German Plum Pie with Vanilla Streusel
This German-inspired Plum Pie is different from its traditionally yeasted original. There is no yeast and no kneading involved. Beautiful plums are the star here, placed atop a delicate crumbly crust and topped with vanilla streusel.
This recipe is not too sweet. Enjoy a slice with some whipped cream and your afternoon coffee or tea, or have for breakfast or dessert!
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Ingredients
Crust
- 170 g Flour
- 20 g Corn starch
- 120 g Butter, softened
- 50 g Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1 Egg
- 1/2 tsp Baking powder
- 1 pinch Salt
- 40 ml Rum/brandy/vodka or high proof >80 spirit OR substitute water (see notes)
- 500 g Plums, halved and pitted Italian plums are traditional, but other plums are fine (see notes)
Vanilla Streusel Topping
- 80 g Flour
- 50 g Butter, softened
- 40 g Sugar Can also use half light brown sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla
Instructions
Make the Crust
- Preheat your oven to 350F/180 C. Lightly butter a 9-inch or 22-23 cm spring-form pan.
- Combine all crust ingredients, except the plums, in a large bowl. Mix with a hand mixer until everything is well-combined, about 30 seconds to a minute. Use your hands to clump the dough together. If it holds together, it's ready.
- You can also use a stand mixer and paddle or whisk attachment. If you have neither, you can also bring everything together with your hands and "knead" it just so it comes together.
- Use your hands to evenly flatten and pat the dough into the buttered spring-form pan, while also creating a 1-inch/2.5 cm crust up the sides of the pan.
- This doesn't have to be perfect; the plums will cover the bottom of the curst. See gallery for pictures.
- Place plums, cut side up, in circular layers on top of the crust.
Make Vanilla Streusel Topping
- Combine softened butter and sugar and mix with hand mixer until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and mix until well-combined.
- Add flour and crumble everything with your hands. You can squeeze the mixture every so often to create larger "pebbles."
- Sprinkle the vanilla streusel over the plums.
Bake the Plum Pie
- Bake the pie in your pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes, until the edge of the pie and some of the streusel is slightly browned.
- Let cool before removing from the pan. Slice and serve with whipped cream, if desired.
Notes
- Alcohol Notes: alcohol is not used for taste and the majority of it will burn off, but you can use water with a splash of vinegar if you don't want to use alcohol. The alcohol contributes to the delicate crumbly crust. See additional notes below.
- Plum Notes: Italian plums, also called Italian prune plums or European plums, are smaller, about the size of a large strawberry. They are also oblong in shape and have a greener flesh with a deep purple skin. They can be hard to find, and are typically fall/winter plums in Germany. I used sugar plums (bought from my Asian store) instead. You can use regular plums, but you may have to quarter larger ones.
- Pie dough needs a little liquid to bring it all together. With water, it binds to the proteins in flour that help form gluten and but can toughen the dough when overworked. The liquid form of alcohol will bind the dough so it sticks together, but doesn't bind to the proteins