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Plum season is underway, and there's no better time to try a selský švestkový koláč, or farmer's plum cake.
This classic cake recipe gets its foundation from a quick-and-easy yeast-based dough, and the remaining ingredients, mainly local, seasonal fruit, are layered into a baking tin (plech) and finished with a crumble. The result is a really moist, sweet cake tempered with tart plums.
PARTNER ARTICLE
You can also spread a layer of Czech farmer's cheese over the dough before adding the plums to give it extra heft.
Ingredients
- 21 g of fresh yeast
- 350 g all-purpose (hladká) flour
- 125 ml warm milk
- 2 eggs
- 50 ml oil
- 50 g sugar
- 250g of farmer's cheese "polotučný" or "tučný" tvaroh (optional)
- 1 egg (optional)
- Approx. 16 plums, halved and pitted
View this post on InstagramPlums #plums #fruit #season #seasonalfruit #violet #baking #nature
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Instructions
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- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Prepare the yeast by crumbling it into a bit of warm milk.
- Sift in the flour, add milk, eggs, oil, and sugar until a soft dough forms. Set aside for an hour.
- Grease your tin and sprinkle with flour. Press the dough into the tin. If using, combine the farmer's cheese with one egg and spread over the bottom dough layer.
- Distribute halved plums over the dough and sprinkle with crumble (mix together 50 g butter, 50 g sugar, 100 g all-purpose flour, pinch of salt and cinnamon using your fingers).
- Bake for about 15 minutes until crumble is golden-brown.
View this post on InstagramFarmer's plum cake #farmerscake #plums #cake "plumcake #baking #Czechbaking #kolac
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Tip: While plums really are the classic choice for this beloved Czech coffee cake, feel free to substitute other harvest fruits including apples, pears, rhubarb, blueberries, or late summer greengages, in Czech "blumy".
You can also turn your plums into a highly addictive plum spread (povidla) or use them to make fruit dumplings.
