The main ingredients: Plums and Flour
When I think about “brunch”, I think about girls getting together and chatting. I think about friendships. Growing up in Lake Valley, our neighborhood was a bit like The Wonder Years. We were The Gadzia’s, next door were the Wheeler’s, The McKee’s, and the Bemis’, The Wiggins’, The Simmons’, The Zumwalt’s, The Godwin’s, the Todd’s…and Pete on the corner who gave us bare-footed kids Tootsie Roll pops. Then of course, there were The Lund’s. Many of my first food memories and first tastes were at The Lund’s house. Christina was three years older than me, the same age as my brother but we were the good friends. She was more like the big sister I never had- but always wanted.

Their house was so much more immaculate than ours. Being that Mom owned a pet shop, our house was more like an exotic zoo at times. We had a pet raccoon, a spider monkey, even had a pet prairie dog once. But it was a beautiful home with a pool on the lake, and my childhood Elementary school years are most memorable.

Mrs. Lund probably never imagined that I would become a Foodpreneur, and at that time, was mentally cataloging everything I tasted at her house. I had my first cucumber salad there, first homemade wheat rolls, and of course, my very first taste of German plum cake. I remember Mrs. Lund as a gracious, beautiful and sweet lady with a German accent who was also the school librarian. I went back to the old neighborhood a few years ago and Mr. & Mrs. Lund looked exactly the same as they did 30 years ago. Even their lawn was as perfect as it was 30 years ago.
People would find it strange that I remember everything I’ve ever tasted, and everything everybody else tells me, they tasted.
I found an early photo of myself relaxing in our back yard on the hammock, obviously quite curious about a strawberry. 🙂 Food seemed to be as curious to me then as it is now.

Now back to the Plum cake. The German name for Plum Cake is “Zwetschgendatschi.” There are two main versions, the easy version with powder for rising or the more time-consuming version with yeast. I’ve made both. The yeast version tastes more like Plum Bread to me. My girls loved it right out of the oven with melted butter.
This is not a sweet cake. I like granulated sugar as opposed to powdered sugar. This is pure cake with real fresh plums. I reduced this recipe to be made in a 8×8 inch square pan…simply because a 9×12 cake is just too much cake for my family. Plus, most of the recipes call for a whole pound of plums or more. I made mine with only three plums. The important thing is to make sure your plums are ripe. They will give when you push on them. I use margarine in this recipe because I don’t think butter improves it. I love butter, don’t get me wrong. 🙂 I will post the yeast version next week.
Try cutting them into little finger cakes too.
- 4 Tablespoons, half a stick of margarine
- 1/3 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling
- 1 cup flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest and/or pure vanilla extract
- 3 or 4 ripe plums, seed removed and sliced in wedges
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium mixing bowl, gently melt the margarine. Stir in the milk and then the egg. With an electric mixer, begin beating on medium speed. Add sugar, flour, and baking powder. Add zest or extract and continue blending until batter is smooth.
- Pour into a greased and floured (or Pam Baking Sprayed) 8×8 inch square or round cake pan.
- Place sliced plum wedges into the batter, skin down.
- Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until golden. Remove and let cool before sprinkling with more sugar.
- Serves 4-5
For more exciting Brunch recipes look here:
Beverages
Watermelon Rosemary Champagne Cocktail by Vanilla Lemonade
Pear Hibiscus Brunch Cocktail by Rachel Cooks
Strawberry Rose Sangria by The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Mocha Frappuccino by Around My Family Table
Pineapple-Basil Tea by The Kitchen Prep
Eggs
Tomato and Mozzarella Quiche by Love and Confection
Cherry Tomato and Chorizo Omelette by Katie’s Cucina
Asparagus and Bacon Quicheby Confessions of an Overworked Mom
Meat, Poultry and Fish
Bacon Canapés with Oranges and Maple Yogurt by Cook the Story
Chicken Bacon Ranch Panini by Sweet Remedy
Pancetta Wrapped Chicken by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
Breads, Grains, Cereals and Pancake-type Yums
Spinach and Goat Cheese Muffins by Culinary Flavors
Overnight Blintz Bake by White Lights on Wednesday
Bananas Foster French Toast by by Cravings of a Lunatic
Desserts
Cinnamon Raisin Bread by Katie’s Cucina
Chocolate Chip Banana Bundt Cake by Take A Bite Out Of Boca
Strawberry Scones by Kokocooks
Strawberry Mascarpone Tart by Kelly Bakes
Fruits and Veggies
Honey-Watermelon Soup by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Oh wow… I love that you lived in a “Wonder Years” kind of neighborhood. I dreamed of living in a neighborhood like that since I came from a military family who only ever lived in apartments and base housing and packed up every 3-6 years. Love your recipe and story about the plum cake!
I absolutely love plums but I have never tried to bake with them. That looks so good!
What a beautiful moist-looking cake. Delicious!
LOVE this recipe and what adorable photos!
I love plums and this cake is right up my alley! 😆
This cake looks so simple yet lusciously fruity! I can’t wait until it’s plum season around here now. Lovely post. 🙂
That’s cool how the plums make a uniform triangular pattern at the bottom of the cake. Very geometric. P.S. I wish more pools these days had slides. Those were the best.
What a sweet story about your neighborhood. And that picture of you & the strawberry… precious! I think back to the food experiences that changed me and it warms my heart to think of the people who shaped me into the foodie I am today… some without even knowing it! This cake looks so homey & perfect for sharing with neighbors. Lovely!
Can’t wait to make this recipe! And loved the story, too.
Such a delicious looking cake and great story with it. Love the memories surrounding food. Happy Brunching