Heirloom yeast cake recipe with plums: A timeless delight

Although seemingly simple, yeast cake can play tricks even on experienced homemakers. Sometimes, it won’t rise; other times, it’ll be underbaked, and occasionally, it dries out, leading to sweet disappointment. However, all of that can be avoided when you have a recipe that has been tried and tested over the years. I have never been disappointed with the results since I found my grandma's old notebook and started baking yeast cake according to her recipe.

It smells so good that your stomach starts to rumble immediately. You can have it for an afternoon snack or pack it for work instead of a Danish, although it's hard to resist eating the whole pan. I always add plums to yeast cake in the fall, just like my grandma did.

Fancy desserts with meringues and creams or popular fall cinnamon rolls can step aside when this cake is on the table. And it's no wonder because in the fluffy mass and sweet plums is embedded not only taste but also a fair amount of sentiment and love.

Ingredients:

Cake:

• 595 grams of all-purpose flour,
• 140 grams sugar,
• 85 grams butter, melted,
• 34 grams of fresh yeast,
• 150 millilitres milk,
• 2 eggs,
• 1 kilogram of plums.

Topping:

• 200 grams all-purpose flour,
• 115 grams of cold butter,
• 100 grams sugar.

Directions:

1. Heat half the milk and dissolve the yeast with 1 tablespoon of sugar and 2 tablespoons of flour.
2. Cover with a cloth and set in a warm place for about 20 minutes until the starter begins to work.
3. Transfer the starter to a large bowl, add the flour, eggs, melted butter, remaining milk, and sugar, and knead the dough until it becomes elastic and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
4. Transfer the kneaded dough to a bowl, cover with a cloth, and set in a warm place for about an hour until it doubles in size.
5. Cut the plums in half and remove the pits.
6. In a bowl, mix all the ingredients for the topping.
7. Place the risen dough in a rectangular form lined with baking paper.
8. Arrange the plum halves, skin side down. Generously sprinkle with the prepared topping.
9. Bake for about 50-60 minutes at 170°C until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

After this time, set the cake aside to cool. Then cut into portions and enjoy. Bon appétit!