German Kleckselkuchen

The German Kleckselkuchen is a yeast cake with four different toppings. A poppy seed mixture, cheese mixture, and fruit or jam covered with crumbs. The toppings create a patchwork pattern shaped any way you like it.

Ingredients for German Kleckselkuchen:

dough:

• 500 g (1.1 lbs) of all-purpose flour
• 1 pouch of dry yeast, rapid rise
• pinch of salt
• 275 ml (8.45 oz) of milk, lukewarm
• 3 ½ tablespoons of sugar
• 75 g (2.64 oz) of butter, melted
• 1 egg, XL
• zest of one lemon

poppy seed mixture:

• 250 ml (8.45 oz) of milk
• 100 g (3.52 oz) of poppy seeds, grind
• 2 tablespoons of semolina (can be substituted with more poppy seeds)
• 3 ½ tablespoons of sugar
• ¼ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
• zest of ½ lemon

quark mixture:

• 1 egg, XL
• 250 g (8.81 oz) of quark OR plain yoghurt drained OR 125 g sour cream mixed with 125 g of mascarpone
• 2 tablespoons of whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• zest of ½ lemon
• pinch of salt
• 3 ½ tablespoons of sugar

crumbs:

• 200 g (7.05 oz) flour
• 4 tablespoons of sugar
• 2 pouches of vanilla sugar OR 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 125 g (4.4 oz) of butter, soft

250 g (8.81 oz) of plum, cherry or apricot jam mixed with 1 tablespoon of rum

Preparation of the dough for the German Kleckselkuchen:

Mix the dry ingredients and lemon zest in a mixing bowl of a stand mixer. Add the egg to it and cover it with the flour mixture. Warm up the milk, melt the butter, mix and add to the mixing bowl. Knead the ingredients on low for 5-6 minutes until the dough is smooth and not sticking to the bowl’s wall anymore.

Cover the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 40 minutes or until doubled.

Preparation of the poppy seeds mixture and cheese mixture:

Prepare the toppings starting with the poppy seed mixture. Grind the poppy seeds in a coffee grinder. Add semolina, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon zest to the milk and bring it to a boil while continually stirring. Let it boil for 3 minutes and turn the heat off. Add the poppy seeds to the milk mixture, place aside and let it stand to cool down. Stir from time to time to avoid the mix to build up the skin.

For the cheese mixture, start separating the egg. Add the egg yolk with the quark, whipping cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, and sugar into a bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. In a separate bowl, add a pinch of salt to the egg white and beat until stiff. Spread it over the quark mixture. Fold the egg white into the quark mix.

    

Preparation of the crumbs:

Add the flour, vanilla flavor, sugar, and butter to a bowl and mix using your hands until the ingredients are combined. Rub the mixture between your hands to create the crumbs.

Finishing the German Kleckselkuchen:

Oil the baking sheet to keep the baking paper better in place. Cover the sheet also on the sides with baking paper. Spread the dough onto the baking sheet using a rolling pin and, if necessary, your hands.

Make blobs with the poppy seeds mixture in any way you like. Mix the rum with the jam and add blobs of jam to the dough.

    

Spread the cheese mixture in between before adding the crumbs on top.

    

Baking of the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 180°C – 360°F, place the cake on the 4th rack and let it bake for 30-35 minutes.

To make the Rhubarb Cake with a Meringue topping, click here, the German Butter Cake click here, and for the Rehruecken Cake click here.