120 recipes for sweet and savory dishes that will actually take you through all the seasons, what with its recipes using winter citrus such as in “Seville Orange Marmalade with Whisky and Ginger”; spring rhubarb in “Rhubarb and Almond Tart”; summer plums in “Crispy Duck with Spiced Plum Sauce”; and fall persimmons in “Fish Tacos with Persimmon Salsa.”
Although this recipe calls for plums, I actually used pluots from the farmers market. But this recipe seems easily adaptable to almost any fruit you like, from apples to blueberries.
Because of the addition of the yeast, it does take longer to make before you can eat it, because you have to allow the dough to rise for a couple of hours or overnight. But overall, it’s a quite straightforward, no-nonsense recipe to whip up.
Like any good coffeecake, this one is topped with sugary, crunchy streusel, which adds just the right amount of sweetness to the slightly tannic skins of the fruit.
Now, if only I could get all my daily recommended servings of fruit this way.
Plum Streuselkuchen
(Serves 8 to 10)
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced and softened, plus extra for greasing
1/2 cup whole milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 ounce fast-action/easy-blend dried yeast
A good pinch of salt
1/3 cup sour cream or buttermilk, at room temperature
1 medium egg
1 medium egg yolk
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 pounds mixed plums, washed and dried
For the streusel:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
A good pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Grease an 8-inch square cake pan and line the bottom and sides with greased parchment paper.
Warm the milk until tepid — a shade hotter than body temperature. Put the flour in the bowl of a free-standing mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the granulated sugar, cinnamon, yeast, and salt, and mix with a balloon whisk to thoroughly combine. Make a well in the middle. Combine the sour cream or buttermilk, whole egg, yolk, lemon zest, and vanilla extract in a pitcher. Pour the warm milk into the mixer bowl, add the sour cream mixture and softened butter, and knead on medium speed for about 4 minutes until you have a silky smooth dough.
Scoop into the prepared pan and spread level using a palette knife. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and either let the dough rise slowly overnight in the fridge or for 2 to 3 hours at room temperature.
If you have left the dough overnight in the fridge, bring it to room temperature before proceeding to the next stage. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Meanwhile, prepare the streusel: Mix the sugars, salt, cinnamon, and flour in a small bowl. Add the melted butter and stir well to combine — the mixture should start to form larger clumps. Scatter one-third over the top of the cake. Cut the plums into quarters or sixths, depending on size, and arrange on top. Scatter the remaining streusel over the plums.
Bake the streuselkuchen on the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 45 to 50 minutes until the cake is well-risen, the streusel golden, and crisp, the fruit tender, and a wooden skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
If you have any leftover, enjoy it the next day, by wrapping it in foil and heating in the oven for a few minutes.
From “Summer Berries & Autumn Fruits” by Annie Rigg
More Summer Stone Fruit Recipes to Try: Plum Tart by Gail Simmons
And: Summer Thai Shrimp Salad with Peaches
And: Peach Blueberry Cake
And: Peach-Nectarine Buttermilk Ice Cream
