Plum Crumble Cake – Sbriciolata Prugne

Plum Crumble Cake – Sbriciolate Prugne is a delicious dessert. It is a favourite type of Italian cake that is very easy to make.

It’s not only easy to make but also very tasty indeed. The cake, or pastry, is quick to come together into a crumbly mixture. Half goes in to a pan as the base and the remainder is to sprinkle over the top as a crumble. The inclusion of eggs and baking powder make sure the cake rises in the oven to a lovely soft consistency.

The plums, and I prefer to use large fleshy ones, are cooked, or stewed, until they reach a jam-like consistency. It is important to ensure that most of the liquid releases and evaporates to achieve that consistency.

If cooked enough that jam-like consistency is easy to achieve. However you can stir in a paste of cornflour and water to thicken the mixture, if necessary. My plums didn’t need that at all.

Ingredients For Plum Crumble Cake

Flour – Plain or all purpose flour is best for the cake.

Sugar – Caster or granulated sugar is best. Some for the cake mixture and a little more for cooking the plums.

Butter – I use unsalted butter. However you can use salted butter and omit the salt from the recipe.

Eggs – Medium eggs in UK/Europe and large eggs in North America.

Baking Powder – To help the cake mixutre rise during baking.

Salt – To draw out the flavours.

Lemon Zest – Grated zest. This is optional, to go into the cake mixture.

Lemon Juice – To cook with the plums.

Plums – With stones removed and chopped into pieces.

Process For Plum Crumble Cake

The first thing to do is to cook the plums. They need to cook down, allowing the liquids to evaporate until everything is a jam-like consistency. However if the mixture doesn’t thicken enough you can add a paste of cornflour and water. Then the plums are set aside until completely cool.

Making the pastry/cake mixture is simple. I like to rub the zest into the sugar first, that releases the lemon oils. Then I add in the flour, sugar and salt and mix them together. The eggs, lightly beaten, go in next along with the butter. Then stir everything together until the flour absorbs the eggs. Next you can use your hands to rub the butter in as well until the mixture is crumbly.

Grease and flour a 9 inch/23cm springform pan or tart tin.

Press half of the cake mixture into the pan. Press firmly to make a smooth, even base, with a small rim around the edge.

Spread the plums over the base and then sprinkle the remaining crumble cake mixture over the top. Press down around the edge to create a seal with the base. Gently press all over the surface too.

Bake in an oven (which has been preheated) at 190C/170C Fan/375 F for 35 to 40 minutes.

Leave the cake in the pan for at least 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

My Crumble Cake

I baked my cake for 40 minutes. It was nicely brown on the top. Then I took it out of the oven and left it to cool for 20 minutes before transferring it to a rack.

With the cake completely cool I cut a slice and enjoyed eating it. With a good rise on the base of the cake it was lovely and soft. The top was slightly crunchy as crumble is. Then that lovely fruit plum filling, sweet and tart at the same time was just perfect.

This makes such great dessert with cream, ice-cream or custard. But I love to eat a slice with a nice cup of tea.

Another lovely Italian style cake is Torta Caprese.

Plum Crumble Cake – Sbriciolata Prugne

Recipe by geoffcoo

Course: Cakes, Pies, TartsCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Easy

Servings

10

servings

Prep time(excl waiting)

30

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• 400g(2 2/3 cups, based on scooping packed flour into a 250ml cup) plain flour

• 16g(4 tsp) baking powder

• 225g(1 cup + 2 tbsp) caster sugar divided into 150g(3/4 cup) & 75g(6 tbsp)

• 120g(8 1/2 tbsp) unsalted butter, room temp

• 2 medium eggs(large in USA), lightly beaten

• 1.5g(1.4 tsp) salt

• grated zest 1 lemon(optional)

• 600g(21 oz) chopped plums

• juice from one lemon

Directions

• Place the lemon juice and 75g of sugar into a large pan, along with the chopped plums.
• Cook on a gentle heat until the plums stew down into a jam-like consistency with most of the liquids evaporated. This will take some time, just be patient, stirring from time to time.
• Transfer the plums to a dish and set aside to cool.
• Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/375F.
• Grease and flour a 9 inch/23cm tart tin or springform pan.
• When the plums are cool place the remaining sugar into a bowl with the lemon zest.
• Rub the zest into the sugar to release the oils.
• Add in the flour, salt and baking powder and stir everything together.
• Pour in the eggs and add the butter too.
• Stir everything together until the flour absorbs the eggs.
• Use your hands to rub the butter into as well, until the mixture becomes crumbly with some larger clumps.
• Put half the crumble mixture into the prepared pan and press it evenly all over the base, creating a slight rim around the edge.
• Spread the plum mixture over the base.
• Sprinkle the remaining crumble mixture all over the top.
• Using your fingertips press around the edge to seal the top to the base.
• Gently press all over the top.
• Bake in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, until the crumble cake browns nicely on the top.
• Remove it from the oven and leave it to cool, in the pan, for at least 15 minutes.
• Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool completely.