​I love this recipe, not only because the plums come from the of bottom of my mother’s garden. The branches have been dangling over the back wall, waving proudly their plump purple fruits that hang modestly between the green papery leaves. Perfectly placed to catch just enough sunlight to sweeten their flesh and just enough protection from the elements. But also, this recipe is a firm favourite because it reminds me of cosy afternoons with hot tea and a slice of wholesome golden brown cake with a snowy dusting of icing sugar. The idyllic wintery scene is much in contrast with the blazing sunny conditions we're having this late summer. Nevertheless, it goes pretty well with an iced tea too while lounging in the sun. 
 
I also love this recipe because you can always mix it up with different seasonal fruits. Pears + apples for a cosy autumnal cake. Peaches in the summer. Pink rhubarb in early spring. I'm currently still getting through the glut of plums from my mums and neighbours garden's, but as you can see the fruit options are endless. 
 
There're a few stages to this one which makes it perfect for baking on a slow Sunday to enjoy after dinner. The crumble is the perfect sensory experience if little helpers want to get involved too. 
 
Lovely moist Bakewell reminiscent sponge, with a crumbly not too sweet streusel topping and juicy jewels of fruit sandwiched somewhere in between. The plums have been coated in their own sweet almondy mix so they create a squidgy jammy heaven when baked. 
 
A few notes on the ingredients - 
You can use just marg but Trex, a vegetable fat, vegan friendly lard, will always give you a crumblier more shortbread like crumb. 
 
You could experiment with all kinds of fruit here, I’m holding out for apples - absolutely everywhere at the minute. Peaches would work perfectly too. Be careful what fruit you go for, berries for example contain a lot of moisture so wouldn't work with the liquid content in this recipe. Always use ripe or slightly overripe fruit so it's at its sweetest. 
 
Happy baking + eating!! 
 
Plum + Almond Streusel Cake
 
SPONGE
170g self raising flour
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
100 unrefined golden caster sugar
50g ground Almonds
 
1/2 tsp Almond extract
A Squeeze of lemon juice
75ml oil
165ml milk
 
STRUESEL TOPPING
70g plain flour
30 unrefined golden caster sugar
10g Trex
25g vegan margarine
 
PLUMS
3 small ripe plums cut into 8 equal wedges
1 tbsp unrefined golden caster sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
 
RECIPE 
1.Grease a 6" baking tin well and set aside
2.Preheat oven to 150 degrees
3.Mix the plum wedges well with sugar and almond mix, set aside. 
4.Whisk dry streusel ingredients in a bowl. Dollop in the marg and Trex in small pieces with a teaspoon. 
5.Very lightly with your fingertips only, rub the fat into the flour and sugar. First a dry sandy textured mixture will form, gradually it will resemble wet sand. Mix until you have a collection of big and small clumps. Set aside
6.Whisk dry cake ingredients in one bowl and wet in another. Slowly pour the wet mixture into the dry, whisking until you have a smoothish batter. 
7.Pour the batter into the baking tin. Lie the plums on top in one even layer - if you have too many plums leave them out. 
8.Sprinkle the streusel crumble mix on top
9.Bake in the middle of the oven for around 40-50 minutes until the top is golden brown and a skewer inserted comes out clean (there will probably be some jammy mix from the plums but there shouldn't be any cake batter) 
10.Leave to cool a little in the tin, then turn out and slice. Enjoy warm as it is or with lashings of vegan cream/custard/vanilla ice cream! 
 
Enjoy x
 

Set yourself up for the day in the right way. 
 
I adore fruit topped toast and unlike heavier breakfasts such as porridge or granola I find I can eat these in any weather. Making the most out of the abundance of wild growing berries and fruits in summer, yet totally comforting in winter with chunks of sweet tangy apple roasted up with warming spices.
 
 
It's a great mix of carbs, unrefined sugars, essential fats and protein. Keeps you full for a long time and really sets you up for the morning while being completely comforting.
 
 
These toasts have become my new summer breakfast staple, but they started out their journey on a winter women’s retreat I catered for. 
 
 
They always go down well and the options of flavour combinations are endless. I'll equip you with the essential components and below, I've included a recipe for one of my favourites. With roasted vanilla plums, homemade ricotta cheese, almond butter and mix of toasted hazelnuts + pumpkin seeds. Yes, total heaven on a plate. 
 
 
Plums because they're everywhere right now, you may even have some wild plums growing nearby. All plum varieties are edible, so they make for an easy forage, and being able to harvest, cook and eat your own food is a whole different kind of joy!! 
 
 
 Essentials
 
Base
Has to be sourdough for me and if you’re local to Nottingham then Tough Mary's, Small Food Bakery and Hambleton's all do amazing ones. I prefer rye for this because of its rich earthy flavour and it’s robust enough to hold it all together. Of course you could switch it up and try with breakfast muffins, flat breads, croissants, pancakes etc.
 
 
Creamy Layer
 
 Either super thick yoghurt - has to be Coyo!! Spreads like a whipped cream it’s so thick, screams total indulgence and adds a little richness which balances the tang of the fruit. Or ricotta, mild flavoured creamy cheese which goes beautifully paired with either sweet or savoury, plus I'm going to tell you how to whip up your own batch in less than 30mins!!
 
 
Nut / Seed Butter
 
 So you could make this without, but it will help keep you fuller for longer and help bind all those creamy juicy flavours together. 
 
 
Fruit
 
Absolutely essential and you can have it whichever way you like. Fresh/ frozen/griddled/roasted or as a lovely compote. In winter I like my fruit roasted with spices then I keep them in the fridge all week. For really hot summer mornings/a hassle free breakfast I have a batch of berries in the freezer and throw them on frozen for extra texture. 
 
 
Toppings
 
These add some crunchy texture, flavour and if you choose nuts and seeds, some essential nutrients that will keep you going until lunch time.
 
 
 
Ingredients
Sourdough 
500ml soya milk
Squeeze of half a lemon / 2tbsp apple cider vinegar 
Pinch salt
4 plums halved, each half cut into three wedges or halves if your plums are wild and small
Tbsp brown unrefined sugar
Small scraping of vanilla seeds from a pod or tsp vanilla extract 
Tbsp Peanut Butter 
Tbsp toasted hazelnuts + pumpkin seeds roughly chopped
 
 
Heat soya milk gently until just before it’s about to boil. Add lemon juice or vinegar and set aside somewhere cool. 
 
 
Lay plums on a deep baking tray and sprinkle with sugar, bake on 180/ gas mark 4 until juices are seeping out and the fruits are tender and sweet but still hold their shape. 
 
 
Remove from the oven and stir through vanilla.
 
 
By now your milk should have formed curds. Line a sieve with a muslin cloth/tea towel and lay this over a deep bowl. Ladle the curds into the sieve. Pinch up the corners of your cloth or tea towel and twist together to help the water drain out of the bottom. Keep twisting gently to push the water out. You will be left with a firm ball at the bottom of your cloth - this is your ricotta! 
 
 
Empty the ricotta into a bowl and season with some salt. You can get fancy here and add in herbs or spices to create different flavours, but we're just going to keep it simple for this recipe. 
 
 
(All of this can be done at the beginning of the week and kept in airtight containers in the fridge for an easy breakfast each morning). 
 
 
Assembly
 
 Toast your sourdough
Add an even layer of your creamy ricotta
Lay plums on top, don’t forget the juices too
Drizzle with peanut butter
Sprinkle with toasted nuts + seeds