This vegan plum crumble cake is sweet, tangy, and perfectly crumbly! An easy late summer (or early autumn) dessert you’ll want to bake on repeat.
Every August, the old hog looked forward to one special week. That was when the plum tree over the hill dropped its ripe, soft fruit. He would climb the hill early in the morning, lie down in the grass, and watch the plums sway in the breeze. Birds sometimes snatched one before it fell, but he never minded. This year, though, he felt a little worried and promised himself he would arrive just in time.
When the day came, he made the climb with excitement. But when he reached the tree, his heart sank. Only a few wrinkled plums remained on the ground. Just as he turned to leave, he noticed something curious. A trail of plum pits led into the forest. Curious, he followed it and pushed through the bushes.
In a small clearing, he saw a rabbit wearing an apron. She was kneading dough, carefully placing plum slices, and tossing the pits behind her without a second thought. The hog stood still, watching in wonder as she sprinkled golden crumbs all over the place.
Gathering his courage, he stepped closer. The rabbit looked up, surprised at first, then smiled warmly.
That afternoon, they sat together in the shade of the trees. The hog did not just discover what had happened to the plums. He found something far better, a friendly rabbit in an apron. Together, they shared their very first slice of plum crumble cake.
Main Ingredients for this Plum Cake
- Plums
- Walnuts
- Flour
- Soy Milk
- Vegan Butter
- Cinnamon
Do I need to peel the plums before baking them in the cake?
I wouldn’t recommend it. Technically you can peel them, and who knows, you might even discover a new texture you like. But there are two main reasons to keep the skins on. First, peeling plums is quite tedious since the skin is thin and clings tightly to the fruit, which makes it a lot of effort. Second, the skin actually helps during baking: I like to place the plums skin-side down on the cake. This way, the skins hold in much of the juice, so it doesn’t all seep into the dough and make the texture unpredictable or even soggy. My advice: save yourself the trouble and bake the cake with the skins on.
What kind of plums are best for plum crumble cake?
I recommend using the smaller, common blue plums rather than the big round ones you sometimes see at the supermarket. The smaller plums are easier to slice into neat pieces, so when you bite into the cake you get a balanced mix of fruit and crumb rather than pulling off a whole plum at once and being left with just plain cake. They also tend to be denser and less watery, which works much better for the consistency and baking process of this recipe.
How long does the cake last in the fridge?
In my experience, the cake keeps well for about three days in the fridge without losing too much of its texture or flavour. But honestly, I doubt you’ll have to worry about it lasting that long. The real challenge isn’t spoilage, it’s your appetite. This cake tends to disappear quickly, thanks to its sheer deliciousness.
What can I serve with plum crumble cake?
Whipped cream is the obvious choice, as it goes well with almost any cake if you don’t mind the extra calories. Beyond that, plum cake naturally has an autumn or even Christmassy feel, so it pairs beautifully with pumpkin spice lattes, a warm cup of cocoa, tea, or your favorite blend of coffee. And while not exactly a side, the best way to enjoy this cake might just be in front of a window, book in hand, watching the leaves fall outside.
Can I make a gluten-free version of this plum crumble cake?
For full transparency, I haven’t tested this recipe gluten-free yet, but if you’d like to try, I’d recommend using oat flour. On its own, oat flour makes baked goods a bit more crumbly since it lacks gluten, but for this cake that can actually work well. Another option is to use your favorite gluten-free flour blend for the base and keep oat flour (or even whole rolled oats) just for the crumble topping. Both approaches should give you good results. If you give it a go, let me know in the comments. I’d love to hear how it turns out. .
Easy Vegan Plum Walnut Cake – Perfect Tea Time Snack
Ingredients
- 500 grams/ 3 cups plums
Wet Ingredients
- 200 ml/ ¾ cup + 1tbsp plant milk (I used soy milk)
- 80 ml/ ⅓ cup neutral oil (I used rapeseed oil)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
Dry Ingredients
- 200 grams/ 1 ½ cups spelt flour (or all purpose flour)
- 80 grams/ ¾ cups ground walnuts
- 80 grams/ ⅓. cups cane sugar
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Crumb Topping
- 60 grams/ ⅓ cup flour
- 25 grams/ 2 tbsp cane sugar
- 30 grams/ 3 tbsp vegan butter
- 3 tbsp ground walnuts
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 °C (350 °F). Line a 9 inch diameter baking dish (26 cm) with parchment paper or lightly grease it.
- Remove the seeds and quarter the plums.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine: flour, ground walnuts, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon (if using). Whisk everything together until evenly mixed.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together: plant milk, oil, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice, vanilla extract. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir gently until just combined. Don’t overmix, the batter should stay light.
- Spread the batter evenly into your prepared baking dish using a spatula. Place the plum quarters on top of the batter, skin side down in tight rows to cover the surface.
- In a bowl, combine: flour, sugar, walnuts and butter. Rub the mixture together with your fingers until crumbly and generously sprinkle it over the plums before baking.
- Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Let it cool off and enjoy!
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you, I’m super curious! You can leave a comment below and tag @lordsoftheplants on Instagram and hashtag it #lordsoftheplants for me to see too!
And if you’re in the mood for some gluten-free fall baking, these pumpkin muffins are a guaranteed success
