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Jamie Oliver Apple Crumble

Jamie Oliver apple crumble with a golden, sandy crumble topping and bubbling apple-pear filling. Baked until the fruit is tender and the topping turns crisp and caramelized.
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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: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

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 zest of 1 lemon
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
Serving
  • 1 custard or pouring cream for serving

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Preheat and cook the fruit filling
  1. Preheat the oven to 190C (375F). This ensures the crumble bakes evenly from the start.
  2. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof pan, then add apples, pears, sugar, cinnamon, mixed spice, and lemon zest. Cook for 5-7 minutes until slightly softened, then place the fruit in a baking dish with bubbling edges.
Make the crumble topping and assemble
  1. In a bowl, put the flour and cold butter, then rub with your fingertips until it resembles rough breadcrumbs. You should see small butter-coated crumbs with no big lumps.
  2. Stir in both sugars, ground almonds, and cinnamon, then mix briefly to distribute evenly. The topping should look sandy and speckled.
  3. Spread the crumble over the fruit without packing it down. Leave an even, airy layer so it bakes crisp and golden.
Bake and serve
  1. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 190C (375F) until golden and the fruit bubbles. Look for caramelized spots on top and active bubbling at the edges.
  2. Serve warm with homemade custard or pouring cream. Spoon it on so the crumble stays crisp at the top.

Notes

For the best texture, use butter straight from the fridge so the crumble stays sandy. Store leftover crumble covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat until hot and bubbly. Freezing is not recommended because the crumble texture can soften. Dietary swap: for a gluten-free version, use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend in the topping.