SERIOUSLY - THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY LIFE

It's unbelievable.  So every fall, Italian Plums come to market - late August till late September, early October.  

AREN'T THEY BEAUTIFUL??

Every year at this time I attempt to make Zwetschgenkuchen.  HUH?  You say?

Let me give you the back story.  I have a best friend of 53 years.  Growing up, her mom was THE best cook.  Unlike my many children of today who don't like "real" food, I LOVED "Aunt Mary's" food and I tried to eat as many meals at their house as I could.  In all honesty - even her tuna fish sandwiches tasted better than any other.  No idea...

Anyway - so every fall, Aunt Mary took a day and made a sh*tload of Zwetschenkuchen which is Plum Kuchen or Plum cake.  It's a German thing!  Well - when I tell you this cake was to DIE for?  I LOVED her Plum Kuchen.  The smell, the taste?  OMGGGG.

So now, every fall, I try to make Zwetschenkuchen.  Try - being the operative word - because it just never comes out like hers.  I CAN duplicate the smell and the taste but the texture of her wonderful yeast dough?  I SUCK at making yeast breads.

So a few weeks ago, I was in the Italian market in the next town over and I spotted Italian Plums and bought a bag full.  A few days later I flipped through my zillion, organized recipes...NOT.

(Sharlene - check out the recipe showing!  LOL!!!!)

And finally found the sweet dough recipe.  (I have the actual Kuchen recipe in my head.)  Found it!  Then I realized I didn't have any yeast in the house.  Like why would I???  Hello?  I suck at yeast bread.  Hence - I don't make it.  Hence - no yeast in the house.

So a few days later I FINALLY remembered to buy yeast and as I'm walking down the baking ingredients aisle, I pass the flour.  Do I need flour?  Nahhhh - impossible.

Get home...yup.  No flour.  Sigh.  Grrrrrrr!

Now it's a few days later - I stop and buy flour, head home and I'm on a mission.  I open the fridge...

...husband ate nearly all the plums...

ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?????????

SIGH.

So today I go to the store - no Italian Plums.  Damnit.  I'm making this f'ing kuchen if it's the last thing I do.  Bought a mess of regular crappy plums and went home and whipped up the ugliest yeast dough I have ever seen.  AWFUL.  TERRIBLE.  I JUST don't understand!!!!  So I threw it in my Kitchen-aid mixer.  Attached the dough hook, added some warm water and made not even a passable dough, but carried on.

Looks odd, huh?  (It's unbaked.)  Well - so I went hiking with my German friend Erika (she immigrated in the 60's) Wednesday and I was telling her I was going home to make  Zwetschenkuchen.  She asked me how I make it and I told her terribly I sprinkled sugar on the top before baking and she said her mother made a streusel and why don't I try that.  Hating to break from tradition, I made 2/3rds with streusel (because I made so much - lol) and 1/3rd with sugar which is my way.

Soo - just took it out of the oven...

...edible.

And where's the JOY, you ask?

Follow-thru.   The JOY is in the follow-thru.  I made the damn  Zwetschenkuchen.  Day 16 JOY.  

Are those tears of JOY or tears of despair?