Vegan Damson and Apple Crumble

I love a crumble in Autumn. Or in fact at any time of the year. You can use seasonal fruit which makes it more delicious and more sustainable. I usually do an apple crumble as we always have apples given to us from peoples gardens but this year we were also given some damsons. I have to admit I had never eaten a damson before so I was a bit stuck on ideas on what to do with them. When I realised you can make a crumble with them I quickly got testing recipes for a vegan damson and apple crumble.

Firstly, what is a damson? A damson is a bit like a plum but can be smaller and has a more astringent flavour. They are usually ready to harvest in late August which makes this a perfect recipe for the end of summer and the start of autumn. The astringent taste is why they are best cooked into things like crumbles, cakes and pies or used as a substitute for sloes in sloe gin.

I added the apple because once you have cooked and strained the damson there is not much texture let so the apples add a nice bit of bite. They also make the flavour of the filling a little more well balanced since the damsons can be sour. I used a vegan butter alternative which makes this a very easy vegan recipe. I would serve this with custard, Birds regular custard powder is usually vegan (check the tin, the instant custard powder is not) if you make it with plant milk.

If you liked this recipe for damson and apple crumble you could also try my mini peach upside down cakes which are vegan and also gluten free and a great way to use up fruit.

Vegan Damson and Apple Crumble

Difficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

30

minutes

Total time

1

hour 

Ingredients

• Filling

• 300g Damsons

• 100g Caster Sugar

• 4 Apples

• Crumble Topping

• 100g Plain Flour

• 50g Vegan Butter

• 50g Oats

• 50g Caster Sugar

Directions

• Filling
• Put the sugar and damsons in a saucepan and add 1cm of water. Heat until the sugar has dissolved and the fruit has collapsed. Sieve into a bowl to remove the stones and skins and return to the saucepan.
• Add the peeled, cored and chopped apple to the damsons and cook for 5 minutes until soft. Pour into an oven proof dish.
• Crumble
• Rub together the vegan butter and flour until it looks like breadcrumbs. Roughly rub in the pots and finally mix in the sugar. Sprinkle on top of the damson filling and bake for 25 - 30 minutes until golden on top.