If you have plum trees in your garden or love seasonal baking, this Sourdough Plum Cake is about to become your new favourite. This delicious treat combines the rustic charm of a traditional German plum cake with the tang and moisture that only sourdough discard can bring. Perfect for plum season, it's a wonderful way to use up fresh, juicy fruit and a little sourdough starter you might otherwise discard.
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What Sourdough Discard Adds To A Cake?
- Prevents food waste by putting sourdough starter discard to delicious use instead of throwing it away.
- Adds a subtle acidity that helps tenderise the crumb, giving you a moist and soft cake texture. It works great with sweet fruit like plums or our must-try Sourdough Pineapple Upside Down Cake and Sourdough Discard Raspberry White Chocolate Loaf Cake.
- The mild sourdough tang beautifully complements the tartness of juicy plums, enhancing their flavour.
- Slightly prolongs shelf life thanks to the good bacteria in the starter, which naturally helps keep the cake fresh for a couple of days longer.
- Adds depth and complexity to the flavour profile, making this sourdough version stand out from a regular pound cake or traditional German cake.
German Plum Cake
Traditional German plum cake, or Zwetschgenkuchen, is a sheet cake topped generously with plum halves and often a buttery streusel topping. Unlike some dense pound cakes, it has a lighter, tender crumb with a slightly tart fruit topping that balances the sweetness. Our sourdough version keeps that heritage alive but adds an extra dimension of flavour and moisture thanks to the discard.
Ingredient Notes
- Plums: Use tart, juicy fresh plums like Italian prune plums or any fresh stone fruit in season - apricots and peaches work well too. Larger plums should be cut into wedges for even cooking. Have more plums? Try our Plum and Gorgonzola Sourdough Focaccia!
- Butter: Softened unsalted butter at room temperature makes mixing easier and creates a buttery streusel topping.
- White Sugar: We use caster or granulated sugar for a fine texture, and vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract adds warmth.
- Flour: Plain purpose flour works perfectly here. For a nuttier note, you can try some whole wheat flour, but stick mostly to plain for that classic light crumb.
- Sourdough discard: Make sure it's discard at 100% hydration. Room temperature discard blends into the batter effortlessly.
- Baking powder: Essential to give the cake a lift since this recipe doesn't rely on yeast dough fermentation.
Find a full list of ingredients, detailed instructions and nutritional information in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-By-Step Method
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease and line a 23cm springform pan with parchment paper.
STEP 2: In a large bowl, beat softened butter, sugar, and vanilla bean paste until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, then fold in sourdough discard.
STEP 3: In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour and baking powder, then gently fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture until just combined-avoid overmixing.
STEP 4: Scoop the thick batter into the cake tin and smooth the top with a spatula.
STEP 5: Arrange plum wedges in concentric circles over the top of the batter.
STEP 6: Prepare the streusel topping by rubbing soft butter into a mix of flour, sugar, and cinnamon until coarse crumbs form, then scatter evenly over the plums.
STEP 7: Bake in the preheated oven for 50-55 minutes until golden brown and a skewer comes out clean.
STEP 8: Let the cake cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then remove and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Recipe Tips
- Use room temperature butter and sourdough discard to blend ingredients smoothly without lumps.
- You can make it in a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment.
- Don't overmix the batter; fold dry ingredients gently to keep the cake tender with a great texture.
- Avoid overloading with plums to prevent the batter from becoming soggy - juicy fruit juices will release during baking.
- Tart plums like Italian plums or green plums work best because the cake itself is quite sweet.
- This cake works wonderfully with other stone fruit like apricots, peaches, or nectarines if you want to switch it up.
- For extra zing, add a pinch of lemon zest to the batter to brighten flavours.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your sourdough plum cake warm or at room temperature with a dollop of crème fraîche or whipped cream. For a classic touch, vanilla custard or a scoop of vanilla ice cream makes it a delicious treat. It's also lovely alongside a strong cup of coffee or afternoon tea.
Storage
Store your cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days. To keep it longer, slice and freeze individual pieces in a freezer bag wrapped in plastic wrap; thaw overnight in the fridge or gently warm before serving.
More Sourdough Cake Recipes
If you enjoy this sourdough plum cake, check out more of our sourdough recipes featuring seasonal fruit and easy-to-follow steps for baking success.
Sourdough Plum Cake (German Style Plum Cake With Discard)
Equipment
- 22 cm (9 inch) Springform Cake Tin
Ingredients
- 550 g (1.2 lb) plums destoned and cut into quarters
- 100 g (3.53 oz) butter softened
- 150 g (1¼ cups) caster sugar or granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- 2 eggs large
- 100 g (½ cups) sourdough discard 100% hydration
- 80 g (⅔ cup) plain flour all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Streusel Topping
- 130 g (1 cup) plain flour all-purpose flour
- 100 g (⅘ cup) caster sugar granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 115 g (4 oz) butter softened
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
- Lightly grease a 23cm (9-in) loose-bottom cake tin. Line the base with parchment paper.
- Wash, destone and quarter the plums (if you're using very large plums, you may cut them into 6 wedges).
- In a large mixing bowl, using an electric handheld mixer, beat the softened butter, sugar and vanilla bean paste until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.
- One at a time, add the eggs, and keep beating until combined.
- Finally, add the sourdough discard and beat just enough to combine.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour and baking powder.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and, using a rubber spatula, fold everything together (avoid overmixing).
- Scoop the mixture into the prepared cake pan, and smooth out the top.
- Arrange the plums in concentric circles on top, leaving hardly any gaps in between.
- Make the streusel topping by combining flour, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl.
- Add the butter, and rub with your fingers to create lumpy crumbs.
- Scatter the streusel topping on top of the plums and place the cake in the centre of the oven for 50-55 minutes.
- Allow the cake to cool in the cake tin for 20 minutes, then run a blunt knife around the edge to release it from the tin.
- Leave the cake to cool down to room temperature before slicing into portions.
Nutrition
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