Vegan Chocolate Crumble with Plums

So, let’s see who has been paying attention to our recipe for a vegan cherry Cobbler and could now say what makes it different from a crumble. Could you?

If you thought about different crusts, then you’re absolutely right. As the name “crumble” already hints, today’s fruit layer is covered by a layer of crumbled –  and it’s a very special one this time! Sure, crumbles are always great, but in this recipe, they also contain crunchy pieces of granola that add a nice chocolaty note to this crumble. We used the __ “Krunchy “granola “Dark Chocolate and Nut” from barnhouse__ for this. Not only do we down their granola for breakfast, but we’ve already used them to prepare these frozen strawberry bars.

So by adding the granola, our crumble directly contains dark chocolate, wholemeal oat flakes, hazelnuts, and coconut flakes – all of which pair really good with plums. Like the other Krunchy granolas, there’s no palm oil used but instead European sunflower oil and regional oats. And of course, you could bake this granola with any other flavor of them that you prefer, e.g., chocolate, multigrain, or amaranth. You can find their granolas in organic stores or directly order them in their online shop.

If plums are not in season right now, you can bake this recipe with any kind of fruit – that’s what makes crumble such a versatile dessert (which is also so easy that it’s hard to fail here). But you should take care of a few smaller things:

x What the right amount of fruit? To be honest, all measurements for a crumble can be easily adjusted to the size of the baking pan that you have on hand. You could even bake a mini crumble with only two apples (and eat it all by yourself).

x Do I really need cornstarch? Yes! The fruit layer below the crumbles should be juicy, but when you don’t use starch, it will end up being rather liquidy (this also depends on the pectin content of your chosen fruit). If you don’t have any starch at home, just add some flour.

x It’s not just about the fruit. As tasty as your fruits of choice may be, let’s give them a bit more attention and season them. For example: the plums we used in this recipe needed some sweetness, and when you do this, it’s always nice to also some acidity for a balanced flavor. Also: vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and pepper (yep, even pepper!) are great flavor pairings for plums. So it’s definitely worth doing some research before to find out which spices go well with which kind of fruit.