Recipe details
Ingredients
Apple Filling
- 6 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp plain flour
- Squeeze of lemon juice
Crumble topping
- 120g plain flour
- 60g rolled oats
- 80g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 60g light brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Prepare the apples. Heat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C). Toss the sliced apples with the caster sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, flour and a squeeze of lemon juice. Tip into a baking dish and level gently — no need to be perfect.
- Make the crumble topping. In a bowl, rub the cold butter into the flour and salt until it resembles rough breadcrumbs. Stir through the oats and brown sugar. You want a mix of fine crumbs and larger clumps — this gives the topping texture once baked.
- Top generously. Spoon the crumble over the apples in an even but relaxed layer. Don’t press it down; let it sit naturally. Clumps are encouraged.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the top is deeply golden and the apples are soft and bubbling around the edges.
- Rest briefly. Let the crumble sit for 10 minutes before serving — just enough time for the juices to settle, but not so long that it cools.
How to serve
This is a pudding that doesn’t ask for finesse.
Serve it straight from the dish, with:
- Proper custard
- Cold pouring cream
- Or vanilla ice cream melting into the topping
A big spoon. Warm bowls. No rush.
A few variations
- Swap half the apples for pears in autumn
- Add a handful of chopped walnuts or almonds to the topping
- Stir a little ground ginger or nutmeg into the apples
- Use demerara sugar in the topping for extra crunch
There are some desserts that don’t need reimagining.
Apple crumble is one of them.
This is a deeply familiar version — softly spiced apples underneath a buttery oat topping, baked until the edges bubble and the surface turns golden and craggy. No neat slices. No perfect portions. Just a spoon, a warm dish in the middle of the table, and something cold or custardy on the side.
It’s the kind of pudding that feels best eaten slowly, ideally straight from the dish, with bowls passed around and the crumble getting slightly messier with every serving.
Why this crumble works
This is a classic, but a carefully balanced one.
- The apples soften without collapsing into purée
- A light dusting of flour thickens the juices just enough
- Oats in the topping add texture and warmth
- Butter stays cold, so the crumble bakes crisp rather than sandy
It’s comforting, generous, and quietly confident — exactly what a good crumble should be.
