Crumb topping desserts are one of my absolute favourites, next to fruit cakes, and this sweet little pie is just what is needed for a nice brunch, afternoon snack, or coffee. Slightly tart from the blueberries, slightly sweet from the crunchy topping, and beautifully aromatic from the warm spices, it is a perfect tiny everyday treat.
It comes together fairly quickly, quite simple to prepare, and it can be served as soon as it cools down to your liking. Or honestly, even warm, with a teeny scoop of ice cream.
It is fantastic as a part of meal prep because it will keep for a few days in a sealed container at room temperature, but because it's such a small pie, it usually gets eaten quickly. My suggestion is to serve it with a strong coffee of your choice, but a cup of tea works perfectly, as well.
Ingredients
For the base layer
65 grams plain flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
45 grams granulated sugar
20 millilitres neutral oil
50 millilitres water
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the blueberry filling
200 grams blueberries, fresh or frozen
100 grams granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
15 grams cornflour
25 millilitres cold water
For the crumb topping
50 grams vegan block butter, melted
30 grams granulated sugar
50 grams plain flour
Preparation
Start by making the filling, as it needs time to cool down. Place the blueberries, either fresh or frozen, into a heavy saucepan, add in the sugar and vanilla, mix to combine. Place it over medium high heat and let it slowly come to a boil. Once bubbling, cook while stirring often, for about 10 minutes, or until thickened and fragrant. The berries should burst and release quite a bit of juice. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the cornflour with the cold water, add it to the fruit, and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly, until the filling becomes thick. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool down.
Let the oven preheat to 180°C and line a small cake pan (10x20 cm) with baking parchment.
To make the crumb topping, whisk together the flour and sugar, add in the melted butter, and mix and stir to create a rough crumb topping, either with a pastry cutter or a fork. Set it aside for the time being.
Finally, for the base layer, mix together the flour with the baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and sugar, and add in all of the wet ingredients. Mix until just combined, and immediately pour it into the prepared cake pan, and bake in a nicely preheated oven, at 180°C, for about 10 minutes, until it starts to firm up. Remove it from the oven, gently add the fruit filling and the crumb topping, and return to bake for another 25-30 minutes. It should be only slightly crispy on the edges.
Let the pie cool down completely in the pan, then slice and serve with freshly brewed coffee. Yields 8 medium servings.
