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Spiced Plum & Assam Tea Crumble

By • Updated July 2026
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This Spiced Plum & Assam Tea Crumble brings together ripe July plums and the robust, malty notes of Assam tea in a warming fruit bake that bridges summer stone fruit season and the cosy comfort we crave even on cooler evenings. The plums macerate in a quick black tea syrup infused with cinnamon and star anise, softening their tartness and deepening the jammy juices, while a golden, buttery crumble topping bakes to a perfect biscuit-like crust. A good ceramic baking dish is essential here: it conducts heat gently and evenly, preventing the fruit from catching while the topping crisps.

The choice of Assam is deliberate—its bold, malty character stands up to the sweetness of the plums and the warm spices without being lost, much like the way spiced tea traditions such as Somali shaah layer robust black tea with cinnamon and cardamom. Serve this crumble warm from the oven with cold custard or vanilla ice cream for a dessert that feels both seasonal and timeless.

Spiced Plum & Assam Tea Crumble
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time45 mins
ServingsServes 6
DifficultyEasy

Ingredients

  • 750 g ripe plums (such as Victoria or Marjorie's Seedling), halved and stoned
  • 2 tsp Assam loose-leaf tea (or 2 tea bags)
  • 150 ml boiling water
  • 75 g golden caster sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 star anise
  • 150 g plain flour
  • 100 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 75 g demerara sugar
Nutrition per serving:
Calories: 320
Fat: 12g
Sugar: 32g
Protein: 3g

Instructions

1
Brew the tea syrup: Steep the Assam tea in 150 ml boiling water for 4 minutes, then strain. Stir in the golden caster sugar, cinnamon stick and star anise until the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool slightly.
2
Prepare the plums: Arrange the halved plums cut-side up in a 1.5-litre ceramic baking dish (roughly 20 × 25 cm). Pour the warm tea syrup over the fruit, tucking the cinnamon and star anise among the plums. Let the fruit macerate for 10 minutes while you preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan).
3
Make the crumble: Rub the cubed cold butter into the plain flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir through the demerara sugar. The texture should be clumpy and uneven—this creates the best crunchy topping.
4
Assemble: Scatter the crumble mixture evenly over the plums in the ceramic baking dish, leaving a few gaps for the juices to bubble through. Don't press it down.
5
Bake: Place the dish on a baking tray (to catch any drips) and bake for 40–45 minutes, until the topping is golden and the plum juices are bubbling at the edges. If the top browns too quickly, loosely cover with foil for the final 10 minutes.
6
Rest and serve: Let the crumble rest for 5–10 minutes before serving—this allows the juices to thicken slightly. Serve warm with custard, cream or vanilla ice cream.

🫖 Equipment You'll Need

A good ceramic baking dish is the backbone of this crumble. Ceramic heats slowly and evenly, protecting the delicate plum skins and tea-infused juices from scorching while the buttery topping crisps to golden perfection. Unlike metal tins, which can cause hot spots, ceramic's gentle heat retention means the fruit softens uniformly and the filling stays luscious rather than jammy or burnt. For tea-infused fruit bakes like this one, where the syrup needs time to meld with the fruit, ceramic is unbeatable.

See our ceramic baking dish picks →

Expert Tip: No Loose-Leaf Assam?

If you only have Assam tea bags, use two and steep them in the same way. The flavour will be slightly less nuanced but still robust enough to complement the spiced plum filling beautifully.

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