Food

Plum Cobbler Recipe: How to Make Plum Cobbler

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Sep 28, 2021 • 3 min read

This rustic fruit cobbler recipe, which is made with ripe, juicy plums and a light, buttery biscuit topping, is the perfect ready-in-minutes dessert for any night of the week.

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What Is Plum Cobbler?

Plum cobbler is a simple baked dessert that pairs a thick, macerated plum base with dollops of semi-sweet biscuit dough scattered over the fruit in a cobblestone-like formation and baked to golden brown perfection. This rustic fruit cobbler, which is made with fresh plums, is an easy and approachable dessert recipe that bakers of any skill level can pull together in minutes. Other popular varieties of cobbler include apple cobbler, peach cobbler, and cherry cobbler.

4 Tips for Making Plum Cobbler

Plum cobbler is a simple baked dessert that comes together in a matter of minutes. However, there are some simple tricks you can follow to make your plum cobbler turn out the best it can.

  1. 1. Don’t forget the starch. Adding a thickener like cornstarch or baking powder to your plum filling will help to absorb some of the juices of the baked fruit, preventing overflows and soggy crusts in the process.
  2. 2. Leave space between your crust. Leave space between pieces of cobbler topping as you scatter it over the top of your plum filling. This will provide some ventilation for your fruit base as your cobbler bakes, which will help prevent your cobbler topping from getting soggy.
  3. 3. Mix and match fruits. Experiment with the flavors of this cobbler by adding other fruits to your fruit base. Plums pair well with other stone fruits, like peaches, apricots, and nectarines, as well as tart berries, like blueberries and blackberries.
  4. 4. Use a food thermometer. When it comes to biscuit dough, a golden brown appearance can be deceiving. To ensure your cobbler topping is cooked all the way through, insert a food thermometer through the thickest part of the dough. Once the topping has reached a temperature of 200 degrees Fahrenheit, the cobbler is ready to eat.

Plum Cobbler Recipe

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makes

prep time

10 min

total time

55 min

cook time

45 min

Ingredients

For the filling:

For the topping:

  1. 1

    Preheat the oven to 380 degrees Fahrenheit.

  2. 2

    Combine the sliced plums, sugars, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a medium bowl. Stir the ingredients to incorporate. This will be the plum filling for your cobbler.

  3. 3

    In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Add the cubed butter to the flour mixture, working it in with your hands until it has reached the texture of coarse bread crumbs.

  4. 4

    In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the egg, vanilla extract, and ½ cup of the buttermilk.

  5. 5

    Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir with your hands or a rubber spatula until combined. This will be your cobbler topping.

  6. 6

    Transfer the plum filling to a 9- x 13-inch baking dish, and spread the fruit out into a single layer.

  7. 7

    Tear off a palm-sized piece of topping and place it over the fruit. Continue this process with the remaining dough, leaving space between the pieces to create a cobbled effect.

  8. 8

    Brush the top of the dough with the remaining buttermilk, then sprinkle with Demerara sugar.

  9. 9

    Bake the cobbler until the top of the dough is golden brown and the plum mixture is thick and bubbling, which should take about 45 minutes.

  10. 10

    Remove the pan from the oven. Let the cobbler cool slightly before serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or dollop of whipped cream.

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