Autumnal plum Danube wave cake with fine vanilla cream and chocolate glaze
The classic Danube wave cake is best known for its sour cherries. However, if you swap them out, the cake takes on a completely new dimension. Plums offer a wonderful balance of sweetness and tartness and go perfectly with the marbled batter. Read on to find out how to prepare the Danube wave cake with plums.
- a little butter for greasing
- 250 g soft butter
- 200 g sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 6 medium eggs (at room temperature)
- 1 organic orange, zest of it
- 350 g flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 40 g Cocoa powder 🛒
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 60 g buttermilk
- 600g small plums, pitted and halved
- 1 vanilla bean
- 250 g milk
- 2 organic egg yolks, size M
- 70 g sugar
- 1 pinch of salt
- 20 g cornstarch
- 350 g soft butter
- 150g Fresh cream
- 200 g dark chocolate couverture
- 200 g milk chocolate couverture
- 100g whipping cream
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) using conventional oven settings (top and bottom heat). Grease a deep baking tray or roasting pan thoroughly with butter.
- Place the softened butter, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Beat everything with the beaters of a hand mixer for about 3–4 minutes until creamy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, stirring each one in thoroughly before adding the next. Then briefly stir in the orange zest.
- Mix the flour with the baking powder. Sift the mixture in portions over the butter-egg mixture and stir it in briefly until a smooth batter is formed.
- Spread about half of the light-colored dough evenly onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Stir the cocoa powder, cinnamon, and buttermilk into the second half of the batter. Carefully spread the dark batter over the light batter and smooth it out.
- Place the halved plums, cut-side up, close together on the dough. Press them in slightly so that they partially sink into the dough during baking.
- Bake the cake in the lower third of the oven for about 25 minutes. Then let it cool completely on the baking sheet.
- Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Put the milk, egg yolks, sugar, salt, cornstarch, vanilla seeds, and the scraped-out bean into a saucepan.
- Heat the mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk, until a thick cream forms. Bring it to a brief boil, then remove the pot from the heat. Remove the vanilla pod.
- Gradually stir the softened butter into the still-warm vanilla cream. Then stir in the crème fraîche until a smooth mixture is formed.
- Spread the vanilla cream evenly over the cooled cake. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- Roughly chop the dark and milk chocolate. Place the chocolate and cream in a heatproof bowl and melt over a warm water bath. Stir until smooth, ensuring no water gets into the chocolate.
- Spread the chocolate glaze over the chilled vanilla cream and smooth it out carefully. Let it set slightly for about 5 minutes.
- Then, using a fork or a serrated pastry scraper, draw wavy lines through the chocolate.
Recipe for Danube wave cake with plums
The base of this Danube wave cake with plums is a stable yet delicate batter. First, spread the light batter evenly onto the baking sheet. Then, spread the dark batter directly on top. The real magic happens when you distribute the fresh plums over the dark layer. During baking, the weight of the fruit gently presses the dark batter down into the light batter.
Once the baked base has completely cooled, you can turn your attention to the creamy middle layer. A mixture based on vanilla pudding and crème fraîche offers a well-balanced flavor experience. For the texture, it's crucial that both the pudding base and the dairy products are at the same room temperature before you whip them together. This prevents the mixture from curdling and guarantees a silky-smooth cream on the plum Danube wave cake.
The crowning touch is a glossy chocolate glaze. A combination of dark and milk chocolate provides the ideal balance of intense cocoa flavor and mild sweetness. Pour the slightly cooled liquid chocolate over the set cream layer and quickly spread it with an offset spatula. Before the glaze hardens completely, you can draw the iconic wavy lines into the surface.
A little patience is required before cutting into the cake. The Danube wave cake with plums needs sufficient time in the refrigerator so that the cream sets and the chocolate layer can firm up. A well-chilled cake is much easier to portion into clean slices without the layers shifting. This sheet cake is ideal for a large coffee gathering and tastes even better on the second day, once all the flavors have had time to meld.
Then check out our plum miso bolognese with lentils, plum French toast, and plum rice bake.
