September means the start of crumble season for me: brambles are abundant, plums are ripe and there’s the promise of apples on the horizon. Plum crumble is a favourite (this plum, honey and rosemary crumble is particularly delicious at this time of year) and when I picked up some Scottish plums on a recent trip to Lovecrumbs (my longtime fave which recently started selling locally grown groceries and provisions) I knew they’d be destined for an Autumnal dessert. This plum crumble cake combines the seasonal fruit in a sweet sponge with a crunchy crumble topping for the best of both worlds. To make it, you will need:
150g butter, at room temperature
200g soft brown sugar
3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
100g sour cream or yoghurt
300g self-raising flour
6 plums, stoned and cut into wedges
50g demerara sugar
Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C Fan/ Gas mark 4 and line a roughly 20.5cm x 30.5cm (8in x 12in) roasting tin with baking parchment. Put 100g of the butter into a bowl with the soft brown sugar and beat together until pale and fluffy, about 3 mins in a stand mixer.
Whisk in the eggs and sour cream/ yoghurt, then use a large metal spoon to fold in 200g of the flour. Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin, level the surface, then lay over the plum wedges.
In a separate bowl, rub the remaining butter and flour together to make a crumble mixture and stir in the demerara sugar. Sprinkle the mixture over the cake, then bake for 40 mins or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Serve warm with ice cream or custard for a delicious early Autumn dessert.
What are you baking this weekend?
Plum crumble cake recipe adapted from Good Housekeeping.