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Jamie Oliver Apple Crumble

Jamie Oliver apple crumble with a golden, sandy crumble topping and a bubbling apple-pears filling. Bake until the topping is crisp at the edges and the fruit juices caramelize for a classic British dessert.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: British
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For fruit filling
  • 4 large apples peeled and sliced
  • 2 ripe pears peeled and sliced
  • 50 g unsalted butter
  • 50 g granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp mixed spice or allspice
  • 1 lemon zest
For crumble topping
  • 200 g plain all-purpose flour
  • 100 g cold unsalted butter cubed
  • 75 g demerara or raw sugar packed
  • 50 g light brown sugar
  • 50 g ground almonds
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
To serve
  • 1 homemade custard or pouring cream

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Preheat and soften the fruit
  1. Preheat the oven to 190C (375F).
  2. Melt the unsalted butter in a large ovenproof pan, then add the apples, pears, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, mixed spice, and lemon zest.
  3. Cook for 5–7 minutes until the fruit is slightly softened, then transfer the mixture to a baking dish.
Make the crumble topping
  1. Put the plain all-purpose flour and cold cubed unsalted butter in a bowl and rub with your fingertips until it resembles rough breadcrumbs.
  2. Stir in the demerara or raw sugar, light brown sugar, ground almonds, and cinnamon, mixing briefly until evenly combined.
  3. Spread the crumble over the fruit without packing it down.
Bake and serve
  1. Bake for 35–40 minutes at 190C (375F) until the topping is golden and the fruit bubbles at the edges.
  2. Serve warm with homemade custard or pouring cream.

Notes

For the best crumb texture, keep the butter cold while rubbing it into the flour, then bake right away so the topping stays sandy. Refrigerate leftovers in a covered container for up to 3 days; reheat in the oven or microwave until hot. Freezing is not recommended for the full crumble, but you can freeze the fruit filling (thaw overnight) and assemble and bake fresh. For a lighter option, swap half the butter in the crumble with an equal amount of chilled olive-oil spread or use reduced-fat butter (crumb may be a touch less crisp).