Oat and Buckwheat Porridge, Germknödel-Style

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Fall comfort food in a single bowl. This creamy oatmeal-buckwheat porridge is fragrant with cinnamon and gingerbread spices, and thanks to the vanilla glaze, poppy seeds, and warm caramelized plums, it’s reminiscent of the beloved Germknödel. It’ll warm you up, leave you feeling pleasantly full, and tastes almost like dessert—exactly the kind of breakfast you’ll look forward to on chilly mornings. It’s also great the next day, so you can let the porridge cool and layer the individual components into glasses.

Ready in 20 minutes

Serving size: 1 serving of porridge + caramelized fruit for 2–3 servings

Difficulty simple

Ingredients

On porridge

180 ml of milk
30 g instant oatmeal
15 g buckwheat groats
1 teaspoon honey
a pinch of cinnamon
a pinch of gingerbread spice
a small pinch of salt

For Caramelized Plums (2–3 servings)

4–5 plums
1 teaspoon of butter
1 tablespoon of cane sugar
1 tablespoon of honey, maple syrup, or date syrup
½ teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of gingerbread spice

For the vanilla glaze and finishing touches

20 g vanilla protein
2–3 tablespoons of milk, as needed
1 tablespoon ground poppy seeds

Method

Wash the plums, remove the pits, and cut them into wedges.
Melt the butter in a skillet, add the fruit, and sauté briefly. Sprinkle with cane sugar, cinnamon, and gingerbread spice, and add honey or maple/date syrup (depending on the sweetness of the fruit).
Let the fruit cook for a few minutes over low to medium heat until it releases a little juice and a glossy caramel sauce forms on the surface. The plums should still retain some of their shape.
Pour the milk into a small pot and add the rolled oats, buckwheat groats, a pinch of cinnamon or vanilla, and a small pinch of salt. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until the porridge thickens.
Add a little milk as needed. Finally, sweeten it with a teaspoon of honey.
Mix the vanilla protein powder with a little milk. Add the milk gradually to create a smooth, creamy, and still fairly thick glaze.
Transfer the finished porridge to a bowl, pour the vanilla sauce over it, sprinkle with ground poppy seeds, and top with warm caramelized plums and a little sauce from the pan.

What can I use instead of protein frosting?

If you're not using protein, you can prepare one of these options:

Cottage cheese frosting:Mix 80–100 g of smooth cottage cheese with a little milk, vanilla, and sweetener.
Skyr or Greek yogurt:flavor it with vanilla and sweeten it slightly to taste.
Vanilla pudding:Use a few tablespoons of cooked, still-warm pudding. Make it a little thicker than usual.
Vanilla dessert or plant-based yogurt: a quick option that requires no additional preparation.

Tips and tricks

For a truly creamy porridge, cook it slowly and stir it regularly while it’s cooking. Buckwheat groats gradually absorb the liquid, so you can add a little more milk at the end.
It’s worth making a larger batch of caramelized plums right away. They’ll keep in the refrigerator for about two to three days in a sealed container. You can add them to porridge, serve them with yogurt or cottage cheese, or top them with poppy seeds and serve them on their own as a simple fall dessert.
Adjust the amount of sugar and honey to suit the sweetness of the fruit. If the plums are very ripe, you'll only need one of the sweeteners.