This irresistible Plum Crumble is sweet, comforting, and wonderfully simple to make. It is made with juicy caramelized plums tucked beneath a crisp, golden buttery crumble. Serve this easy fall dessert with custard or a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream.
A Quick Look at this Recipe
- Recipe Name: Plum Crumbles
- Ready In: 55 minutes (includes 10 minutes prep + 35-45 minutes baking)
- Serves: 8 people
- Calories: ~460 kcal per serving
- Protein: ~5 g per serving
- Main Ingredients: Ripe plums, brown sugar, lemon juice, ground cinnamon, plain flour, cornflour, unsalted butter, caster sugar
- Dietary Info: Vegetarian; contains dairy and gluten
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: This wonderfully comforting plum crumble combines juicy, caramelized plums with a crisp, golden-buttery topping. Easy to prepare and full of warm cinnamon flavor, it's delicious served straight from the oven with creamy custard or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
SUMMARIZE THIS RECIPE
This dessert is great for any occasion, especially a crisp autumn afternoon. The combination of juicy, caramelized plums and a golden, buttery crumble topping is incredibly comforting, with just the right balance of sweetness and warm cinnamon spice. The contrast between the plums and crumble is delicious: the plums soften and become jammy as they bake, while the crumble turns beautifully crisp and crumbly on top. It also looks wonderfully rustic, with jewel-toned plum slices peeking through the golden topping. Serve warm with a generous spoonful of custard or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, to make it even more irresistible.
To top if off this dessert uses easy-to-find ingredients and comes together without any fuss, making it perfect for cozy autumn baking. If you love a classic apple crumble, this is a delicious change of pace. Plums bring a deeper, slightly tangy sweetness that makes every spoonful feel fresh and exciting, while still delivering all the familiar comfort of a traditional crumble.
You may also enjoy my Easy Puff Pastry Apple Pie and No-Bake Peach Cheesecake Bars.
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Why This Recipe Works
- This plum crumble is incredibly comforting. The plums are soft, juicy, and beautifully caramelized as they bake, while the buttery crumble turns golden and crisp, making it perfect for most occasions.
- Plum crumble is a simple dessert you can put together without too much fuss. The ingredients are easy to find, and the preparation is straightforward
- If you've got a bowl full of ripe plums and are wondering what to do with them, this plum crumble is your answer. Don't let them go to waste, turn them into a deliciously jammy, caramelized filling topped with plenty of crisp crumble.
- This plum crumble is easy to scale, whether you're making dessert for the family or feeding a crowd, this recipe is flexible. Adjust the quantities depending on how many people you're serving, making it easy to prepare a smaller crumble for a cozy night in or a larger one for a gathering.
Plum Crumbles Ingredients
- Plums: Use ripe, juicy plums that are sweet but still firm enough to hold their shape during baking. Keep the skin.
- Brown sugar: Brown sugar adds sweetness and a caramelized flavor to the plums.
- Plain flour: Use regular plain flour rather than self-raising flour, as self-raising flour contains leavening agents.
- Cornflour (cornstarch): Cornflour to thicken the consistency of the filling.
For the crumble
- Unsalted butter: Use unsalted butter as the topping should be sweet. The butter must be cold to achieve the right texture
Tips and Substitutions
- Plums: Do not precook the plums as this will make them overly soft in the plum crumble.
- Sugar: Plums are naturally sweet, so you don't need too much sugar for this plum crumble recipe.
- Add-ins: You can add ginger powder, pumpkin spice or a splash of rum or red wine for a richer plum crumble filling.
- Crumble: Scatter the topping loosely over the fruit rather than compacting it.
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How to make Plum Crumble
- Preheat your oven to 190°C / 375°F / Gas 5. Lightly grease a 9-inch oval baking dish and set it aside while you prepare the plum filling.
- Wash the plums, cut them in half and remove the stones. Slice them into fairly even wedges so they cook evenly and soften at the same time.
2. Add the sliced plums to your baking dish, then sprinkle over the brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, cornflour and plain flour. Give everything a good toss so the plums are evenly coated and the flour and cornflour are well distributed. Set aside.
3. Add the flour, caster sugar, brown sugar and a pinch of salt to a bowl or food processor.
4. Add the cold butter and rub it into the flour and sugar with your fingertips until you have a crumbly mixture with a sandy texture and a few larger clumps. You can also do this in a food processor by pulsing everything together until crumbly. Be careful not to overmix.
5. Scatter the crumble mixture generously over the plums, but don't press it down. Leave a few little gaps here and there to let the steam escape and help the topping become beautifully crisp and golden rather than soft.
6. Pop the crumble into the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and crisp. Once it's out of the oven, let it rest for at least 10 minutes. This gives the juices a chance to thicken slightly.
Step 7: Serve the plum crumble while it's still warm with plenty of custard or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Recipe FAQs
Dark purple varieties (like Victoria or President) produce a classic sweet flavor. Red-fleshed varieties provide a vibrant color and tangy edge. Ensure they are ripe and juicy.
Don't peel the skins, as they turn tender when baked and add a lovely tart contrast to the sweet fruit and buttery topping.
Leftover Plum crumble can last up to 3 days when refrigerated (ensure that it's tightly covered). Do not keep at room temperature.
More Delicious Fall Recipes
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Plum Crumble
Equipment
- 9" Oval baking dish
Ingredients
- 800 g ripe plums halved and stoned
- 50 g brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon plain flour
- 1 teaspoon cornflour
For the crumble
- 250 g plain flour
- 150 g unsalted butter cold
- 80 g caster sugar
- 80 g brown sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 190°C / 375°F / Gas 5. Lightly grease the oven dish and set aside.
- Slice the plums into even wedges.
- Add them to a baking dish, then add brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, cornflour, and plain flour. Toss or mix until the plum slices are evenly coated.
- Spread the plum slices in a single loose layer. This helps them soften evenly.
- Combine flour, a little sugar, and a pinch of salt in a bowl or food processor. Add cold butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture forms loose, sandy clumps. Or pulse in a food processor.
Assemble
- Scatter the crumble over the plums without pressing it down. Leave gaps here and there so steam can escape and the topping can brown instead of steaming.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes. Let the crumble sit for at least ten minutes before serving.
- Serve this delicious plum crumble with ice cream or custard.
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Notes
- Plums: Do not precook the plums; cooking them beforehand makes them too soft once baked into the crumble.
- Sugar: Plums are naturally sweet, so this plum crumble recipe doesn't need much added sugar.
- Add‑ins: Ginger powder, pumpkin spice, or a splash of rum or red wine can deepen the flavor of the filling.
- Crumble: Scatter the topping loosely over the fruit rather than pressing it down; this keeps the crumble crisp instead of dense.
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