This apple crumble has a buttery oat topping and a softly spiced filling, with enough texture to make each spoonful interesting. A mix of tart and sweet apples gives a more balanced result than very sweet apples alone. Let the crumble rest briefly after baking so the juices settle before serving.
Prep: 20 minutes | Bake: 35–45 minutes | Rest: 10 minutes | Total: 65–75 minutes | Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 900 g apples, weighed before peeling and coring
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 40 g light brown sugar for the filling
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 2 tbsp water
- 100 g plain all-purpose flour
- 80 g rolled oats
- 70 g light brown sugar for the topping
- 100 g cold unsalted butter, cubed, plus a little for greasing
- 1/4 tsp fine salt
- Plain yogurt, custard or vanilla ice cream, optional, to serve
How to make it
- Heat the oven to 190°C conventional / 170°C fan (375°F). Lightly butter a baking dish about 20 × 25 cm.
- Peel and core the apples, then slice about 5 mm thick. Toss with lemon juice, 40 g sugar, cinnamon and cornflour. Spread in the dish and sprinkle over the water.
- Combine flour, oats, 70 g sugar and salt in a bowl. Add cold butter and rub it into the mixture with your fingertips until you have coarse crumbs with some larger clumps.
- Scatter the topping evenly over the apples without pressing it down.
- Bake for 35–45 minutes, until the topping is golden, the filling bubbles around the edges and a knife slides easily into the apples. If the top colors too quickly, cover loosely with foil.
- Rest for 10 minutes before serving warm. Add yogurt, custard or ice cream if desired.
Tips and variations
Rolled oats give a better texture here than instant porridge oats. Thin, evenly sliced apples cook more reliably than large chunks. If your apples are very tart, add another tablespoon of sugar to the filling. For a nutty variation, mix 30 g chopped walnuts into the topping; the original recipe does not require nuts.