For the plum sauce, wash and pit the plums and cut them into quarters. In a medium saucepan, stir together the plums and the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and simmer to desired consistency, about another 10 minutes, until plums are soft but not breaking down. Remove and discard cinnamon stick. Serve plum sauce warm or at room temperature.
For the Emperor's Mess, in a large mixing bowl, whisk flour, salt, granulated sugar, vanilla, eggs, buttermilk and melted butter until batter is smooth. Heat two frying pans over medium-high heat, melt some butter in the pans and pour in a thick layer of batter. Reduce heat to medium-low. When underside is browned, turn pancake. (You may want to cut the pancake into quarters and turn each quarter. It will be quite messy and drippy). When browned on both sides, tear or cut the pancake into bite-sized pieces. Stir the pancake pieces in the pan until cooked through. Serve hot with the plum sauce and dust generously with powdered sugar.
Notes
Buttermilk Emperor’s Mess recipe from a friend. Plum Sauce recipe adapted from Süße Klassiker by Dietmar Fercher.