German Blueberry, Blackberry and Raspberry Sheet Cake

This delicious light and fruity cake is easy to make. It makes a great snack or breakfast.  One could call it a coffee cake. You will find it in every German bakery or household using a variety of different fruits. I’ve used blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, and plums. However, my favorite for this cake are gooseberries mixed with red currants. I love the tartness of these fruits from the northern hemisphere. Unfortunately, they do not grow here in northern California. I have tried to grow them many times, but without success, as they need frost in the winter. . ​

It all started when my blogging friend, Suzanne, from apuginthekitchen had bought some gooseberries and red currants at the farmer’s market and asked if anybody knew what to do with them. Instant childhood memories came to mind of stuffing myself with gooseberries fresh from the bushes as they ripened. I remember spitting out the tough skin while enjoying the soft creamy inside filled with seeds. My mom used to can them so that in the cold winter we could eat them as compote with vanilla sauce for our Sunday lunch. Sunday lunches were warm meals (more elaborate than weekday meals) and there was always dessert. My family would also bake large sheet cakes or Blechkuchen as they are known in Germany. These cakes could be as simple as a yeast cake dotted with butter and sprinkled with sugar, which is called Zuckerkuchen (sugar cake). Or the cake could have fruit with custard added as a topping.  Another favorite sheet cake of mine is Schmandkuchen (sour cream cake), a yeast cake topped with a rich custard and raisins. Today, whenever I’m in Germany these simple cakes are some of my favorites.

Let’s get back to my sheet cake. I cut the recipe in half, which still makes enough for 9 generous pieces. I used a mixture of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. I am going to try plums next time. If I use plums, I will add some cinnamon too. With the second cake, I substituted spelt flour for the regular flour and ¼ cup coconut sugar for the regular sugar. This version of my cake was dense and lacked the lightness of the other cake. I think my cake tasters were polite when they said they liked it. I prefer the regular recipe served with whipped cream or ice cream.

The spelt flour cake

If you like butter you will like this buttery almond sheet cake I posted earlier. ​

Creaming the dough

The washed berries

Dusting the berries with cornstarch

The cake is ready to be baked

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​Ingredients

9 TBS (125g) soft butter 
½ cup( 100g) sugar
1/8 cup (50g) heavy cream
3 eggs (at room temperature)
a pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ¼ cup (150g) flour
2 tsp baking powder 
10-12 ounces mixed fruit
1 TBS cornstarch
2 TBS raw sugar

​Directions
​
Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350˚ F.
Spray or butter an 9” x 9” square pan. 
Mix the flour with the baking powder in a separate bowl.
In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar until double in volume.
Add the vanilla extract, a pinch of salt and one egg at a time.
Add half the flour and stir for a few seconds until combined.
Add the cream and the rest of the flour, and mix until the flour is blended into the dough.
Scrape the dough with a spatula into the pan and spread it evenly.
Wash the fruit in a sieve. Add the cornstarch to the fruit and shake. Put the fruit on the cake, distributing it evenly. Sprinkle 2 TBS raw sugar over the cake and bake in the middle of the oven for about 30-40 minutes. Test it with a toothpick. If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. Serve the cake with whipped cream or ice cream.

Guten Appetit!
​recipe © Sunnycovechef