Plum Streusel Pie, A Late Summer Recipe

BySimona
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This recipe for plum streusel pie was originally posted on the 23rd of August 2021.

New week, new pie recipe, am I right? While this is the last pie recipe for a while, I couldn’t avoid sharing the recipe for this plum streusel pie. It’s full of late summer fruit – which is oh so great – and the topping is like an oaty-tasting crumble, minus the oat, so very much fall weather dessert!

I think by now there is only so much more I can say about our love for pie. You know it, I know it, we all know it. Pie is kind of a lifestyle for us, a religion. It’s such a great, versatile dish: you can have sweet or savoury pie, it can be double stacked (yes, that’s a thing!). And you can put anything you can think of in a pie, which is pretty cool if you ask me. We just love pie, love it, more than any other dessert.

But this one particular pie, the plum streusel pie, is just the perfect transitional pie. Plums are very much a late summer fruit, they are juicy and with a little tang to them too. I love their colours and they are a great pie addition, of course. The topping of this plum streusel pie is also very much a good reminder of autumn approaching. Don’t we all love the turns season take? When you go from green leaves and loads of flowers to the yellows and reds dropping down. I just love the transition period between summer and autumn. Summer used to be my absolute favourite season, probably because I love to holiday. Or because I love the sun and hot weather and just relaxing in a pool and all of that. But there is something about autumn… It’s just the greatest season of them all, you know?

Which, might or might not have something to do with plum streusel pie.

plum streusel pie recipe

Do you also connect foods and tastes to seasons or particular moments in time? Is it just me? I always feel there is a strong, strong connection between food and everything else in my life. I know some people have it with smells (I do, too), but I really get star-struck with food. You can bet, I will remember a particular day by what I had food-wise. And if that isn’t food love, I don’t know what is! And food it’s also the only way to get me to chin up after a hard day.

I can still taste a great meal we had years ago now, as I type this. I remember the taste of the first very American fried chicken Fred and I had years ago in New York, Pies & Thighs. How can you forget! Or the first taste of blackberries when we were kids picking them while on Mount Etna with my parents. It was a grey afternoon (very weird for Sicily!) and we were just done hiking together. We were driving down and found this huge bush of berries, and our mum just couldn’t pass it! I think I was 6 or 7 years old and loved the taste of the berries bursting with juice.

Alas, before I keep blabbing and reveal my whole life in one go, let’s move back to the plum streusel pie recipe I’ve been meaning to share. At last!

This pie it’s the lovechild of summer and autumn.

It’s juicy, sweet and crunchy at the same time. The plums keep their shape and just taste so nice, not mushy or too soft. The topping is quick to whip up and can be used for other pies too, we like it as an alternative topping for apple pie, but it goes well with a lot of fruit too. Berries, if I may, berries go oh so well with it! Do you see the excitement over pies growing here?

But let me share with you the details of this plum streusel pie recipe. Once and for all. First of all, the crust is the usual recipe we use for every single pie. You can find it in this post, just note you will not need a double (but then again, who am I to judge?!) as you will cover this pie with the streusel topping.

You will not blind-bake the crust beforehand. But you’ll definitely crimp the edges of the pie crust. Now, I know this sounds quite a difficult task, but fear not – it’s easier than you think! There are plenty of videos on YouTube if you need visuals, too.

First of all, you will be doing that because not only does it make it look professionally made, the thicker “wall” of dough at the edge will make the dough less likely to fall or shrink in the oven. Once you are ready to start crimping, the world is your oyster! You can find here 9 different ways to decorate your pie, thank me later.

Now to prepare the rest of the plum streusel pie, including the streusel topping.

This plum streusel pie has got something of your old trusted german streusel cake. Or even your german plum cake, if you may. But in pie form. Yes, your old memories from eating plum streusel cake will all come back to you. No, you will not miss it one bit, I can promise you that.

What ingredients do I need?

First of all, this plum streusel pie will need a fair bit of flour. All purpose flour will be used for the crust, together with butter, water and apple cider vinegar. For the fruit mix, you will need plums, lemon juice, light brown sugar and cornflour. But also, spices: cinnamon, ginger and cloves. And a dash of Angostura Bitters. Just to get everything mixed up properly – and not overly sweetened. The streusel topping will need very few ingredients, including some more flour and light brown sugar. But also some white sugar, salt and unsalted butter. Make sure your butter is at room temperature, so it’s easier to work with.

What is streusel?

The actual definition of streusel on the Oxford Languages is this:

A crumbly topping or filling made from fat, flour, sugar, and often cinnamon.

Oxford languages

In all honesty, I had never had streusel before this pie. But I am completely sold, trust me! The difference with it from a crumble is all down to how dense the crumble topping is compared to a streusel one. So imagine this: streusel is less dense yet crunchy and oh so yummy. Today’s variations include the addition of nuts, which I can only imagine would add to this dish – imagine walnuts, or even pecans!

How do I make the plum streusel pie?

As mentioned earlier, the plum streusel pie does not require any blind baking. Everything will have the time to cook together, and you will most definitely not end with a soggy bottom. But in short, the filling will need to be mixed up quickly and poured into the cold pie case. Then you will mix all the ingredients for the streusel by hand, without incorporating everything too much. The butter will need to be still quite visible so that you can get that crunch once the pie is baked. The streusel will also need to rest at least 15 minutes in the fridge before you can layer it on top of the fruit filling, so make sure it’s the first thing you do for this recipe!

Baking this pie might be a little longer than you anticipated, yes. But the end result is just so brilliant and wholesome, you will never regret it.

plum streusel pie seen from above, napkin and plums on the side, wooden spoon

Plum Streusel Pie

Simona
The plum streusel pie recipe you need to celebrate the end of summer and the start of autumn.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Course Sweet
Cuisine American
Servings 1 pie

Ingredients
  

  • For the pastry case
  • 1 x double pie crust recipe 1/2 the recipe will do
  • For the fruit mix
  • 500 g of fresh plums sliced and pit removed
  • 2 tbsps of fresh lemon juice
  • 95 g of light brown sugar
  • 3 tbsps of cornflour
  • ¼ tsp of ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp of ground ginger
  • a pinch of cloves
  • ½ tsp of salt
  • a dash of Angostura bitters
  • For the streusel topping
  • 125 g of flour
  • 3 tbsps of light brown sugar
  • 4 tsps of granulated sugar
  • ¼ tsp of salt
  • 90 g of unsalted butter
  •  

Instructions
 

  • Start by prepping the pie crust, roll it out and place it in your pie dish. Crimp the edges and let it rest in the fridge.
  • Now for the streusel topping: stir together the flour, sugars and salt in a bowl. Crumble the butter and rub it in with your fingers, just until the mix is chunky but not completely homogenous. Rest it in the fridge for 15 minutes as you prepare your fruit.
  • Preheat the oven at 200°C. In a large bowl, mix your sliced fruit with lemon juice, sugar, cornflour, spices, salt and bitters and combine.
  • Pour the filling in the pie crust and top it with the streusel topping.
  • Bake it on the lowest part of the oven for 20-25 minutes. Once the pie starts to get golden, reduce the temperature to 180°C and bake for a further 30 minutes, or until the juices are bubbling and the topping is of a deep golden brown colour.
  • Allow to cool down fully before serving.

Notes

The plum streusel pie will keep refrigerated for 3 days or at room temperature for 2 days.
Keyword plum streusel pie
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Plums are a great stone fruit, juicy and tasty. But they are also pretty great for you!

  • some of the proteins and nutrients in plums lower the inflammation that triggers heart disease;
  • plums help with anxiety, as they are full of antioxidants – and when your antioxidants are low, your anxiety can sky rocket;
  • they are famous for helping with the (not so glamorous) constipation;
  • plums also contain potassium, which is good for blood pressure control;
  • they are also full of fibres and reduce your blood sugar;
  • last but not least, they are great for bone health too!

As you can see, you should be eating plums anyway. But I guess every now and again you can have a slice of this plum streusel pie for a change! Because you might have gathered, to us pie is everything. Everything!

What else does this plum streusel pie have that the others don’t?

Well, aside from the best crust in the world – so flaky you will not be able to stop munching on the sides – you will also get a very compote-like filling. Usually, I am not fond of big chunky chunks of fruit, but let me tell you this is different. The plums are going to be so yummy, you won’t be able to stop yourself from going for seconds. Or thirds, for that matter. Whoops!

You can serve this plum streusel pie warm from the oven, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. We love it ice cold on a hot summer morning, with a nice cold coffee. And whatever way you decide to have it, it’s just going to be perfect. You can swap the plums for any other fruit like peaches, nectarines but also berries and a mix of the two. Vanilla ice cream is not the only option other than whipped cream when serving, of course, you could have warm vanilla custard with it or just a nutty ice cream like hazelnut or pistachio.

But we are at the end of this plum streusel pie recipe post, make sure you check out our latest post on our 1-year anniversary post!

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Simona is the self-appointed editor-in-chief and has a background in food & drink. She is an introvert who loves staying in, cooking and baking, and spending time with Otis, her dachshund. She loves to watch crime docs with Cristina, and playing Animal Crossing a lot more than is worth mentioning.

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104 Comments

  4. Ooo this looks and sounds yummy! I bet it is perfect for when it is colder as it sounds so comforting. I bet the flavours of the plum and cinnamon go wonderfully too!
    Thanks for sharing another great pie recipe!
    Pinning this for later too 🙂
    Aimsy xoxo
    Aimsy’s Antics

    Reply
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  8. This recipe sounds delicious. I have some family members who love streusel pie. I will make this for them. Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  9. Lovely recipe, Simona! It looks and sounds delicious. I can’t remember the last time I made a pie on one of my baking days so this is definitely going on the list 🙂

    Reply

  10. I am not sure I am a fan of plums but maybe in a pie it will be different haha! However I do want to add this to a summer gathering party food piece for when my family get together as I know they will LOVEE this xx

    Reply

  13. This looks so good. Looking at it makes me want to eat it now haha. I would love to try it. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  15. I haven’t heard of this before, but it is something I would possibly try! The photographs definitely make it look yummy! Thank you for sharing your recipe and food photographs.

    Lauren

    Reply

  17. This just IMMEDIATELY went on my “to bake” list! I absolutely love plums and I love pie and I love streusel, so it’s like the perfect combination of all my loves. It sounds beyond delicious and I’ve certainly never had anything like it. With a little bit of vanilla ice cream or homemade whipped cream on top? YES, please!

    Reply

  21. This looks amazing. I love how crisp and lightly browned the crust is! That is the perfect colour of crust, and if any one tells you ‘it’s burnt’ they’re jealous!

    Reply

  22. Oh my days this looks and sounds absolutely delicious, I’ll be making these asap! I absolutely LOVE a good pie and this one looks right up my street. Thank you so much for sharing lovely Xo

    Elle – ellegracedeveson.com

    Reply
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  31. The Plum Pie looks tasty. I live in a tropical country so I have never seen a real plum yet. This is interesting. I notice how diverse the topics you have on your blogs are. wow! 🙂

    Reply

  32. I am a sucker for anything with streusel so I already know I’d love this pie! I don’t think I’ve ever baked with plums before, but I can totally imagine how good they would be. This pie sounds amazing and definitely one I want to try!

    Reply

  33. Hello girls, this recipe looks incredible. To be totally honest, I’ve never tried plums but I really love pies and they are the best in the winter. Saving this recipe for later, thanks for sharing a great post! Alicia

    Reply

  34. Yum this looks so good! I always connect food to certain points in time. Well, more like smells! I love the nostalgia it gives me.

    Corinne x

    Reply

  35. Hi Simona,

    This sounds like a delicious pie – I love plums and I love crumble toppings so this should be ideal! And, I wasn’t aware of the health benefits of eating plums so thank you for sharing those – it would almost be foolish not to have some plum streusel pie, wouldn’t it?!

    Reply

  37. I love your passion for pies and baking, and yes, food brings a lot of wonderful childhood memories. Thanks for sharing a healthy and delicious recipe, Simona.

    Reply

  39. Oh wow! This sounds scrummy – I’m getting mega excited for autumn desserts right now, especially things like this! Xx

    Reply

  40. This looks so good. I’m very into streusel at the moment and I love the idea of it with plum in a pie. I’m going to save this pie recipe for a cold winter’s night! I’m already feeling warm and cosy!!

    Reply

  41. Is there anything better than pie?? I laughed a lot when you say this one is the lovechild of summer and autumn!
    I’ve never really liked plums unless they’re cooked so this looks absolutely delish! Thanks for the recipe 🙂

    Reply

  50. Wow! First of, this recipe is new to me but it looks so gooooooood! It seems like I am missing on a lot of delicacies. I have been wanting to try new recipes and I would absolutely love to give this a try. Thank you for sharing. x

    Reply

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