Easy Apple and Blackberry Crumble Recipe

Crumbles are a simple, tasty way to use up gluts of any fruit. Depending on the season, I use the method below to make compotes of whatever fruit is abundant then top it with crumble topping and freeze it, ready for pudding later.

But apple and blackberry is my favourite seasonal pairing, and turning them into a crumble feels like a warm hug on a chilly evening. You don’t need to be an expert baker to pull off an easy blackberry and apple crumble. With just a handful of pantry staples, it comes together in no time.

How to make apple and blackberry crumble

This recipe pre-cooks the crumble topping which makes it extra crunchy and prevents a soggy, stodgy pudding. The fruit is cooked on the hob rather than baked, as it is in a traditional blackberry and apple crumble, which helps retain the texture. All in all, this apple and bramble crumble is a big upgrade on the claggy school-dinner version – just as simple to make but far tastier.

Serves 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

For the crumble:

• 120g plain flour
• 60g caster sugar
• 60g unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into pieces

For the fruit compote:

• 300g Braeburn apple
• 30g unsalted butter
• 30g demerara sugar
• 115g blackberries
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• vanilla ice cream, to serve

Method

1. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Tip 120g plain flour and 60g caster sugar into a large bowl
2. Add 60g unsalted butter, then rub into the flour using your fingertips to make a light breadcrumb texture. Do not overwork it or the crumble will become heavy
3. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over a baking sheet and bake for 15 mins or until lightly coloured
4. Meanwhile, for the compote, peel, core and cut 300g Braeburn apples into 2cm dice
5. Put 30g unsalted butter and 30g demerara sugar in a medium saucepan and melt together over a medium heat. Cook for 3 mins until the mixture turns to a light caramel
6. Stir in the apples and cook for 3 mins. Add 115g blackberries and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon, and cook for 3 mins more
7. Cover, remove from the heat, then leave for 2-3 mins to continue cooking in the warmth of the pan
8. To serve, spoon the warm fruit into an ovenproof gratin dish, top with the crumble mix, then reheat in the oven for 5-10 mins. Serve with vanilla ice cream

This recipe was created by Raymond Blanc from our friends at Good Food.

Serve With...

Serving hot crumble with cold vanilla ice-cream is a classic, and delicious, because the contrast of temperatures is an easy win. You can easily make your own no-churn ice-cream in moments.

For something more traditional, you can try a classic homemade custard which is especially comforting and surprisingly simple to make.

Our you may prefer quicker options such as clotted cream, lightly whipped double cream or even a dollop of full-fat greek yogurt if you prefer a fresh flavour.