Plum Crumble Bread - with a crunchy, buttery streusel topping and almond icing drizzle!
I love that it's socially acceptable to eat cake at 10:30am and call it brunch. It makes my cake addiction almost sound posh 🙂
If you don't eat it all at once, you'll have enough left for afternoon tea too. Double posh!
As a blogger and freelancer, I often find I have boundaries to work within - whether it's a pasta recipe for a brand, an easy picnic recipe for a website or a seasonal recipe for Kitchen Sanctuary (usually start on these at least a couple of weeks before the season starts).
I don't mind that at all, and in fact I often find that I work better, and can be more creative when working within certain boundaries.
This time though, I was pottering around the kitchen, and I decided that I just felt like making plum bread. No deadline requirements, no need to blog about it at all really, I just fancied making a cake.
Total bliss!
It ended up being so good, I had to share it!
I decided to go with a vanilla flavoured sponge - made light and fluffy with the use of Greek yogurt and baking soda (the acid and alkaline mixture react to give a nice rise). I piled plums and some of the streusel mixture in the middle of the cake, then topped it off with the remaining plums and streusel.
Knowing how much Chris loves almond flavour, I decided to compliment the ground almonds in this cake with an almond icing drizzle.
And let me tell you, I might have to use that icing on everything now! So simple, I don't know why I haven't thought of it before. I had to prise the bowl out of Chris's hands so he wouldn't lick it clean.
More Cake Ideas
Still hungry for more? I have got quite a selection of cakes and muffins in my Cakes and Treats Category such as:
Homemade Battenburg < Chris's favourite!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake
Cake Bites with Coffee Walnut Sauce
Pineapple Upside Down Cake < This is gluten free too!
Raspberry and white chocolate loaf
And loads more.....
The Plum Crumble Bread Recipe:
Plum Crumble Bread
Ingredients
Streusel topping:
- 140 g plain (all-purpose) flour
- 85 g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 75 g golden caster sugar, or superfine sugar
- ½ tsp salt
Plum cake:
- 1 large egg
- 140 g light brown muscavado sugar
- 130 ml vegetable oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 65 g ground almonds
- 80 g Greek yogurt
- 200 g plain (all-purpose) flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 6 fresh ripe but not too soft, plums - cut into fairly thin (5 mm at thickest part) wedges
Almond drizzle:
- 60 g confectioners' sugar
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 1-2 tsp cold water
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 175C(350F) and grease a 1lb loaf tin with oil spray or a little unsalted butter.
- Make the streusel first by placing the flour and butter in a large bowl and rubbing together with your fingertips until you get breadcrumbs (I like to have a mix of small breadcrumbs and large lumps). Stir in the sugar and salt. Put to one side.
- Now make the cake. Mix the egg and sugar in a large bowl. Add the oil and stir. Add the vanilla extract, almond extract, ground almonds and Greek yogurt and stir again.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Fold together, using a spatula, until combined. Pour half of the mixture into the prepared baking tin. Layer half of the plum slices on top of the mixture, and sprinkle on half of the streusel mixture.
- Top with the remaining cake mix and layer on the remaining plum slices in two lines. Arrange the remaining streusel mixture around the plums (it's fine if it covers the plums a little, but try not to hide them completely).
- Place in the oven to cook for 55-65 minutes (until and inserted skewer comes out clean). Take out of the oven and leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then remove from tin and allow to cool further on a cooling rack.
- Whilst the cake is cooling, make the drizzle. Place the confectioners' sugar in a bowl and add the almond extract and half the water. Whisk together until thick and smooth. Add a little more water if needed until you get thick drizzling consistency.
- Drizzle the glaze over the cake and serve.
✎ Notes
Nutrition
Kate says
One of the most incredible breads I've made, although definitely more like cake than bread with how sweet and moist it is!
Unfortunately I wasn't able to get enough plums so made one bread with plums and substituted with white nectarines for the other - they were both delicious, Family were all raving and informed me it tasted exactly like the cake their mother from Germany used to make. Will definitely be one of my regular go-to's for family events.
Anine says
Whole family loved it was gone in no time. I left the sugary topping out it does not need it
Jacob says
Do we use plain Greek yogurt or vanilla Greek yogurt for this?
Chris Corbishley says
Hi Jacob,
Plain Greek yogurt would work best. If you use vanilla yoghurt you can always leave out the vanilla extract.
Thanks
Chris & Nicky
Barbara says
Having an afternoon tea family gathering this weekend, this is going to be my contribution.
Karly says
Holy moly does this look delicious! I've never tried a plum cake of any kind, but this one is going to convince me single handedly. Love!
Eileen says
This is one of the most amazing sweet breads that I have ever laid eyes on!
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Eileen 😀