Apple and Plum Crumble
Apple and plum crumble is probably one of the easiest and tastiest classics to make from these delicious late-summer fruits.
Follow this incredibly simple recipe to make a fantastic apple and plum crumble – it will be the perfect dessert or even a tasty breakfast. This cake is also naturally vegan and made from natural and healthy ingredients.
With this recipe, you can make a classic crumble, or a crumble cake (pie) with a layer of dough at the bottom which makes it easy to slice.
Ingredients for the apple and plum crumble cake
- Rolled oats or oatmeal
- Ground almonds
- Spelt flour – for a gluten-free version, I suggest substituting it with buckwheat or quinoa flour for the best flavour, but rice flour works fine too.
- Cinnamon
- Himalayan salt or sea salt
- Coconut oil – use it in a solid form for the best result (if it is too hot outside, put it in a refrigerator for an hour or so)
- Almond butter – follow this easy homemade nut butter recipe to make your own almond butter, or purchase a good quality one made from 100% almonds.
- Maple syrup or agave nectar – it adds sweetness to the dough and helps bind it a bit. If you want to make the crumble completely sugar-free, you can leave out the maple syrup and replace it with some more almond butter.
- Apples
- Plums
- Tapioca starch or cornstarch – I like to use starch in these fruity cake recipes because it absorbs some of the fruit juice in the baking. This helps you get the best possible texture – it is a little hack for keeping the crust crunchy and the fruity filling super juicy.
How to make apple and plum crumble
And here is the easiest, foolproof way to make this incredibly delicious apple and plum crumble (for the exact measurements, scroll down to see the full recipe).
- Mix all the dry ingredients except for starch in a bowl.
- Add the solidified coconut oil and crumble it with your fingers to mix it with the dry ingredients. Then add the almond butter and maple syrup, and continue mixing with your hands or use a fork to do it.
- Chop the fruits and mix them with starch.
- If you want to make a cake that can be sliced, separate the dough into two halves and press one half into a mould.
- Put the fruits on top, and with dry hands crumble the rest of the dough on top of the fruit layer. For the classic crumble, just use a bit bigger mould, put all the fruits inside and crumble the dough on top.
- Bake for about forty-five minutes and that’s all, bon appétit! 🙂
Which kind of fruits to use
This cake can be made from almost any variety of apples and plums. If the fruits are naturally softer, the cake will turn out softer and juicier as well.
I recommend using sweet, ripe plums for the best result – they will give you a lot of flavour and natural sweetness as well as the nicest, soft texture.
As for the apples, it is possible to adjust the method a bit depending on the variety that you use. When I have soft apples that tend to get mushy in the baking, I usually just chop them coarsely.
But, If the apples are naturally very hard and crisp, I like to slice them into very thin slices using a mandolin slicer and then cut those slices into strips. That way, they will get softer in the baking and give the cake a nicer texture.
Serving ideas
- Apple and plum crumble with a scoop of this creamy homemade cashew ice cream is one of the most delicious things in this world!
- Drizzle a piece of crumble cake with some smooth homemade nut butter from this easy homemade hazelnut butter recipe. So tasty!
- If you prefer something light and simple, serving a piece of crumble with some natural plant-based yoghurt is a fantastic idea. It can be a great breakfast or a sweet snack.
Storing the crumble cake
This apple and plum crumble cake can be stored at room temperature for a day. After that, I like to put it in the fridge to have it last as long as possible (at least a couple of days).
You can take a piece out of the fridge about half an hour before serving – that way the crumble dough will become more tender and crumbly.
Equipment for making the apple and plum crumble cake
To make this delicious and easy apple and plum crumble (cake/pie), you will need the following equipment:
- Two mixing bowls, one for the dough and the other for the fruits
- Kitchen knife for chopping the fruits
- Cake mould – this recipe was made for a 20 cm × 20 cm (8 inches) square mould, but it will work with slightly different mould sizes too. For making this as a crumble cake or pie, I like to use an adjustable baking mould like this one in a square shape or this circular cake mould. If you decide to make this recipe as a simple crumble with fruits as the bottom layer and crumbled dough on top, then something like this simple baking pan will work.
Apple and Plum Crumble
Make a fantastic apple and plum crumble with this easy recipe. It is naturally vegan, super delicious and can be made as a classic crumble or a cake or pie that can be sliced.
Ingredients
- 1 cup ground rolled oats
- ½ cup ground almonds
- ½ cup spelt flour
- 1 pinch of Himalayan salt or sea salt
- 1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon
- 4 tbsp coconut oil (cooled enough to be solid)
- 4 tbsp almond butter
- 4 tbsp maple syrup or agave nectar
- 1 cup chopped apples
- 1 cup chopped plums
- 1 tbsp tapioca starch or cornstarch
Instructions
- Mix the ground oats, ground almonds, spelt flour, salt and cinnamon in a bowl.
- Add coconut oil and crumble it with your hands, mixing it with the dry ingredients simultaneously.
- Add almond butter and agave syrup and mix it well again.
- The dough should be crumbly and look dry, but if it seems too dry to press into a mould, add some more almond butter and mix well.
- Press a bit more than half the amount of dough into the mould.
- Chop the apples and plums into small to medium-sized pieces.
- Mix the fruits with starch and spread them over the dough.
- Crumble the rest of the dough over the fruits.
- Bake the cake at 180 °C for 40-45 minutes, or until the crumbled dough becomes a bit golden.
Notes
- Follow this easy nut butter recipe to make your homemade almond butter, or choose one made from 100% almonds.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute the spelt flour with quinoa flour or buckwheat flour.
- If the apple variety that you use is very crisp or if the apples have a hard and chewy texture, you can use a mandolin slicer to slice them really thin - that way they will get softer in the oven.
- I like to make this crumble in a form of a cake or pie with a layer of pressed crumble dough at the bottom - that way it can be sliced and is easy to serve. If you prefer a classic crumble with a simple layer of fruits covered with crumbled dough, just skip the step of pressing the first layer of dough. Put the fruits at the bottom and crumble all of the dough over them. In that case, use a bit wider cake mould.
