Although it feels like a forever staple of English baking, the humble apple crumble is said only to have come about during WWII as a result of rationing. Those who would’ve made an apple pie found that they lacked ingredients for the pastry base, and so settled for the crisp, buttery goodness that is the modern crumble. For me, apple crumble calls up memories of home and my mum’s winter baking. However, since I wanted to put a twist on the classic, I’ve followed one of my dad’s family traditions: putting alcohol in dessert. The result is a pudding perfect for warming the cockles of one’s stomach… or heart… whichever.
Crumble Ingredients
Topping
- 100g plain flour
- 50g sugar*
- 50g unsalted butter (or butter substitute), chilled and cut into cubes
- Roughly 20g oats (I like to use the Oat So Simple Golden Syrup sachets)
Filling
- 3tbsp butter
- 8 apples (I tend to use 4 cooking apples, 4 eating apples), peeled and cut into segments
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp mixed spice
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 75ml cherry liqueur (e.g. Heering’s cherry brandy)
- 1tbsp dark sugar
- 1tbsp milk
- 2 pinch salt
- 1tbsp dulce de leche or salted caramel spread (I tend to have this in the house, but if you don't, use 2x butter, sugar and milk)
- 2tbsp apple liqueur (I like the Austrian Burländer, which is quite sweet. As long as you avoid sour apple, another liqueur should be fine)
- 3/4 tsp cornflour
Equipment
- 1 large bowl OR food processor
- mixing spoon
- measuring spoons and weighing scales
- measuring jug
- fork
- 2 Saucepans: 1 large (I like to use a wok, but that’s because it’s almost idiot-proof for avoiding spills), 1 small
- greaseproof paper
- baking sheet
- 1lb baking dish (around 16cm x 11cm x 7cm), greased. You may choose other rectangular options – metal, ceramic, and pyrex dishes are fine.
Instructions
Topping
- Preheat Oven to 190°C (170°C fan).
- If using a food processor, pulse flour, sugar and butter quickly until it resembles a breadcrumb texture.
- If not using a food processor, combine flour and sugar in the large bowl, then rub butter into the mixture until resembling the same.
- Sprinkle onto a lined baking sheet and bake for 15 mins until your mix changes colour.
Filling
- Melt 2tbsp butter in the large saucepan (or wok), then sauté over a medium-high heat for 10 minutes until starting to become tender.
- Stir in cinnamon, mixed spice and vanilla essence for 1 minute.
- Add the cherry brandy and cook until mostly absorbed.
- In the smaller saucepan, combine 1tbsp butter and sugar over low heat, stirring gently until melted together.
- Add the milk and dulce de leche to the sugar mixture and stir occasionally for 3 minutes, or until smooth.
- Add salt, then set aside.
- In the measuring jug, combine apple liqueur and cornflour with a fork. Then, add this to the caramel mixture.
- Combine all ingredients in the large saucepan, then spoon into the baking dish.
- Top with pre-baked crumble mix (broken into chunks by hand) and oats, then place in the oven for around 15 minutes. Your crumble should have a golden brown topping, and the apples should be soft.
- Grab your biggest serving spoon, ice cream/custard/cream, and do try not to burn your mouth. The filling is always hotter than you think it is!
Tips
Topping
- Having chilled butter is key – if it’s too warm, you will have a solid dough rather than the crumble clumps we love so much. Remember: cool butter = crumble!
- Be careful not to overwork the mixture. Use your fingertips and stop once you have the chunky breadcrumb texture. It’s fine to have pea-sized amounts of butter visible in your topping.
Filling
- To avoid the apples turning brown when prepping your segments, pop them into a bowl of water with lemon juice (roughly 2 cups water: 2 tbsp lemon). The acidity of the lemon stops the apples’ enzymes from reacting with the air – yay, science!
- Finding the perfect spot between dry and soggy crumble can be tricky, but using your eye helps. If the apples soak up the cherry brandy in less than a minute (filling, step 3), use less or no cornflour (filling, step 7). If still very wet before adding in the caramel (filling, step 8), perhaps add another 1/4 tsp.
*Flour and Butter and Sugar, Oh My!
The mystery of the perfect crumble topping has plagued many an amateur baker. And I’m not sure it’s the same for everyone – some people like oats, others nuts, and a few more prefer biscuits or flapjack-y coverings. I prefer a fairly traditional crumble, with a few oats added for texture. But if you want to mix things up, I recommend adding almonds. They work well with cherry flavours, and give a great crunch. Otherwise, try sprinkling demerara sugar on top of your final bake, but only if you have a sweet tooth!
Pre-baking the topping is also a personal choice. I like that it allows me greater flexibility: I can get the crunchy texture I want without the risk of drying out the filling. However, it’s unnecessary if you favour a softer, paler crumb. Or, you may simply not have time. In that case, the TESCO’s pre-made crumble mix isn’t half bad, and certainly less messy than making your own.
As (almost) always, I must nod to the question of sugar choice. I’ve mentioned my preference for brown sugar before, and by using a darker sugar, you can lean into the caramel flavours of the crumble. In any event, it’s up to you.
One of my favourite things about this crumble is that there is so much room to make it your own. You can tinker with its sweetness, spiciness, appearance and texture without too much risk. It’s great fun to bake, and even better to eat. The world is your lobster, as they say.