Photo: Accidental Hedonist / Flickr

This plum crisp tart is a colourful one as it uses plums as well as rhubarb. You could easily substitute these fruits with other seasonal fruits. The dessert is based on Rachel Allen’s recipe from Favourite Food at Home. The ingredients that follow will allow for eight servings: butter, light brown sugar, rhubarb, dark red plums, honey, cardamom pods, cinnamon, lemon peel, flour, ground cinnamon and granulated sugar. You’ll also need some whipped cream for serving, as well as some muscovado sugar.

Ingredients and preparation

You will need the following ingredients for the fruit filling: 4 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 cup of packed light brown sugar, 400 grams of rhubarb (sliced into 2cm pieces), 10 dark red plums (cut into quarters), 1 tablespoon of honey, 6 cardamom pods (crush the seeds and dispose of the pods), 1 cinnamon stick (break into two pieces) and a half-inch wide piece of lemon peel.

You will also require the following ingredients for the topping: 350 grams of sifted flour, 6 tablespoons of light brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 205 grams of butter (melted) and 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar.

As mentioned, you will also need some whipped cream (or double-cream) and muscovado sugar for the serving. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celsius.

Prepare the fruit filling and topping

Melt four tablespoons of butter in a pan and stir in the ¼ cup of sugar. Add a tablespoon of water and the fruit and continue to stir. Add the honey, cardamom, lemon peel and cinnamon stick. Cook for five minutes while continuously stirring.

In order to make the topping, sift the dry ingredients together and add the 205 grams of melted butter. Combine lightly while incorporating the ingredients until your mixture resembles crumbs.

After removing the lemon peel and cinnamon stick, spoon the fruit mixture into a baking dish. Scatter the topping over the filling without pressing it down. Finally, sprinkle a tablespoon of granulated sugar over the top and bake for 20 minutes or until the topping is golden in colour.

Tip: In order to check your plum crisp tart for readiness, place a knife into the fruit. If it pierces easily then the fruit is cooked.

Tags: baking, cake recipes, desserts, recipes