Bake of the Week: Plum and orange crumble

THE nights are definitely drawing in – so we reckon that gives us the perfect excuse to make a cosy and indulgent pud.

This plum and orange filling uses in-season fruit and makes a really nice change from apple or rhubarb crumble.

It’s from a book packed full of tempting puddings, Leiths How To Cook Desserts, priced £13.49.

If you love your puds, you’ll love this book!

You’ll need

500g plums (about 10-12)

A little butter, to grease the dish

3-5 tbsp light muscovado sugar, to taste

2 oranges

For the crumble –

200g plain flour

Pinch of salt

60g light muscovado sugar

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Halve the plums and remove the stones.

Grease an ovenproof baking dish. Spread the plums out in the dish and sprinkle with the sugar.

Finely grate the zest of one of the oranges, then peel and segment both fruit, reserving the segments and catching any juice.

Sprinkle the juice over the plums with half of the zest, reserving the rest.

If the plums are quite firm, bake them in the oven for 10 minutes, or until they are starting to soften. Very ripe plums don’t need pre-baking.

To make the crumble, sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.

Cut the butter into cubes and rub into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Stir in the sugar and the remaining orange zest, rubbing it in gently to ensure it is evenly distributed.

Remove the plums from the oven and stir in the orange segments, turning the top layer of plums cut side down. Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the top.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the crumble is lightly browned and the fruit juices are bubbling.

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