Apricot Cinnamon Crumble Tart - my best cake ever!
According to a friend, this is the best cake I have ever made. However, although I feel flattered by this compliment, his statement should be handled with care. Overwhelmed by a homemade sweet treat, he tends towards such passionate judgements, it wasn't the first time. But I have to agree, it was an extremely good cake!
Let's start with the base, the buttery short crust was crisp and slightly flaky, exactly how I love it. I also used this pastry for my Raspberry and Blueberry Tart with Bavarian Cream, it's a classic for summer tarts. Fruit was next, apricots cut in half sprinkled with a little sugar to help them release their juices without taking away their natural fresh and sour sweetness. They were still in pieces when I took the tart our of the oven, soft but not mushy like a compote. For the cinnamon crumbles, I used the recipe from my old kitchen friend, my beloved rhubarb (or plum or apple!) crumble cake. The flavour of the spice is strong enough to stand up to the apricots, the crumbles stay beautifully in shape and you can taste that they are made with plenty of butter, they are pure crunchy bliss. Luckily, I made two cakes from the start, I had a strong feeling that this was going to be a luscious feast, but I didn't expect that we would empty the pans so quick, it was insane. Slice after slice we just continued telling each other how delicious this tart is and all of a sudden it was all gone!
Apricot Cinnamon Crumble Tart
One of my tart pans has a loose bottom which helps to cut out slices, it also worked in the other pan, just a few crumbs fell off but it still looked pretty.
For 2 tarts in 23cm / 9″ tart pans you need
apricots, cut in half and pitted, 1kg / 2 1/4 pounds / about 20 fruits
granulated sugar 2 tablespoons
For the short crust base
plain flour 390g / 14oz / 3 cups
granulated sugar 100g / 3 1/2oz / 1/2 cup
salt 1/4 teaspoon
butter, cold, 200g / 7oz
organic egg yolks 3
water 2 tablespoons
Combine the flour with the sugar and salt. Cut the butter with a knife into the flour until there are just little pieces of butter left. Continue with your fingers and rub the butter into the flour until combined. Add the egg yolks and water and continue mixing with the hooks of your mixer until you have a crumbly mixture. Form 2 thick discs, wrap in cling film and put in the freezer for 20 minutes.
Set the oven to 200°C / 390°F (top/ bottom heat).
Roll out the dough between cling film and line your tart pans with the flat pastry. Prick with a fork and blind-bake in the hot oven for 12 minutes. Melt the butter for the crumbles while the tarts are in the oven (see recipe below).
Take the pans out of the oven, arrange the apricots (cut side up) in circles on top of the pastry, sprinkle each tart with 1 tablespoon of sugar and prepare the crumbles immediately.
For the crumbles / The tart
plain flour 200g / 7oz / 1 1/2 cups (you might need more if the crumbles are too sticky)
granulated sugar 130g / 4 1/2oz / 2/3 cup
vanilla, scraped, 1/4 pod
ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons
butter, melted, 125g / 4 1/2oz (you might need more if the crumbles are too fine)
Have some extra flour and butter to melt close at hand so that you can add some immediately if necessary.
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Pour the melted butter on top and mix quickly with the hooks of your mixer, stop as soon as it crumbles. If the crumbles are too moist and sticky add a little more flour (1-2 tablespoons). If they are too fine and don’t form bigger crumbles add more melted butter.
Spread quickly on top of the apricots, if you have bigger lumps of crumbles you may have to separate them with your fingers. Bake in the oven for about 35 minutes or until the pastry base and crumbles are golden brown. The fruits should start to release their juices, they will soften while the tart cools. You can serve the cakes with ice cream or whipped cream for tea time in the garden (or on your balcony) but we didn't even have that - which allowed us to eat more of the tart!
Plum Cinnamon Crumble Cake
Here is the final of my crumble cake trilogy, the wonderful, Plum Cinnamon Crumble Cake! I started this series in winter, I began with my Apple Crumble, which was one of the first cake recipes on the blog, before I welcomed spring with my Rhubarb Crumble. I love all three of them, I think there is no other sweet recipe I've used more often in my life! These three fruits are my classics but you could easily replace them with gooseberries, peaches, pears or whatever comes into your mind and that fits to cinnamon (which is almost every fruit in my opinion). The base of this cake is spongy but strong enough to carry the juiciest of fruits.
My absolute highlight of this cake are the crumbles, the best buttery crumbles you can imagine! I know I'm repeating myself, but if you find something so perfect in your kitchen you just can't talk about it enough. So, the next layer, the fruits, are as important. I use 2 pounds of fruity juiciness to balance out the two pastry layers of crumbles and the bottom. No matter what fruit you choose they always add a different feel to this cake. The rhubarb's sourness gives it a lighter touch and the plums and apples are perfect for a cosy Sunday afternoon cake in autumn. Relaxed on the sofa, with a cup of tea and a book in my hands, I can't think of a better cake!
Plum Cinnamon Crumble Cake
Prepare the dough for the base first, the plums afterwards and the crumbles at the end.
For a 26cm /10″ springform pan you need
plums, cut in half, 1kg / 2 pounds
For the cake base
butter 125g / 4.5 ounces
granulated sugar 125g / 4.5 ounces
a pinch of fresh vanilla
organic eggs 3
plain flour 250g / 9 ounces
baking powder 2 teaspoons
a pinch of salt
For the crumbles
plain flour 200g / 7 ounces (you might need some more if the crumbles are too sticky)
granulated sugar 125g / 4.5 ounces plus 2 teaspoons to sprinkle over the crumbles
a pinch of vanilla
ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons plus a pinch to sprinkle the crumbles
butter, melted, 125g / 4.5 ounces (plus more if the crumbles are too fine)
Set the oven to 180°C / 355°F.
For the base, beat the butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and continue mixing for a few minutes. Add the flour mixed with the baking powder and salt and continue mixing until well combined. Scrape the dough into a buttered springform pan and arrange the plums vertically in circles pushing them into the dough.
The crumbles need good preparation as you have to make sure that the mixture is neither too moist nor too dry. Have some extra flour and melted butter close at hand so that you can add some immediately if necessary.
Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Pour the melted butter on top and mix quickly with the hooks of your mixer, stop as soon as it crumbles. If the crumbles are too moist and sticky add a bit more flour (1-2 tablespoons). If they are too fine and don’t form bigger crumbles add more melted butter. Spread quickly on top of the plums. If you have bigger lumps of crumbles you may have to separate and spread them.
Mix 2 teaspoon of sugar with a pinch of cinnamon and sprinkle on top of the crumbles.
Bake in the oven for around 60 minutes or until golden brown on top. Check with a skewer, it should come out clean. Let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes.
You can serve the crumble cake with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
