Yeasted Plum Tart

Recipe adapted from My Berlin Kitchen (Viking) by Luisa Weiss

One could argue (and if you’re German, win the argument) that this is more of a cake than a tart, which is what Luisa calls it. In her original recipe, she tops the cake with 3 tablespoons of sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, but says it’s also common in Germany to use a streusel topping. So that’s what I did. However if you want to make the original recipe Luisa presented it as, drizzle 3 tablespoons of melted butter over the plums and sprinkle them with the cinnamon sugar rather than use the streusel topping, in Step #5. This tart is on the less-sweet side because prune plums aren’t super-sweet although they are traditional for this pastry. Prune plums are also less-juicy than regular plums and I’m looking forward to trying it with other varieties, when they’re in season.

Dough and plum topping

1 1/2 cups (225g) plus 2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons active dry yeast, or 1/2 ounce fresh yeast, crumbled
1/2 cup (125ml) whole milk, divided
3 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons melted butter, cooled to room temperature
pinch of salt
grated zest of one lemon
1 1/2 pounds (700g) Italian prune plums, pitted and quartered

Streusel Topping

3/4 cup (50g) sliced almonds
1/2 cup (70g) flour
6 tablespoons (70g) light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 ounces (55g) unsalted butter, cubed, cold
pinch salt

Butter a 9- to 10-inch (23 cm) springform pan.
Add the flour to a mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Add the yeast and half of the milk as well as the 3 tablespoons of sugar. Mix the liquid ingredients with a spatula, incorporating just enough of the flour to make a wet paste. Let sit 15 minutes.
Stir in the remaining milk, egg yolk, 3 tablespoons of melted butter, salt, and lemon zest, and mix everything together well. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Shape the dough into a smooth ball and put in the buttered cake pan. Cover with a kitchen towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until doubled.
While the dough is rising, make the streusel topping. Put the almonds, flour, brown and granulated sugars, cinnamon, and salt in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the almonds are broken up. Add the 2 ounces of butter and salt and process until the mixture first becomes granular, then begins to clump together.
Use your fingers to smooth the yeasted dough across the bottom of the pan and about an inch (3cm) rim up the sides. Place concentric rounds of prune plum wedges over the dough, within the rim, pushing them close together.
Strew 1 cup (120g) of streusel topping over the top (there may be a bit leftover) and let the dough rise 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC).
Bake the tart for 45-55 minutes, until the streusel topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Notes

Serving: One could serve this tart with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream If you want to jazz it up, some raspberries or raspberry sauce would work nicely with the plums.

Storage: This tart/cake is best served the day it’s made. However it will keep a couple of days, at room temperature.