Obstkuchen mit Quark-Öl-Teig (fruit cake with quark-oil dough)
A German shortcut dough, quark and oil instead of butter, mixed and pressed into the tin in the time it takes the oven to heat, no creaming, no proving, no chilling. It is the cake to reach for when the fruit bowl is fuller than the schedule allows.
Christoph's quark-oil fruit cake, written for the nights there is fruit to use up and no time for a creamed or yeasted dough.
Ingredients
Written for a 26 cm round tin
Units
Temperature
Servings
Dough
- 250 g quark rounded
- 100 ml neutral oil rounded
- 130 g sugar rounded
- 2 eggs rounded
- 5 ml vanilla extract rounded
- 280 g flour rounded
- 10 g baking powder rounded
- 1 g fine salt rounded
Fruit
- 700 g plums or apples, pitted or cored, cut into pieces or slices rounded
- 20 g sugar, for scattering over the fruit rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Whisk the quark, oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla together until smooth.
- Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together separately, then fold into the wet mixture just until combined; the dough will be thick and heavy, more like a batter than a dough you can roll.
- Spread the dough into a lined 26 cm springform, smoothing it evenly with the back of a spoon.
- Arrange the fruit over the top, pressing it in slightly, and scatter with the sugar.
- Bake at 180°C for 35 to 40 minutes, until a skewer between two pieces of fruit comes out clean and the top is lightly golden.
- Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then release the sides and cool on a rack before slicing.
Notes
- This dough does not need creaming, proving or chilling. It is mixed and in the oven within 15 minutes, which is the entire appeal; do not add extra steps that belong to a different kind of cake.
- The dough is thick and does not spread on its own. Push it into the corners of the tin with the back of a spoon rather than expecting it to level itself.
- A dense, slightly moist crumb is correct here, a result of the quark rather than underbaking; a completely dry crumb means it has gone too far the other way.
- It keeps for 3 days in the fridge, covered, and is good cold or gently reheated.
Ingredient substitutions
- Plums or apples can be almost any firm fruit in similar weight; apricots, pears or pitted cherries all work well.
- Quark can be replaced with well-drained Greek yogurt in a pinch, though the crumb is slightly less dense.
- A dusting of cinnamon over the fruit before baking is a good, simple addition.
- For a lightly crunchy top, scatter a spoonful of sliced almonds over the fruit along with the sugar.
From Christoph Mayer