Plum & Berry Crumble

Baked plums, raspberries, and blueberries, topped with a buttery oaty streusel, this plum & berry crumble is perfect all summer long. I made a small serving for two but I’ve included notes to scale it up!

What is streusel?

Streusel is similar to the crumb topping you would find on a coffee cake but it is usually a bit thicker and slightly less crumbly. Almost like sugar cookie dough that gets crumbled on top and bakes into little crunchy crumbly bits. This version includes oats, I like using quick cooking rolled oats because they don’t get as hard and are a bit smaller but you can use regular rolled oats too!

What’s the difference between a cobbler, crumble, and a crisp?

Ok to be honest I had to look this one up too because in Germany there aren’t all of these versions. All three are baked fruit with SOMETHING on top. However, a cobbler has more of a biscuit/pie dough topping whereas crumbles and crisps have a crumblier, streusel like topping, usually including the addition of oats. Based on what I can find, a crumble and a crisp are basically the same just from different places.

What is the secret to a good Crumble?

The proper ratio is the key to a good crumble, just the right amount of sugar, butter and flour keeps it crisp but not dry and perfectly golden brown on top of the fruit.

Tips for making Plum Crumble

• I made this in a small 5″ x 5″ ceramic baking dish because I didn’t feel like making a big one but if you are making it for a large group I recommend a 12″ diameter round ceramic baking dish. In that case, scale the recipe up about 4.5x. The amount of fruit you need will somewhat depend on the type of berries and size of plums that you use. So use your best judgement, the fruit should come to about 1/2″ below the top of the dish.
• I’m writing this recipe with the streusel being made from all purpose flour which is what I normally use but when I made this, I had run out so I used whole wheat flour! Basically do what you please just don’t sub in something like almond flour.
• Use ripe fruit! While the fruit will soften once baked, you can’t hide unripe fruit and it will still be crunchy. If that means using frozen, do it! I used fresh plums because I had them and then a mix of frozen raspberries and blueberries.
• Fresh or frozen berries will work here, I used frozen raspberries and blueberries but you could also use blackberries or cherries or both. I don’t recommend strawberries because they have too much water in them.
• If you can’t find plums, any stone fruit will work!
• Top this with anything from vanilla ice cream, to whipped cream, to vanilla custard sauce or leave it plain!

Additional Fruit focused recipes to try!

• Yogurt Plum Cake
• Berry Custard Cake
• Simple Plum Cake

Ingredients for a fruit Crumble

• Plums: Any plums will work for this recipe, just be sure that they’re relatively ripe! You can also use any other stone fruit instead.
• Berries: Fresh or frozen berries will work! I used raspberries and blueberries but blackberries and cherries would also be delicious additions
• Sugar: White granulated sugar is used in the berry filling and the streusel.
• Butter: Butter is the key to rich and crisp streusel.
• Salt: Fine sea salt helps balance out all of the sweetness and enhances the flavors.
• Vanilla Extract: Vanilla adds flavor and enhances the sweetness of the streusel.
• All Purpose Flour: Any all purpose flour will work for this crumble! You could also use whole wheat flour or even substitute gluten free flour although you may need a little extra.
• Oats: I love using quick cooking rolled oats in the streusel but any regular rolled oats will work too! If you want to make the recipe gluten free with gluten free flour, be sure to use gluten free oats.

How to make a Plum Crumble?

Fruit Filling

• Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
• Rinse the plums. Cut them in half down the crack and through the stem top. Twist the halves apart, then cut each half in half again to remove the pit. Cut each half in half again and then cut those slices into 3.
• Add the plums along with the frozen berries and sugar into your baking dish. Mine is 5″ x 5″ and 2″ deep but check the tips in the notes for a larger dish! The fruit should come to within 1/2″ of the top edge of the dish.
• Stir to combine and set aside while you make the streusel.

Streusel

• In a medium bowl use a fork to stir together the soft butter, vanilla, sugar and salt. Pour in the flour and oats.
• Using the fork again, rub the butter mixture into the dry ingredients until all of it has been fully mixed in.

Assemble and Bake the Crumble

• Clump the streusel and sprinkle it over the fruit.
• Place the dish into the preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Rotate the cake 180 degrees and bake for 15-20 more minutes until the fruit is bubbling and the streusel is golden brown. You may need to bake longer if using a bigger baking dish but it should be about the same amount of time as long as your baking dish isn’t more than 2″ deep.
• Once baked, remove from the oven and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes on a wire rack just so you don’t burn your mouth.
• To serve, optionally top with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or a vanilla custard sauce.

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