German Plum Cake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is plum cake called in USA? ›

Plum cake, also known as Christmas cake or fruitcake, is often made using all-purpose flour (also known as plain flour). All-purpose flour is a versatile type of flour that works well in a variety of baked goods, including cakes.

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (known as Black Forest gâteau or Black Forest cake in other parts of the world) is something for which we can never thank the Germans enough.

Plum cakes have a fascinating history originating in medieval England where a fasting tradition preceded Christmas. The precursor to plum cake was a porridge-like dish made with dried fruits, oats, spices, and honey. The recipe evolved with the substitution of oats with flour, and the addition of eggs and butter.

Since dried fruit is used as a sweetening agent and any dried fruit used to be described as "plums", many plum cakes and plum puddings do not contain the plum fruit now known by that name. (Plum pudding is a similar, richer dish prepared with similar ingredients, cooked by steaming the mixture rather than baking it.)

According to custom, on the eve of Christmas, a rich porridge was cooked and eaten to “line the stomach” for the upcoming feast. The porridge, said to have been made with oats, dried fruits, spices, honey, and sometimes even meat, can be called the grandfather of the Christmas — or plum cake.

A Fruit Cake is a normal vanilla cake with fruits in it. Whereas a Plum Cake is made with dry fruits soaked in alcohol/orange juice for more than a day. A Fruit Cake's colour is white to yellowish inside, whereas a Plum Cake's colour is brown to dark brown inside.

Learn the origins of this traditional German dessert and how to make it! Kuchen (pronounced “koo-ken”) is the German word for “cake,” but a real kuchen is so much more than that!

Today, coffee and cake is a fixed component of German coffee culture. There isn't just coffee and cake on Sundays any more, but rather on many other occasions. On weekdays, it is enjoyed after lunch or in the later afternoon. It is crucial as a refreshment after a hike at inns and excursion restaurants.

German chocolate cake, trimmed with coconut and pecan icing, does not originate from Germany. The rich dessert is credited to a Texas homemaker who sent her recipe to a Dallas newspaper in 1957.

The story of plum cake, also known as the fruit cake, can be traced to medieval England, where it was a popular tradition to observe a period of abstinence in the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Is eating plum cake healthy? ›

Why are plum cakes good for your health? Plums are rich in various nutrients, which make plum cakes a healthy food choice despite being a dessert. Plums are full of dietary fibre, which helps in lowering your cholesterol level, controls blood sugar level and helps you in maintaining an ideal body mass index.

Liquor like rum, brandy, red wine is used for soaking of fruits. If you don't want to use alcohol you can use orange juice for soaking. I soaked the dry fruits for 2 days, by which time the fruits soaked up the rum and was beautifully soft and plumped up.

Figgy pudding is fruity and very dense, and typically strongly flavored with brandy or rum. Its closest relative would probably be fruitcake, although figgy pudding is typically spicier and crumblier. A dessert sauce may be added to offset figgy pudding's intense flavor and heavy texture.

Now, plum cake is not made out of plums. Actually, not a single plum goes into the Christmas cake. So then why on earth is it called plum cake? Plum cake's roots can be traced back to medieval England where its early ancestor was a rich porridge that was prepared to “line the stomach” for the upcoming Christmas feast.

“Figgy pudding is a specific type of Christmas or plum pudding that contains figs as a primary ingredient along with other dried fruits,” Heron says. “However, the name 'figgy pudding' doesn't always mean it exclusively contains figs. It could contain a variety of dried fruits in addition to or alongside figs.

Fruitcake was historically referred to as plum cake in England from around 1700.

Plum Sauce, sometimes called "Duck Sauce," is a sweet and tangy condiment with the lively flavors of plums and ginger. It's often served with fried wontons and other appetizers.

A cupcake (AmE), fairy cake (BrE), or bun (IrE) is a small cake designed to serve one person, which may be baked in a small thin paper or aluminum cup. As with larger cakes, frosting and other cake decorations such as fruit and candy may be applied.