This is the first in a series of guest posts while I'm away at yoga teacher training.
Meet Sophie, everyone! There's another Sophie later on in the series, but she's French-Canadian, and this Sophie is German. She's the blogger behind Lucky Star Anise, and one of my favourite online friends. (Check out her instagram for extra fun.) Her recipes are often northern inspired, but with interesting twists like south Asian or Mediterranean flavours. She's fabulous at vegan-izing traditional recipes, and all of her food is healthy and accessible. Take a peek at her blog for some beautiful plant based recipes, with some eggs and dairy thrown in every once in a while.
P.S. This is one of my all time favourite ever cakes, and I was super thrilled when Sophie sent me this!
Hello! I'm so happy to be guest- posting for
Alexandra today. She has been one of my dearest blogger friends and
sources of inspiration ever since I discovered this site. I love her
recipes and cooking philosophy: simple and healthy but always delicious.
The recipe I'm sharing here today fits right in: it's a traditional
plum cake from southern Bavaria, with a yeasted dough and topped with
streusel. This is a vegan version with almond milk and margarine, and
raw cane sugar since I love the added flavor it brings. The plums used
here are a slightly smaller, slightly more sour variety than the regular
round ones- but if you can't find those where you live, normal plums
work well enough.
Ingredients for the cake:
250 grams (about two cups) of whole flour (I used spelt)
50 grams (2 oz) of raw cane sugar
100 ml (a little less than half a cup) of almond milk
One teaspoon of dry yeast
50 grams (2 oz) of margarine
750 grams (1.5 pounds) of plums
A teaspoon of cinnamon
For the streusel:
50 grams (2 oz) of raw cane sugar
50 grams (2 oz) of whole flour
30 grams (1 oz) of margarine
Mix
the flour and sugar in a baking bowl. Take a few teaspoons of the
almond milk and warm them up to a little more than room temperature. Mix
the yeast with the almond milk until it has dissolved completely. Now
make a well in the middle of the flour-sugar mix and pour in the yeasted
almond milk. Stir a little so it mixes a bit with the flour. Cover the
bowl with a towel and let it sit for 30 minutes in a warm place - near a
heater for example.
Meanwhile, prep the plums by washing them,
pitting them and cutting them in quarters. Melt 50 grams (2 oz) of the
margarine and set aside to cool.
After 30 minutes, add the rest
of the almond milk and the melted margarine to the dough and mix
everything well with a wooden spoon. When the dough starts coming
together use your hands to knead it into a ball. Add some flour if it's
too sticky. Cover the bowl again and let the dough rise for another 30
minutes.
Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350
F). Melt the remaining margarine for the streusel and mix it with the
flour and sugar until you have a heap of crumbles.
When the dough
has risen, knead it again to smoothen it, then spread it out on a
baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using your hands or a rolling
pin. Note that this amount of dough may not cover the entire sheet,
depending on its size - it's not a problem though, just shape it into a
rectangle or square anyway.
Spread the cinnamon evenly on the
dough, then cover it with the plum slices, arranging them in rows like
tiles, leaving a little rim at the edges. Sprinkle the streusel over the
plum cake and bake it in the oven for about 25 minutes.
Labels: cake, cinnamon, dessert, german, guest post, plums, spelt, vegan, yeast bread
