Grandma's secret recipe: The perfect yeast cake with plums

My grandma is an absolute master of yeast cake. On a Saturday afternoon, its aroma filled the entire house, tempting the household members. The cake always rose perfectly and was soft and fluffy. After years, I found her recipe and have never baked yeast cake any other way since.

Although seemingly simple, yeast cake can play tricks even on experienced homemakers. Sometimes, it won’t rise, at 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. Ever since I found my grandma's old notebook and started baking yeast cake according to her recipe, I have never been disappointed with the end result.

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 cake pan. In the autumn, I always add plums to yeast cake, just like my grandma did.

Fancy desserts with meringues and creams or popular autumn 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:

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

Topping:

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

Directions:

1. Heat half of the milk and dissolve the yeast in it along 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 starts 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!