Traditional British Apple Crumble

Written by
Elaine Lemm
Elaine Lemm is a renowned British food writer, classically trained chef, teacher, and author with over 25 years of experience writing about British food and cooking.
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Elaine Lemm
Updated 06/03/19
Easy traditional apple crumble

The Spruce
  • Total: 40 mins
  • Prep: 10 mins
  • Cook: 30 mins
  • Servings: 4 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
498 Calories
31g Fat
49g Carbs
8g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 498
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 31g 40%
Saturated Fat 17g 83%
Cholesterol 166mg 55%
Sodium 644mg 28%
Total Carbohydrate 49g 18%
Dietary Fiber 6g 21%
Protein 8g
Calcium 110mg 8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Puddings and desserts are the backbones of British food and they are renowned throughout the world and there is no more a quintessential pudding than a traditional British Apple Crumble. Crumbles come in many guises and can be both sweet and savory but apple is the most popular and no wonder, it is delicious. 

A light crisp crumble is the perfect topping for delicious British apples which in the autumn, and winter are at their best. To make a crumble you can use Bramley apples, considered the best apples for cooking because of their balance between the sugar and acid. Bramleys contain more acid and less sugar than other apples, so they keep their tangy flavor when cooked. The apple crumble can, however, be made using other apples but avoid the really hard varieties such as the Granny Smith, they don't break down the same way and can stay a little crisp. 

And, when the pudding is made and served, don't forget the custard.

1:18

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Ingredients

  • For the Filling
  • 1 pound apples (Bramleys or other good, medium-to-soft apples)
  • Optional: pinch ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoon golden caster sugar
  • For the Topping
  • 6 ounces all-purpose flour (or plain flour)
  • 4 ounces golden caster sugar
  • 4 ounces butter (cold)

Steps to Make It

Note: while there are multiple steps to this recipe, this apple crumble dessert is broken down into workable categories to help you better plan for preparation and baking.

Prepare the Filling

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Apple crumble ingredients
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  2. Preheat the oven to 375 F/180 C/ Gas 5.

  3. Peel, core, and chop into chunky pieces. Don't cut the apples too small or they will just disintegrate, especially the Bramleys.

    Chopped apples
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  4. Place the apples into a shallow baking dish, approximately 9 x 7 inches.

    Sliced apples in baking dish
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  5. If using the cinnamon, mix with the 2 tablespoons of sugar and sprinkle over the apples. Otherwise use just the sugar, then put to one side.

Make the Topping

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for crumble
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  2. In a large baking bowl, place the flour and sugar. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the bowl.

    Cubed butter in a bowl
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  3. Rub the butter into the flour and sugar until you have a very coarse mixture. Don't worry too much about getting it even, as this is quite a rustic dish and works well with an uneven texture.

    Flour and butter mixture
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  4. You can also make the crumble mixture in a food processor. Place all the topping ingredients into the processor and process on pulse until you get a coarse mixture but be careful not to over-mix.

    Crumble mixture in food processor
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  5. Sprinkle a good layer of crumble topping over the apples, try to work on a depth half that of the apples. Too thick and the middle won't cook.

    Crumble sprinkled on top of the apples
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  6. Place into the preheated oven and bake until golden and you can just see the apples bubbling through from underneath- about 30 minutes.

    Baked apple crumble
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  7. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

    Baked apple crumble
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  8. Serve with custard or vanilla ice cream.

    Apple crumble with custard
    The Spruce

  9. Enjoy!

Tip

  • Caster sugar is also known as fine sugar. Golden caster sugar is unrefined and tends to be more golden in color, Don't worry if you can't find it, use ordinary white caster sugar instead.