Crumble-heavy Apple Crumble

Is there anything more comforting than the smell of a crumble baking away in the oven? And, who doesn’t love to peek through the glass of the oven door to witness those escapee fruit juices bubbling over onto that buttery, rubble-like crust?

While I firmly believe you shouldn’t mess too much with a classic, I need more from a crumble topping than just butter, flour and sugar. I’m looking for some sort of nutty crunch, in this case flaked almonds that turn golden and crisp. A great crumble has to include some warming spices, too. But, most importantly, there’s got to be plenty of it!

Serves 6-8

Takes 20 minutes, plus 45 minutes baking time

Fruit Filling

1 teaspoon butter, for greasing

750 g apples, peeled, cored and chopped into bite-sized chunks (or use ripe pears, rhubarb stalks or any in-season fruit)

100g blackberries (I use defrosted ones from the freezer)

Custard to serve

Crumble topping

100 g cold butter (salted or unsalted)

150 g plain flour

heavy pinch of sea salt flakes

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon garam masala

50 g flaked almonds

75 g soft light brown sugar

25 g porridge oats

grated zest of 1/2 lemon

First, preheat the oven to 170C fan (375F/gas 5) and grease a deep baking dish or tin with the teaspoon of butter.

Throw the chopped apples into the dish, add a few splashes of water, and bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes to get a head start on the cooked fruit.

Meanwhile, make the crumble topping. Using your index and middle fingers and thumbs, rub the butter, flour and salt together in a bowl until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. Stir in the spices, almonds, sugar, oats and lemon zest until nicely combined. (Good luck trying not to eat the raw mixture!)

Remove the dish from the oven and scatter the crumble topping evenly over the apples. Return to the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the crumble topping is golden brown and the apples are soft. Serve while hot, ideally with a big jug of custard.

This crumble keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days. The raw mixture keeps perfectly for months in the freezer, so you can always have the ingredients for a crumble on stand-by.

Find this recipe and other delicious pudding recipes in my Lazy Baking cookbook - signed copies available!