Old-fashioned plum cobbler

This old-fashioned plum cobbler is made from juicy plums stewed under a soft scone topping. It makes a delicious dessert served with either ice cream or custard.

Jump to:

• What is a cobbler?
• Why I think you'll love this plum cobbler
• What ingredients do I need?
• How to make a plum cobbler
• Storage
• Save for later
• Related recipes
• 📋The recipe

What is a cobbler?

The obvious answer is 'a cobbler is a man who mends shoes'! But there's actually a much better definition - 'a cobbler is a delicious dessert made with stewed fruit, covered with a soft scone-like buttery topping'. I definitely prefer the second definition 🙂 .

The dessert known as a cobbler originated in the British colonies of America. The British settlers were unable to source suet that is used in many British desserts (think jam roly-poly) so they covered their stewed fruit with a scone (or biscuit) topping instead.

The name probably came about because the spoonfuls of dough placed on top of the fruit resembled uneven cobblestones once it came out of the oven.

A cobbler is very similar to a crumble. Both have a cooked fruit base, but whereas a cobbler is covered with spoonfuls of soft scone mixture, a crumble topping has a crispier texture due to the addition of oats and sometimes nuts.

While you can use any fruit in a cobbler, I think ripe juicy plums are the perfect choice. Plums release a lot of moisture as they cook, and these juices get absorbed into the underside of the cobbler as it bakes, soaking the pastry with fruity goodness.

You can eat this plum cobbler either plain, covered with of custard, or even topped with a scoop of ice cream. However you choose to serve it, I know you are going to love it!

Why I think you'll love this plum cobbler

It is so versatile. You can use any fruit in a cobbler - apples, pears, cherries, even berries. And it doesn't have to be fresh either. A packet of frozen blackberries and blueberries would be perfect. Plus you can combine different fruits . How about combining apples and blackberries, or pears and cherries? The choice is up to you.

You can rescue any fruit that might be on its way out. Apples looking a bit withered and pears overripe? No problem. Cherries looking a bit wrinkly? Toss them in. Once the fruit has cooked you won't notice the difference.

The scone topping is so easy to make. You don't have to mess around with rolling out the pastry. Just a quick mix and then dollop spoonfuls of the pastry onto the fruit.

What ingredients do I need?

**Get the complete list of ingredients and full instructions for making this plum cobbler on the printable recipe card at the end of this post**

This recipe makes an 8" x 8" baking dish and will easily provide 6 to 8 servings. To make a smaller plum cobbler, halve the ingredients.

For the fruit base

Ripe plums - you can substitute these with the equivalent amount of fruit of your choice. There's no need to peel the plums - the skins soften nicely when cooked.

Sugar - the amount of sugar you will need depends entirely on the sweetness of the plums. If your plums are very sweet, cut down on the amount of sugar; if the plums are on the tart side, increase it slightly.

Lemon juice - this is optional, but I like to think it improves the end result.

Cinnamon - once again, this is optional. I like the warmth of flavour that a touch of cinnamon adds.

Butter - Combines with the juices to form a thick glossy sauce.

Cornflour - added to thicken up the juices from the fruit.

For the cobbler topping

Self-raising flour - if you don't have self-raising flour, make your own by adding one teaspoon of baking powder (not to be confused with baking soda) to each cup of flour.

Salt (not pictured) - I always like to add a little salt when making dough, but this is totally optional.

Butter - rubbed into the flour.

White sugar - to add a little sweetness to the pastry.

Milk - to bind everything together.

Brown Sugar - for sprinkling over the top to add an element of crunch.

How to make a plum cobbler

• Start by preparing the plums. Cut each plum into quarters and remove the stone (image 1 above).
• Place the plums into an 8" x 8" baking dish and sprinkle with the lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and cornflour. Dot them with the butter (image 2 above).
• Cover with a lid and place in a preheated oven (200C / 400F) for about 20 minutes while you prepare the topping. Then remove the fruit from the oven and allow it to cool slightly.

• Place the flour, salt and sugar into a mixing bowl. Add the butter and rub it into the flour and sugar until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs (image 1 above). You can use your hands for this step, or whizz the flour, sugar and butter in a food processor.
• Add all the milk and mix thoroughly until it comes together in a sticky dough (image 2 above).
• Using a tablespoon, cover the cooled fruit with the cobbler (image 3 above). Don't worry about smoothing it out, the dough is supposed to be in lumps.
• Sprinkle the dough with brown sugar.
• Return the dish to the oven and bake for a further 30 minutes until the cobbler is cooked and golden brown.
• Serve warm with custard or ice cream, or allow to cool and serve cold as a cake.

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Storage

This plum cobbler will stay fresh for up to 3 days if stored covered in the refrigerator. You can either serve it cold or warm it in the microwave before serving.

Related recipes

If you enjoyed this plum cobbler, you can find similar recipes on my cakes, biscuits and dessert recipes page. Here are a few you might like:

📋The recipe

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