This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, see our privacy policy.
Hey, does anyone out there know what a schweinschtal is?... or what about a schweinerei?...
Please don't let it be that I am the only one who grew up quite disillusioned, thinking these words were part of the English language. Scheinschtal and schweinerei were the words my mom used to describe our room if (if?) it was in a huge state of disarray; "THIS IS THE WORST SCHWEINEREI I HAVE EVER SEEN!" or "YOU BETTER GET RIGHT BACK UP THERE AND PICK UP THAT SCHWEINSCHTAL!".
It wasn't until I left home and went away to college that I learned that there were quite a few "unusual" words in the everyday vocabulary I grew up with. You see, I was raised in a small Midwest town where at least seventy-five percent of the residents were of German/American heritage. Almost everyone had smatterings of German words mixed in with their English vocabulary.
That's why I didn't know that not everyone in the world knew what a "kuchen" was. We regularly ate apple, cherry, raspberry, peach... well, delicious kuchens made from just about every fruit you can imagine. When I went off to college and told friends that I was going to make a kuchen, they looked at me like I had lost my mind and often replied something like "what are you going to be koookin?" This is when I realized that perhaps I need to examine my vocabulary a bit. 🙂
Kuchen is a delightful German dessert and probably comes in as many renditions are there are Frauleins in Deutschland! The word actually just means "cake" in German but in this country, kuchen is usually a fruit-filled dessert with a sweet buttery crust and a crumbly topping. When I saw some beautiful plums at the market this week, I knew it was time to start koookin some Kuchen!
Plum & Raspberry Kuchen
¾ cup butter
⅓ cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
2 pounds plums, cut in half, stone removed and sliced
¾ cup raspberry jam
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup butter, melted
ground cinnamon
1. Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and vanilla and mix for 30 seconds, then flour and salt. Mix just until big clumps form. Pat dough into a 9-10 inch springform pan (no need to grease).
3. For streusel topping, mix the sugar, flour and salt. With a fork, stir in the melted butter until crumbly and large crumbs form. Sprinkle streusel with your hand over top of the plums.
Linda J Demler says
Both of my parents are third generation German, that makes me a full blooded 4th generation Frau. I was taken back when you mentioned the German word for 'pigsty' as this was what my room was called as a child. The Kuchen is right on! I can no longer remember the German phrases that mamma and daddy used to use but the Kuchen rang a very loud bell. I can't wait to make the cake as soon as I can. It sounds like the real deal. I will make the apple as this was what my mother made or bought at the Tower district , "Chicken Pie Shop" in Fresno Ca. back in the 60s. Just delicious. Thanks for the memories, What was old is new again
L
Chris Scheuer says
Haha! Your comment made me laugh, Linda! I thought I was the only one! Hope you enjoy this kuchen and it brings back sweet memories!
Gayle Humann says
Chris,
Thank you for this delicious recipe. I made to take to a family dinner and our two grandsons, (7 & 5) and quite the little foodies, thought this was amazing even better than your blueberry cake recipe. So sweet and it was so good and I can’t wait to make again. Thanks again for sharing!
Chris Scheuer says
You're welcome, Gayle. I love that you have little foodies in the making! Thanks for sharing your results 💕💕💕
Susan says
This certainly reminds me of my childhood where lots of German was mixed into the English language. What fun....and your Kuchen looks so good...almost familiar 🙂
The Mom Chef says
Ok, so my first thought when I saw the word, "schweinschtal," was to say "Gesundheit." I did realize the word was German because most that sound like sneezes are. Dudette's room is a schweineschtal right now.
I don't care if that's a cake, a pie or a kuchen. It's gorgeous, looks delicious and I want a slice!
Vicki V @ blestnest.blogspot.com says
I was looking for a good recipe to use with plums, and I think this is it! Yum!
tcriley says
Chris, I never suspected that you were a schweinette! So what does your kitchen look like after you've been koooookin'?
Seriously, would you adjust the kuchen recipe if peaches were substituted for the plums? Have you ever koooooked it with peaches?
C
The Café Sucré Farine says
hehe, you crack me up, Kelly! And just think, if you do call their rooms schweineschtals, maybe one day, they'll write a blog post about you - and tell the whole world!:)
kelly says
I'm so excited. I get to start calling my kids' rooms schweineschtals. I call them pigsties all the time. I was able to guess this one before the end b/c the first time I used leaf lard to bake pies, I bought it in a German deli and it was labeled "schweineschmalz." Not a big leap from schweineschmalz to schweineschtals. And, the kuchen looks WONDERFUL!
Sandta says
I have visions of me picking away at that super tsaty looking topping. Then I'd get to the filling and crust.