This Stone Fruit Crumble Cake is the kind of bake that gives you the best of both worlds: a soft vanilla cake topped with a buttery crumble, with jammy pockets of baked stone fruit in every slice.
There’s something about stone fruit season that always pulls me towards crumbles. Soft, jammy fruit bubbling away under a buttery, crumbly, cinnamon-scented topping is hard to resist.
This Stone Fruit Crumble Cake is the happy result of making a dessert to please everyone at the table. Think of it as a coffee cake or a fruit-forward crumb cake, but with a buttery crumble topping and jammy stone fruit baked right in.
It’s easy, adaptable and works with whatever fruit is showing up at the market, from the first apricots of the season to the very last plums.
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Why You’ll Love this Stone Fruit Crumble Cake
Somewhere between a crumble and a simple butter cake, this is the kind of bake that’s as comfortable being afternoon tea as it is being shared for dessert.
- The best of both worlds. You get a soft, tender vanilla cake and a buttery crumble topping in every slice.
- Jammy fruit throughout. The stone fruit melts into the middle as it bakes, creating pockets of almost jam-like goodness.
- Seasonal and flexible. Use whatever stone fruit you have or even a mix of peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots. It all works.
- Great for ‘almost overripe’ fruit. This Stone Fruit Crumble Cake is perfect for using up stone fruit that’s gone too soft for snacking on but is perfect for baking.
- Make-ahead friendly. The baked cake keeps beautifully for a couple of days, so you can bake it when you have time and enjoy it later. You can also make the crumble topping a day in advance and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake.
- A crowd-pleaser. Even the ‘I’m not really a cake person’ people (hi, me) tend to go back for another slice.
What Is a Crumble Cake?
A crumble cake, sometimes called a crumb cake or streusel cake, sits somewhere between a traditional butter cake and a fruit crumble. Instead of fruit baked on its own beneath a thick layer of streusel, a crumble cake starts with a soft cake base, topped with fruit and finished with a buttery crumb.
The idea draws from European crumb cakes and classic fruit streusels, where cakes were often designed to stretch seasonal produce and make use of pantry staples. Over time, variations appeared across kitchens and cultures, each leaning into what fruit was available at the time: apples and pears and citrus in cooler months, berries, stone fruit and tropical fruit in warmer ones.
It’s this contrast in textures and flavours that makes a crumble cake so special.
Stone Fruit Crumble Cake Ingredients
This Stone Fruit Crumble Cake is built from familiar pantry staples and whatever stone fruit is at its best right now.
- The Crumble Topping. A simple mix that bakes into golden, buttery clusters. Flour gives it structure, brown sugar adds warmth and depth, cinnamon brings gentle flavouring, baking powder helps keep it from getting too crispy, and salted butter binds everything together while adding richness.
- The Cake. The cake is soft, lightly sweet and thick enough to support the fruit without becoming dense. Butter and sugar create a tender base, the egg adds structure, sour cream and milk keep the crumb moist, vanilla and lemon zest add flavour and freshness, and flour with baking powder gives the cake its structure gentle lift.
- The Stone Fruit. The heart of the recipe. A mix of peaches, nectarines, plums or apricots works beautifully here. Different colours and varieties bring contrast and flavour, and the fruit softens into the cake as it bakes, creating pockets of jammy sweetness.
How to Make Stone Fruit Crumble Cake
This is a relaxed, straightforward bake with easy-to-follow steps, just a simple assembly that lets the oven do most of the work.
- Prepare the crumble topping. Combine the dry ingredients, then, using your fingertips (or a pastry cutter!) rub the butter through the flour mixture until you have a mix of fine crumbs and larger clusters. Set aside in the fridge.
- Make the cake batter. Using an electric hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until pale and soft. Beat in the egg, followed by the sour cream, milk, vanilla and lemon zest. Gently mix in the dry ingredients just until combined to form a thick cake batter.
- Assemble the cake. Spread the batter into your prepared tin. Arrange the stone fruit over the top cut side up, pressing each piece into the batter slightly.
- Finish with crumble. Scatter the chilled crumble topping evenly over the fruit.
- Bake. Bake until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the cake (avoiding fruit pockets) comes out clean.
- Allow to cool before slicing. This helps the cake and crumble set and makes for cleaner (and easier!) slices.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Chill the crumble topping. After making the crumble, store it in the fridge while you make the cake, creating a better texture.
- Don’t overmix the cake batter. Keep the electric hand mixer speed to medium low, especially after adding in the flour.
- Line your tin. There’s butter in both the crumble and the cake, and butter can sometimes make it hard to release a cake from its tin. So butter that springform tin and line the bottom and sides with baking paper for easy cake removal.
- Let the cake cool. The crumble topping will still be quite soft after baking from the residual heat. Let the cake cool before releasing it from the springform tin and cutting it.
How to Serve and Store Stone Fruit Crumble Cake
Serve this cake at room temperature. It’s lovely on its own, with coffee or tea, or dressed up with whipped cream, crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, or in the fridge for up to four. The crumble will soften slightly over time, especially if stored in the fridge, but the flavour will still be great.
Stone Fruit Crumble Cake Recipe FAQs
Can I use frozen stone fruit?
No. Fresh fruit works best, as frozen fruit will release too much liquid and not bake properly into the cake and create a soggy crumble.
Do I need to peel the fruit?
No, the skins soften as the cake bakes and add colour and texture. You do still need to pit the stone fruit.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes. You can make the crumble a day before you want to bake the cake, and store it in the fridge. You can also bake the whole cake a day in advance.
What tin size works best?
For this Stone Fruit Crumble Cake, I use a 22cm, round, springform baking tin.
Why is my crumble sinking?
If the crumble is too fine or at room temperature before baking the cake, it may sink slightly. Forming larger clusters by squeezing the crumble together and chilling it while you make the cake batter helps create the perfect texture.
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If you’re looking for a way to make the most of stone fruit season without fuss, this crumble cake is a good place to start. It’s the kind of recipe that you make once and then again every summer after.
🧁 If you make this Stone Fruit Crumble Cake, I’d love to hear how it turned out. Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram so I can see what you’re cooking, and if you’d like more recipes like this, the newsletter is where I share them first.
Recipe
Stone Fruit Crumble Cake
Ingredients
For the Crumble
- 120 g all purpose flour
- 80 g light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 100 g salted butter, cold, cubed
For the Cake
- 100 g butter, room temperature, plus extra for greasing
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 70 g sour cream, room temperature
- 60 ml milk, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, or essence
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 180 g flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 4-5 stone fruits, pitted and quartered
- Icing sugar, optional
Instructions
- Start by making the crumble. To a bowl add the flour, light brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and butter. Use your fingertips (or a pastry cutter if you prefer) to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until small clumps form. Gently squeeze some of the mixture together to create a few larger crumbs and clumps. Refrigerate the crumble while you make the cake.120 g all purpose flour, 80 g light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, 100 g salted butter
- Butter and line a 22cm springform tin and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- To make the cake, add the butter and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat for 2–3 minutes, or until pale and fluffy.100 g butter, 100 g granulated sugar
- Add the egg and beat until fully combined.1 egg
- Add the sour cream, milk, vanilla and lemon zest. Beat on low speed until just combined. The batter may look slightly curdled at this stage.70 g sour cream, 60 ml milk, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, Zest from 1 lemon
- Add the flour and baking powder and mix on medium-low speed until just combined and no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix. The batter will be thick.180 g flour, 2 teaspoon baking powder
- Spoon the thick batter into the prepared tin. Using an offset spatula, or the back of a spoon, gently spread the batter out from the centre until it reaches the edges, then smooth down the top.
- Arrange the stone fruit quarters evenly over the batter in two concentric circles, gently pressing each piece into the batter, cut-side up.4-5 stone fruits
- Scatter the chilled crumble over the top, then bake for 47–55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake (avoiding the fruit) comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool completely in its tin before covering with a fine dusting of icing sugar and serving.Icing sugar
