Pear and apple crumble cake – vegan

Pear and apple crumble cake has a layer of tender vanilla sponge, topped with cinnamon-spiced apples and pears, and a topping of scrumptious oaty crumble.

This delicious fruity pear and apple crumble cake makes a perfect celebratory treat or dessert for Tu B’Shevat – the Jewish New Year for trees.

Tu B’Shevat 2021 starts on the evening of 27 January and ends on the evening of 28 January.

What is Tu B’Shevat all about?

Tu B’Shevat is the New Year for the trees. It is a minor Jewish festival that usually falls sometime in January, and its name literally means 15 Shevat, which is the Hebrew date of the festival.

How many new years?!

According to tradition, there are four ‘new years’ in each annual cycle. They are:

• 1 Tishrei – the New Year for ‘years’ i.e. Rosh Hashanah
• 15 Shevat – the New Year for trees
• 1 Nissan – the New Year for (Jewish) Kings
• 1 Ellul – the New Year for tithing cattle

Since we no longer have a King at the head of the Jewish nation, and we no longer have to take tithes to the Temple, the last two have rather fallen by the wayside. Historically, Tu B’Shevat was also simply a date in the agricultural calendar, used for calculating taxes on fruits. However it has been celebrated as a minor mid-Winter festival for at least four centuries.

History of Tu B’Shevat

Historically, since the day marked the New Year/new season, it was traditional to eat a ‘new’ fruit that had just come into season. This gave the eater an opportunity to say the shehecheyanu blessing. Nice.

In the 16th Century, kabbalists in Safed expanded this idea and created a Tu B’Shevat seder – a ritual meal with special prayers, modelled after the Passover seder.

In more recent years, Tu B’Shevat has come to be seen as a Jewish day of environmental activism. There is an emphasis on planting trees, particularly in Israel. Events and programmes are also organised to raise environmental awareness among Jewish groups and promote an eco-friendly Jewish lifestyle.

Eating fruit

Throughout all of the above, Jewish people have taken the opportunity to enjoy a feast of fruit on Tu B’Shevat. Since the festival celebrates the New Year for Trees, the chosen fruits are usually tree-grown. Examples include:

• Oranges, grapefruits, and other citrus, which are just coming into season
• Stone fruits like plums and peaches – fresh or dried are both fine
• Pome fruits like apples and pears, which I used in this scrumptious pear and apple crumble cake

Some people have the tradition to eat 15 kinds of fruit on Tu B’Shevat, because it is the 15th day of the month. If you’d like to do this, check out this Tu B’Shevat fruit platter, or this delicious confetti fruit salad with spiced syrup.

Pear and apple crumble cake

This year, to celebrate the holiday, I decided to make a delicious fruity crumble cake. My family eats a lot of fruit generally, so to make Tu B’Shevat special, we needed a proper baked treat!

I love crumble cakes because they are just as good hot with custard, as they are cold with a cup of tea. A cake that is good at any time of day is just what I’m looking for!

For this pear and apple crumble cake, I made a layer of delicious and tender vanilla sponge, then topped it with sliced apples and pears that had been tossed in a little cinnamon. The crumble topping is sweet and oaty with just a hint of spice. It’s super-simple but it elevates this cake into something altogether more special.

Think global, eat local

Choosing apples and pears for my cake also enabled us to celebrate Tu B’Shevat’s environmental message. Tropical fruits and citrus are delicious, but they have travelled a long way to get here, and usually by air.

Using locally grown apples and pears means this cake has a lower environmental impact, while still being delicious!

I’ve also embraced the plant-based message by making this scrumptious cake completely vegan. Eggs and dairy products have been replaced with alternatives that make the cake even more fruity!

What goes into a pear and apple crumble cake?

We always have apples and pears in the fruit bowl, and the rest of the ingredients are pantry staples. This means I can whip up one of these yummy cakes at a moment’s notice!

To make this fruity crumble cake recipe you will need:

• Apples and pears – fruity and delicious!
• Flour – to bind the batter
• Sugar – for a sweet cake
• Vegetable oil – makes the cake moist and tender
• Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (also called baking soda) – for a light and fluffy cake
• Applesauce/apple puree – enhances the apple flavour and adds moisture and richness
• Vanilla – brings out the fragrant flavour of the apples and pears
• Rolled oats – for the lovely crumble topping
• Cinnamon – adds a hint of warming spice

You’ll be amazed at how such simple ingredients can be transformed into something so delicious!

Mix it up!

If you’re not a fan of pears, or just don’t have any, you can add another apple and make this an oaty apple crumble cake instead.

Don’t like cinnamon? You can substitute whatever sweet spices you prefer, such as nutmeg, ground cloves, ginger or allspice. Or use a sweet spice blend like mixed spice or apple pie spice.

To make this cake even more fruity, you can add grated orange or lemon zest to the cake batter and/or the crumble. You can also add some flaked almonds to the crumble for another tree-grown ingredient!

If you don’t have applesauce, you can use a well-mashed ripe banana instead, but this will alter the flavour of the finished cake.

How to serve pear and apple crumble cake?

I like to enjoy this cake warm from the oven with a generous blanket of hot custard! My daughter Kipper loves it this way too. It’s a terrific way to round off a special midweek dinner – such as you might have on Tu B’Shevat!

You can also serve it with a dollop of thick cream or a scoop of ice-cream.

That said, this fruity crumble cake is also great unadorned. Serve individual slices warm or at room temperature for afternoon tea. It’s delicious accompanied by a cup of tea, or a spicy or fruity herbal beverage.

Pear and apple crumble cake for Tu B’Shevat

I hope you’ll join me in celebrating Tu B’Shevat this year. Enjoy a delicious slice of cake and wish the trees a very happy new year!

This pear & apple crumble cake recipe makes 9 generous squares or 12 slightly smaller portions.

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📖 Recipe

Pear and apple crumble cake

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A lovely moist and fruity cake, topped with apples, pears, and a delicious oaty crumble.

4.92 from 12 votes

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Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Course Cake, Dessert

Cuisine Vegan

Servings 9

Calories 303 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

For the cake

• 2 small/medium dessert apples
• 1 pear
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 200 g plain flour
• 100 g sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
• 115 g unsweetened applesauce/apple puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 85 ml vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon apple juice or water

For the crumble topping

• 25 g flour
• 25 g sugar
• 25 g porridge oats
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F), and line a 20 cm (8 inch) square baking tin with parchment or greaseproof paper.
• 2 small/medium dessert apples, 1 pear, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  Cut the apples and pears into quarters and remove the cores. (If your fruits have tough skins you can peel them, but if not, leave the skins intact.) Cut each quarter into 5 or 6 slices and place them in a bowl. Add the cinnamon and mix well so that the fruit slices are all covered in cinnamon. Set aside.
• 200 g (1½ cups) plain flour, 100 g (½ cups) sugar, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda, 115 g (4 oz) unsweetened applesauce/apple puree, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 85 ml (⅓ cup) vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon white vinegar, 1 tablespoon apple juice or water
  In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, applesauce, vanilla, oil, vinegar and juice/water. Mix well to give a thick batter.
• Pour/dollop the mixture into the prepared tin, and spread to the edges with a palette knife or spatula. I usually bang the tin down hard on the counter a few times to level the mixture.
• Arrange the apple and pear slices over the batter. You should have more than enough so don't worry about overlapping them.
• 25 g (3⅓ tbsp) flour, 25 g (1⅔ tbsp) sugar, 25 g (⅓ cup) porridge oats, 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
  Give the bowl that had the apple and pear slices in it a quick wipe with kitchen paper, then use it to mix all the crumble ingredients – flour, sugar, oats and oil – to give a moist, lumpy crumble. Sprinkle this over the top of the apple and pear slices.
• Bake the cake at 180°C (350°F) for around 40-45 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean, and the crumble is browning appetisingly in places. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Pear and apple crumble cake

Amount per Serving

Calories

303

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

13

g

20

%

Saturated Fat

 

10

g

63

%

Sodium

 

170

mg

7

%

Potassium

 

114

mg

3

%

Carbohydrates

 

45

g

15

%

Fiber

 

3

g

13

%

Sugar

 

21

g

23

%

Protein

 

3

g

6

%

Vitamin A

 

31

IU

1

%

Vitamin C

 

3

mg

4

%

Calcium

 

38

mg

4

%

Iron

 

1

mg

6

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword apple, cinnamon, oats, pear

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More fruity bakes for Tu B’Shevat

You might also enjoy these squidgy date and coconut flapjacks, this plum and almond crumble cake, or these delicious vegan spiced apple and raisin cupcakes.

And if you can’t get enough of delicious crumble cakes, why not try apple and blackberry crumble cake or Devon apple cake with honey crumble.

Happy Tu B’Shevat!

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