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Jamie Oliver Apple Crumble

Jamie Oliver apple crumble with a buttery, golden crumble topping and a bubbling apple–pear filling. Baked at 190C/375F until the fruit is tender and the top turns crisp and sandy.
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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: 520
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 from 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
  1. Preheat the oven to 190C (375F). This gets your baking dish ready for a crisp, golden crumble top.
  2. Melt the 50g unsalted butter in a large ovenproof pan, then add the apples, pears, granulated sugar, ground cinnamon, mixed spice, and lemon zest. Cook for 5-7 minutes until slightly softened, then transfer the fruit to a baking dish.
Make the crumble topping
  1. Put the flour and cold cubed butter into a bowl, then rub them together with your fingertips until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. This creates the sandy texture that crisps in the oven.
  2. Stir in the demerara/raw sugar, light brown sugar, ground almonds, and cinnamon, mixing briefly until evenly combined. Keep the topping crumbly rather than compact.
Bake and serve
  1. Spread the crumble over the fruit without packing it down. Leave an even layer so it bakes golden and airy.
  2. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 190C (375F) until golden and you can see the fruit bubbling at the edges. Rest briefly while you warm the custard or cream.
  3. Serve the crumble hot with homemade custard or pouring cream. Letting the topping crack slightly on the first spoonful is ideal.

Notes

Pro tip: keep the butter cold when making the crumble—rubbing it to rough breadcrumbs helps the topping bake into crisp, sandy clumps. Store leftovers covered in the fridge up to 3 days; reheat in a 180C/350F oven for 10-15 minutes to re-crisp. Freezing is not recommended for best texture. For a lighter twist, use a smaller amount of butter in the crumble (or swap part of it for chilled coconut oil) while keeping the rest of the method the same.