Kirmeskuchen
Plum streusel yeast cake
Rhineland church-fair yeast sheet cake with plums and streusel
When the Kirmes, the yearly fair for a village church's patron saint, comes to the Rhineland and Hesse, families bake enormous trays of Kirmeskuchen to share with the relatives who come home for the fun-fair, the dancing and the procession. This version is the most loved: a soft, buttery yeast dough covered edge to edge with tightly packed plum halves and a thick, crumbly streusel. Cut it into squares and serve it with whipped cream and coffee in the afternoon. Chef's tip: stand the plum halves upright, cut side up and overlapping like roof tiles, so the juice stays in the fruit instead of soaking the dough.
- Total time
- 80 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
For the dough
For the topping
- 3 ⅓ lb plumshalved and stoned, then cut a small slit in each top
- 2 tbsp semolina
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
For the streusel
- 9 oz plain flour
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 5 ½ oz cold butterdiced
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix the 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast, 2 ½ oz sugar and ½ tsp salt. Add the 1 cup milk, 2 ⅛ oz butter and 1 egg and knead for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, soft and springs back when pressed.
10 minStep 2: Cover and leave somewhere warm for about 1 hour until doubled in size.
60 minStep 3: Meanwhile rub the 9 oz plain flour, 5 ½ oz sugar, 5 ½ oz cold butter and 1 tsp vanilla extract together with your fingertips until it forms pea-sized crumbs. Chill until needed.
10 minStep 4: Roll the dough out to fit a greased 30 × 40 cm baking tray, pressing it into the corners. Sprinkle with the 2 tbsp semolina, which soaks up plum juice.
10 minStep 5: Stand the 3 ⅓ lb plums close together in rows over the dough, cut side up, and dust with the 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Scatter the streusel evenly on top and leave to rise for 15 minutes. Heat the oven to 375°F (350°F fan).
15 minStep 6: Bake for 30–35 minutes until the streusel is golden and the edge of the dough is browned and sounds hollow when tapped underneath. A common mistake is cutting it hot: the plum juice is still runny and the squares fall apart, so let it cool for at least 30 minutes on the tray.
35 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does kirmeskuchen take?
- About 80 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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