Apple crumble

Crumble shamble

I used to be very sniffy about crumbles, considering them to be unfinished, inferior bakes. Where’s the cake base? I’d ask. Where’s the skill in scattering some pie crust over fruit in a bowl? What’s the point of a dessert that has to be eaten straight out of the oven?

A cake topped with fruit and crumble, that’s perfectly legitimate. There’s a sponge or otherwise base, the cake can be cut into slices and eaten cold, and held in your hand if you’re so inclined. Try eating crumble with your fingers!

But as time goes by, our views and opinions change which is a very good thing because, as my Dad (and not only him as it turns out) used to say, it's only cows who never change their opinion. So I learned to stop sniffing and love the crumble.

Local, seasonal, healthy (sort of)

Because crumble is an incredibly rewarding, easy and bliss-filling treat, ticking my seasonality boxes: you make it with berries in summer, brambles in September, apples in autumn and any frozen fruit in winter!

If you pick your own berries, brambles and apples, it also ticks the locality box. And being homemade from scratch, it’s healthy. Shut up about the sugar – healthy like everything in moderation.

A crumble on a Saturday afternoon

And my qualms about having to serve it straight from the oven are also allayed since I discovered the perfect time to have it: a Saturday afternoon.

On Saturday morning you sleep in or do chores or mind whatever weekend business needs minding, and so you have breakfast late and no lunch (or no breakfast and an early lunch). Which means mid-afternoon you’re really hungry.

So instead of rummaging in the cupboard in search of the open bag of Maltesers, you can make a crumble and have a superiorly civilised, old-school afternoon tea!

What apples for a crumble?

Apples available in the UK fall into the ‘cooking’ and ‘eating’ categories. But that doesn’t mean you can’t swap around: Bramleys, the common cooking variety, are tart which makes them break down in cooking. Sweeter, less acidic eating apples hold their shape.

That answers the above: whichever you prefer, and my personal choice: half of each variety.

If you use only cooking apples, there is no need to precook them, though simmering them with rum-steeped raisins smells like heaven. I like to use both types and briefly warm them up with the raisins, after Nigella’s instructions, so the Bramleys will turn mushy while the other variety – Cox in this instance – will only slightly soften.

The crispiest crumble

Personally, my preference is for softer, cakey-er crumble but I know for most people the crispier, the better. So that’s how I make mine, against my own taste, ha! Not that I dislike this particular one of course – it would be weird to.

The crumble inspiration comes from Claire Saffitz’s caramel apple skillet crisp – they call a crumble ‘a crisp’ over the ocean which in itself tells you what the texture should be like. The oats make it super crispy, the cinnamon makes it fragrant and it’s all mixed with your fingers in a bowl in about ten seconds.

I use softened butter just because it’s easier. The crumble clumps into a ball as a result, rather than, well, crumble, but thanks to that you get lovely clusters when baked.

The addition of walnut chunks is optional but really it isn’t: they toast in the crumble and taste divine. So unless you’re allergic, don’t skip them or you’ll miss out.

Serving apple crumble begs for a scoop of ice cream, some pouring cream or custard. Or, if you want to be particularly virtuous, go for a dollop of thick Greek yoghurt to it.

Apple crumble can be prepared in individual dishes or in one larger, gratin or pie dish, and it can be made even a day ahead and stored in the fridge overnight. And by the way: you don’t have to serve it on a Saturday afternoon. It’s an any-day treat.

More apple dessert recipes

Rustic apple galette with shortcrust pastry base and sliced raw apple filling. No blind baking, no precooking apples – and no soggy bottom!

Perfect apple pie recipe, with sweetened shortcrust pastry and tart fresh apple filling. This is the best apple pie recipe by far: totally worth it to make pastry from scratch. My apple pie is a cross between American and English pie versions.

Norwegian apple cake, eplekake, is plenty of apple slices on sponge batter enriched with milk. This recipe is from NY Times but cross-referenced with Norway!

More crumble recipes

We call it bramble crumble, you might know it as blackberry crisp. It’s a delicious dessert, put together in minutes, divine with a scoop of ice cream. Brambles, wild blackberries, grow everywhere in the UK and in a good summer they are juicy and sweet.

Baked peach with blue cheese and cinnamon crumble. An unusual dessert recipe, roasted peaches with honey topped with blue cheese and simple savoury crumble - a slightly different peach dessert.

Plum crumble breakfast bars, cinnamon flavoured, reduced in sugar content, are just the thing for those whose sweet tooth is awake at breakfast time.