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Ginger Plum Bars Featured Image

Ginger Plum Bars

Tanvi Srivastava
These ginger plum bars with a green cardamom scented shortbread crust are filled with a ginger laced eggless plum curd filling. These are sweet-tart, buttery, fruity, fragrant with the right amount of punch!
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 5 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 9 squares
Calories 202 kcal

Ingredients
  

Shortbread Crust

  • 1.5 cup all purpose flour
  • 12 tablespoon butter unsalted
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon green cardamom powder

Plum Curd Filling

  • 600 g fresh red plums stoned (about 7 plums) , see note 1
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger grated, see note 2
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1.5 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoon butter salted

Instructions
 

Shortbread Crust

  • In a large bowl, add the flour, powdered sugar and ground cardamom. Add softened butter and lightly mix with your hands until you form a soft crumbly dough. Dont knead. 
  • Press the dough into a 8 by 8 inch pan lined with parchment. Level and smoothen out using your fingers. Prick with fork all over. Set to bake in a 350 F oven for 20-22 minutes until the lightly golden. 

Plum Curd Filling

  • While the crust is baking, make the plum filling. Dissolve cornstarch in ¼ cup water.
    Add chopped plums, sugar and grated ginger to a shallow pan and set on a stove. In about 7-8 minutes the plums will be mushy. Use back of spoon to smash the big chunks.
  • Add the lemon juice and cornstarch slurry and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes until jammy & thickish (it should coat the back of a a spoon). Mix in the butter and finish cooking in about 2 minutes more. 
  • Strain through a soup mesh into a bowl. Your eggless plum is ready. It will thicken as it sits. You can use it as it is if you wish. 

Layer & Chill

  • Pour the plum curd over cooled shortbread crust. Smoothen out with a spatula. Refrigerate for about 4 hours to set. Preferably overnight. Cut into squares using a sharp knife and enjoy!
    Note - These filling of these bars is not super firm, it will set to soft and gooey, however you will be able to cut neat squares using a sharp knife.

Notes

  1. Dont skin the red plums. The skins contribute to the beautiful color of the filling. And we are straining the filling at the end so they won't bother you in the curd. 
  2. You can reduce to ½ teaspoon fresh ginger if you like. 
  3. If you wish you can make the shortbread crust in a food processor fitted with dough/plastic blade. However, if the butter is softened properly, I find using hands much easier and faster.
  4. This recipe will work with other stone fruits like cherries or peaches as well.
  5. I strain the plum filling because we love the smooth curd like consistency. However, if you wish you can add the filling as it is over the crust.
  6. You can double the recipe of plum filling for a thicker plum layer.
Serving
Room Temperature Set the bars out for 20-25 minutes before serving. These are so good with a scoop of ice cream.
Cold Serving- These bars are equally delicious straight out of the fridge.
Storage
Refrigerator
Store the sliced bars in the regfrigerator in a single layer for 4-5 days. As I mentioned before the plum layer is not firm rather soft and gooey so don't stack them.
Freezing
First freeze the cut bars in a single layer. I would individually wrap the frozen bars in a small piece of parchment paper before popping them in a ziploc. You can froze for 2 months. Thaw overnight before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 202kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 3gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 27mgPotassium: 167mgFiber: 2gSugar: 26gVitamin A: 271IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!