Cinnamon Apple Crumble with Buttery Topping

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Classic British comfort: tart Bramleys mellow into a jammy, cinnamon-kissed filling.
• Nubbly, buttery crumble with oats and demerara for irresistible crunch.
• Hands-on time is short; the oven does the magic.
• Equally at home with hot custard or melting vanilla ice cream.

Grocery List

• Produce: Bramley apples (1.2 kg), 1 lemon
• Dairy: Unsalted butter (120 g), custard (500 ml, optional) or vanilla ice cream
• Pantry: Plain flour, caster sugar, light brown sugar, demerara sugar, rolled oats, ground cinnamon, cornflour (cornstarch), fine salt, vanilla extract (optional)

Full Ingredients

For the Apple Filling

• 1.2 kg Bramley apples (about 6 medium), peeled, cored, cut into 2 cm chunks
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 80 g caster sugar (about 1/3 cup)
• 25 g light brown sugar (2 tbsp, packed)
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
• 1/4 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

For the Nubbly Crumble Topping

• 180 g plain (all-purpose) flour (1 1/2 cups)
• 120 g cold unsalted butter, cubed (1/2 cup)
• 60 g light brown sugar (1/4 cup, packed)
• 80 g demerara sugar (1/3 cup), plus 1 tbsp extra for sprinkling (optional)
• 60 g rolled oats (3/4 cup)
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp fine salt

To Serve

• Hot custard, 500 ml (2 cups), warmed
• or Vanilla ice cream, 4–8 scoops

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Heat the oven and prepare the dish

Preheat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan) / 375°F with a rack in the middle. Lightly butter a 23 cm square baking dish or a 2 L (2-quart) ovenproof dish. Place a baking sheet on a lower rack to catch any drips.

Step 2: Make the crumble topping

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, salt, and cinnamon. Add the cold butter cubes and rub them into the flour with your fingertips until you have mostly coarse crumbs with some pea-sized clumps. Stir in the oats, light brown sugar, and demerara sugar. Squeeze handfuls of the mixture to form chunky clumps—these bake up especially crisp. Chill the topping in the fridge or freezer for 10 minutes while you prepare the apples.

Step 3: Prepare the apple filling

In another large bowl, toss the apple chunks with lemon juice. Sprinkle over the caster sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, cornflour, salt, and vanilla (if using). Toss until every piece is evenly coated and no dry patches remain. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes to begin drawing out the juices.

Step 4: Fill the baking dish

Scrape the apples and all their juices into the prepared dish and spread into an even layer. This little bit of syrup helps create that jammy, saucy base under the crumble.

Step 5: Top and bake

Scatter the chilled crumble evenly over the apples, leaving a few small gaps so steam can escape. For extra crunch, sprinkle 1 tbsp demerara over the top (optional). Bake for 40–45 minutes, rotating the dish once halfway through, until the crumble is deeply golden and the filling is bubbling thickly at the edges. If the topping browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil for the final 10 minutes.

Step 6: Rest and serve

Let the crumble rest for 10 minutes so the juices thicken to a jammy consistency. Serve hot with warm custard or add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and watch it melt into the nooks of the crumble.

Pro Tips

• Cold butter, hot oven: keeping the topping cold and the oven fully preheated guarantees a crisp, craggy crumble.
• Adjust sweetness to taste: Bramleys are very tart. If yours are especially sharp, add 1–2 tbsp extra sugar to the filling; if using sweeter apples, reduce by 1–2 tbsp.
• Clump for crunch: squeeze the topping into varied, chunky clusters—those big pieces bake up the crispiest.
• No soggy topping: bake uncovered and let a little fruit peek through so steam can vent.
• Check doneness: look for vigorous bubbling at the edges and a deep golden top; that means the cornflour has activated and the apples are tender.

Variations

• Salted Caramel Apple Crumble: Drizzle 120 ml (1/2 cup) salted caramel over the apples and reduce filling sugar to 70 g total. Finish with a pinch of flaky salt before serving.
• Apple–Berry Crumble: Swap 150 g (1 cup) blackberries or raspberries for part of the apples (use 1.0 kg apples + 150 g berries). Increase cornflour to 2 tbsp to balance the extra juices.
• Gluten-Free: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend and certified gluten-free oats. Add 1 tbsp ground almonds to the topping for extra body.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Refrigerate leftovers, covered, for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 180°C (160°C fan) / 350°F oven for 10–15 minutes until hot and crisp, or microwave individual portions until warm, then finish under a hot grill (broiler) for 1–2 minutes to re-crisp. To make ahead, assemble the filling and topping separately up to 24 hours in advance; refrigerate, then top and bake. Freeze unbaked, fully assembled crumble for up to 3 months; bake from frozen at 190°C (170°C fan) / 375°F for 55–60 minutes, tenting with foil if needed. Baked crumble also freezes well for 2 months; thaw overnight and reheat as above.

Nutrition (per serving)

Approximate values for 1 of 8 servings (without custard or ice cream): 410 kcal; 13 g fat (8 g saturated); 71 g carbohydrates; 43 g sugars; 4 g protein; 4 g fibre; 150 mg sodium.