The simplicity of apple crumble is what first attracted me to making it.
The fewer ingredients the better, and for a first-time baker (which I was at the time) it’s a flawless recipe, too.
It was the first dessert I ever made for my husband. I had him at the first mouthful, not only because of the combination of sugar and butter (which caramelises in the oven) but also because everybody loves crumble and, frankly, our relationship would have been over if he didn’t.
Ingredients.
- 1 kg Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Ice cream, custard or thickened cream, to serve
Topping:
- 250 g unsalted butter 225 g plain flour
- 175 g caster sugar
- pinch of ground nutmeg 100 g rolled oats
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Combine the apple slices, lemon juice and cinnamon in a large bowl. Transfer to a 1.5 litre baking dish.
- To make the topping, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Place the flour, sugar, nutmeg and oats in a bowl. Pour the butter into the bowl and mix until combined.
- Using your hands or a spoon, sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the filling until your apples are covered. Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the crumble is golden.
- You can serve the crumble with ice cream, custard or cream.
- My go-to is vanilla bean whipped cream. For this I simply use 500 ml of thickened cream and 1 teaspoon of vanilla bean paste. I whisk them in my stand mixer until soft peaks form and voilà!
- The crumble is best eaten hot straight from the oven, but leftovers can be covered and stored in the fridge for up to 2 days.
TIP: You can split the ingredients and make two smaller crumbles if you like. I also like to make different combinations of fruit crumble, such as apple and pear, or strawberry and rhubarb.
