How to cook with plums: discover how good cooked fruit can be

Plums are always tempting in the fruit bowl, but have you tried cooking with them? These tips will help you find new and exciting ways to enjoy this favourite stone fruit.

How to cook plums

Cooking plums lets you enjoy these sweet fruits in a new way. It’s also a great way to use underripe plums, which may not be ready for snacking yet.

Plum pudding recipe

Plum pudding is a popular dessert to finish a Christmas meal, but you can enjoy it any time. Here’s a lighter version you can bake all year round:

• Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare four small dishes to make individual plum puddings.
• Cook 300g plums with 150g caster sugar and 20g butter over low heat, stirring until the plums are soft and tender.
• While that cools, mix together another 150g caster sugar and 150g butter until light and fluffy. Beat in two eggs, followed by 150g self-raising flour and the zest of two lemons.
• Place two teaspoons of the plum mixture in each pudding dish and top with the batter. Bake for 20 minutes, then leave to stand for 10 minutes before tucking in.

Plum cobbler recipe

Plum cobbler is a simple and comforting dessert. To make it, you’ll first need to stew your plums. Cook them over low heat with caster sugar and butter until tender, but still holding their shape. Then, set them aside while you make the cobbler dough.

Cobbler dough is a batter that uses flour, caster sugar, butter, milk and egg. You can also add extra flavourings — cinnamon works well with plums. It should have the consistency of cake batter. Don’t pour it over your plums. Instead, layer thick dollops, leaving some space between them for the juice to peek out.

Try making a plum crumble for a quicker alternative to a cobbler. The stewed plums remain the same, while the topping – a simple mix of flour, sugar, and butter – can be whipped up in minutes. Add some oats for extra crunchiness.

Plum cake recipe

A plum cake is a great way to use up underripe plums. There are plenty of different plum cake recipes, but a favourite is an upside-down cake. Ensure the plums are neatly sliced and pitted to enhance the presentation of your cake.

Arrange the halved plums upside down in the base of a greased cake tin, then prepare the batter. You can make a standard white cake batter or add a little ginger, as spices work well with plums.

Popular plum jam recipes

Making plum jam is surprisingly easy. Use plums on their own or mix them with other fruits. Plum and apple is a classic combination, because the two fruits perfectly complement each other, giving you a rich, moreish jam that’s great spread on toast or dolloped into a bowl of porridge.

Other plum recipes

Don’t forget that you can use plums in savoury dishes, too. They pair well with heavy meats such as pork or duck, slicing through the richness to adding a delicious sauce. Try out this plum-roasted pork belly with soy greens recipe or maybe a protein-rich sweet soy veggie mince and noodles with plum sauce recipe.

Plum FAQs

Should plums be peeled before cooking?

You generally don’t need to peel plums before cooking with them. Unlike some fruits, plums have very thin skin, which doesn’t create an unpleasant texture. In fact, keeping the skin on is particularly good for jam-making, as it contains pectin, which will help the jam to set.

What does plum pair with?

Plum pairs well with autumnal spices like cinnamon and ginger. In a savoury context, plum is a good match for rich meats.

Can you cook under ripe plums?

Yes. In fact, it’s usually best to cook with underripe plums to make some kind of pudding or dessert.

Can you freeze plums?

Yes. If you have a glut of plums, first remove the stones before freezing them. They’ll lose texture, making them unsuitable for snacking, but they’ll be fine for making jam or stewed desserts.

Do you eat the skin of a plum?

The skin of a plum is perfectly edible, as it’s not fuzzy like a peach. You can try to peel plums if you insist, but to be honest, you’ll probably just end up making a mess.