Easy Plum Raspberry Crumb Tart

Everyone loves this super easy Plum Raspberry Crumb Tart with a crisp, golden crust (no par-baking) and generous buttery streusel topping!

"You're on the right track", Scott said, as he took a little nibble of the messy-looking tart on the counter. "You just have to find the right train." It was the third time I had made this Plum Raspberry Crumb Tart.

It made me laugh - which was better than crying... which might have been warranted since I just couldn't seem to get this tart right. It's a super easy recipe, but each time I made it something went awry; too tart, too soggy, too messy. Way too messy on that third time around. When I opened the oven to check on it the third time, the tart looked like a volcano erupting in slow motion. I had added WAY too much of the raspberry/plum filling and when it began to bubble up, it bubbled right over the sides of the pan along with a good part of the crumb topping.

But I figured things out along the way so that you won't have these issues and, on the fifth try, I think I've definitely found the "right train". This Plum Raspberry Tart is ever so easy and incredibly delicious. It would make a wonderful sweet treat with afternoon tea, a fabulous finish to a nice dinner, or a "just because" indulgence to make an ordinary day special.

So easy!

I promise you that no one will guess the simple, EASY convenience item that we utilize in this Plum Raspberry Crumb Tart. My friends (both great cooks) who sampled this tart, got wide eyes when I shared the "secret". They couldn't believe that this crust was a purchased refrigerated pie crust.

Using this one prepared ingredient makes putting together this Plum Raspberry Crumb Tart a breeze. With no crust to fuss over or roll out, you can have this dessert prepped and ready for the oven in right around 20 minutes.

How to solve the soggy crust issue

Call me lazy but I LOVE that there's no blind baking involved with this recipe. When I'm flipping through recipes, the words "blind bake" makes me immediately turn the page or click to another idea. It's not that it's THAT difficult; line the crust with foil or parchment paper, fill the opening with rice, dried beans or pie weights, bake for a specified number of minutes, remove the rice, dried beans or pie weights, bake a little longer, remove from the oven, cool, THEN proceed with the rest of the recipe. To me, all that is just too time-consuming, a royal pain.

"But doesn't the bottom of the tart come out soggy, without blind baking?" No! It actually comes out golden and crisp.

How? That involves another little trick I love to use that makes all the difference in the world. Simply pop a sheet pan on the lowest rack as the oven preheats. I like to line it with foil so there's no potential for a mess, but that's up to you.

If you don't blind bake, the bottom of the pie or tart is generally the last thing to get done. So when the top and sides look perfect the bottom is often still anemically underdone. The heated pan on the lowest shelf ensures that the bottom crust gets a head start on baking so when the rest of the pie or tart is finished, that bottom crust is perfect.

I've used this technique before with great results (like in this Easy Zucchini Summer Quiche) and have pretty much thrown blind baking out the window. Try it, I think you'll be surprised and convinced. I actually just cut a little sliver of this Plum Raspberry Crumb Tart that I made two days ago. I wanted to see how the bottom crust fared after two days under a cake dome (the things I do for you🥰). While the crust doesn't stay crisp for two days, it's definitely not soggy. (If you want, I'll try one more sliver, just for you, just to be sure 😂).

The bubbling volcano problem

I shared my problem above with overfilling this tart while I was testing the recipe. But even after cutting back the amount of filling, I still had some issues with the fruit mixture bubbling and spilling over the edges and some of the delicious crumb topping sinking into the batter. I solved that problem by doing these two things: First - allowing the sliced plums to drain a bit on some paper towels and: Second -  baking the tart for 30 minutes before adding the crumb topping. Both problems solved!

Plum season

Now that I've done the troubleshooting, it's your turn to make this wonderful Plum Raspberry Crumb Tart. Just pick up some plums next time you're at the grocery. They're in season (until October), abundant and reasonably priced right now. Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I think everyone will love this dessert and it will be one of those sweet treats that's requested again and again!

Café Tips for making this Easy Plum Raspberry Crumb Tart

• Although you don't generally grease a pan when using pie dough, I do recommend spraying the tart pan with cooking spray before adding the crust to ensure easy removal. Sometimes there's a little of the fruit filling that bubbles over the side of the pan and can make it difficult to remove the outer ring from the tart pan. The spray helps it to release better.
• Don't overfill the pan with the plum/raspberry filling. I would say, "Don't ask me how I know this." but I already shared my disastrous results with you in the first paragraph of this post. Learn from me. Don't overfill the pan or the fruit mixture will bubble up over the top of your pan and make a big mess.
• I use a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom for this dessert. Measure your pan. Some tart pans say 9 inches but they're actually 9½. If yours is 9½, you'll want to add a little extra filling (a few extra raspberries or an extra half of plum).
• A tart pan with a removable bottom is a wonderful item to add to your collection if you don't have one. It gives a quiche or dessert pie a really pretty presentation and makes it super easy to remove the dessert from the pan. Tart pans come in different sizes. This recipe used a 9-inch tart pan.
• If you don't have a tart pan and don't want to purchase one, you could also make this recipe in a standard size pie baking dish.
• As noted in the recipe, I like to use a portion of almond flour for my streusel topping. If you don't have almond flour and/or don't want to purchase it, you can make this part with 100% all-purpose flour. Start with 1¼ cups and stir well. Add more flour in 1 tablespoon increments until crumbs form.
• Almond flour is simply blanched almonds that are ground super thin. Almond flour adds wonderful flavor to the crumb topping. I always say it makes things taste "fine".
• I recommend almond flour for this recipe vs almond meal. Almond meal is unblanched almonds that have been ground up. Almond meal is coarser than almond flour. It could be used in a pinch, but almond flour will yield a nicer crumb topping.

Thought for the day:

May your unfailing love be with us,
LORD, as we put our hope in You.
Psalm 33:22

What we're listening to for inspiration:

Cornerstone

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Easy Plum Raspberry Crumb Tart

Chris Scheuer

Everyone loves this super easy Plum Raspberry Crumb Tart with a crisp, golden crust (no par-baking) and generous buttery streusel topping!

5 from 3 votes

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings 10

Calories 389

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Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

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For the prep:

• 3 medium-size plums, pitted and sliced about ¼-inch thick

For the crumb topping:

• 8 tablespoons butter, (1 stick)
• 1 cup almond flour
• ½ cup all-purpose flour, plus 1-2 tablespoon, if needed
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the crust:

• 1 purchased refrigerated pie crust, (The package usually has two. You'll use one for the rolled crust.) You could also use this Ridiculously Easy Press-In Tart Crust.

For the filling:

• ½ pint raspberries
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

 

For the prep:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with foil and place it on the bottom rack in the oven. Halve and pit the plums then slice into ¼-inch slices. Place the plum slices on several layers of paper toweling in a single layer. Roll the paper towels over the plums into a fairly tight cylinder and set aside to allow the plums to drain a bit.

For the crumb topping:

1. Place butter in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave on high power for 1 minute or until melted.
2. Combine almond flour, ½ cup all-purpose flour, sugar, cinnamon and ginger in the bowl with the melted butter. Stir with a fork until crumbs form and all of the flour is incorporated. If the mixture seems too wet to form crumbs add another tablespoon of flour and stir again with a fork. Repeat if needed then set crumb mixture aside.

For the crust:

1. Remove crust from the refrigerator and unroll. Place the crust into a 9-inch (or 9½-inch but see Café Tips above in the post) tart pan with a removable bottom. Press the crust into the pan to cover and cling to the bottom and sides. With a sharp knife, trim off any excess crust at the top of the pan and discard. Place crust in the refrigerator while you make the filling.

For the filling:

1. Combine the drained plums, sugar, corn starch, cinnamon and ginger. Stir to combine. Add the raspberries and stir gently. Allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes.
2. Spoon the filling into the crust in the tart pan.
3. Place the tart (without the streusel topping into the oven right on top of the preheated sheet pan (on the lower rack). Bake for 30 minutes then remove from the oven and add the crumble topping, mounding it just a bit in the center. Return the tart to the oven, on the middle rack this time. Bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the crust and crumble are nicely golden brown.
4. Remove the tart from the oven to a cooling rack. Allow to cool for 10 minutes then remove the outer ring and return to the cooling rack. The best way to remove the outer ring is to set the tart on a can (beans, peas, etc.). You may need to loosen the outer edge of the crust in places with a small, thin-bladed knife. When the crust is loose, the outer ring will fall off. Then, using a metal spatula, return the tart to the cooling rack.
5. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. Serve the tart warm or at room temperature with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if desired.

Notes

See Café Tips above in the post for further instructions and tips.

Nutrition

Calories: 389kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 5gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 24mgSodium: 150mgPotassium: 90mgFiber: 4gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 356IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 1mg

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Course: Dessert, Snacks

Cuisine: American

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