I’m back with Part 4 of Dairy-Free Life, where I’m sharing some of my favorite dairy-free desserts. Desserts have been the trickiest course for me in my transition to the dairy-free life. The difficulty lies in the fact that American dessert recipes tend to be heavy on ingredients like butter and milk — and why wouldn’t they? Butter and milk soften and add flavor, texture, structure and color to a dish, and frankly, butter and milk are delicious. Thankfully, I am able to incorporate delicious dairy-free alternatives (check out Part 3) to make some sweet-tooth satisfying desserts — free from dairy and full of flavor.
First up is my family’s newest delight, a dairy-free plum crumble. With this dish, you get all the satisfaction of a pie but without the fuss. It’s ready in minutes and the dish thrives on imperfections — the bottom crust does not need to be perfectly smooth, the plums can be cut any which way, and you can scatter the crumble across the top without fear of messing up.
Low stress does not translate to a lackluster flavor profile. The buttery, sugary crumbs fall atop ripe plums soaked in a creamy mixture that turns pink as it cooks. This recipe is reminiscent of another confection — the bottom pastry tastes like a snickerdoodle while the topping tastes like a crumbled sugar cookie. It’s a perfect summer dessert, one that you can top with some dairy-free ice cream or dairy-free Redi-wip.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups plus 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup chilled Earth Balance soy-free buttery buttery spread, cut into small pieces
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup Silk dairy-free heavy whipping cream alternative
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 pounds dark plums (about 6-8), pitted and cut into eighths
- Non-dairy Almond Reddi-wip Whipped cream, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- 2. Whisk together 1 cup sugar, the salt, and the flour in a medium bowl.
- 3. Using a pastry blender, cut in the Earth Balance buttery spread until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Set aside half of the mixture.
- 4. You will use the remaining half of the mixture to make a pastry. Add the cinnamon, baking powder, and 1 egg to the remaining half of the mixture and mix until well blended. Press this mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch shallow baking dish. Bake until firm and golden brown, about 15 minutes.
- 5. While the pastry is baking, whisk together 1/4 cup sugar, the remaining egg, the whipping cream alternative, and the almond and vanilla extracts in a small bowl. Set aside.
- 6. Remove the pastry from the oven, and fill it with the plum slices.
- 7. Pour the cream mixture over the plums, and sprinkle with the reserved buttery spread-flour mixture.
- 8. Sprinkle the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar over the top, and bake until the plums are tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.
- 9. Turn on your broiler and broil the crumble for 2-3 minutes until topping is golden brown.
- 10. Serve warm or at room temperature with Redi-wip.