Go Back

Jamie Oliver Apple Crumble

Jamie Oliver apple crumble with a golden, sandy crumble topping and a bubbling apple-pear filling. Roasted in the oven until the fruit softens and the topping turns crisp.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
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
  

Fruit filling
  • 4 apples Large, peeled and sliced
  • 2 pears Ripe, peeled and sliced
  • 50 g unsalted butter For fruit filling
  • 50 g granulated sugar For fruit filling
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon For fruit filling
  • 0.5 tsp mixed spice or allspice For fruit filling
  • 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 For crumble topping
Serving
  • 1 custard or pouring cream To serve

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Preheat and soften the fruit
  1. Preheat the oven to 190C (375F). Set up a baking dish for the crumble.
  2. Melt the unsalted butter in a large ovenproof pan, then add apples, pears, sugar, ground cinnamon, mixed spice, and lemon zest. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the fruit is slightly softened, then spread the mixture into a baking dish.
Make the crumble
  1. Put the plain all-purpose flour and cold cubed unsalted butter in a bowl. Rub together with your fingertips until it looks like rough breadcrumbs.
  2. Stir in the demerara or raw sugar, light brown sugar, ground almonds, and cinnamon, then mix briefly until evenly combined. Break up any large lumps so the topping bakes consistently.
Assemble and bake
  1. Spread the crumble over the fruit without packing it down. Leave it light so it can crisp and form a sandy layer.
  2. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 190C (375F) until the topping is golden and the fruit bubbles at the edges. Let it cool for a few minutes before serving.
Serve
  1. Serve the crumble warm with homemade custard or pouring cream. Spoon directly from the baking dish so the topping stays crisp.

Notes

For extra crisp topping, keep the butter cold while rubbing it into the flour and don’t press the crumble onto the fruit. Store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat in a 180C oven for 10-15 minutes. Freezing is not recommended because the fruit can soften after thawing. If you want a lighter option, use reduced-fat custard or a lower-sugar vanilla Greek yogurt-style topping (it won’t be as traditional as custard).