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Jamie Oliver Apple Crumble

Jamie Oliver apple crumble with a buttery, sandy golden topping over bubbling apples and pears. Oven-baked until crisp on top and juicy in the fruit layer, finished with custard or pouring cream.
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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
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Fruit filling
  • 4 large apples Peeled and sliced.
  • 2 ripe pears 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
Serving
  • 1 custard or pouring cream To serve.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Preheat and cook the fruit filling
  1. Preheat the oven to 190C (375F). This sets the temperature so the crumble bakes through as soon as it goes in.
  2. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof pan, then add the apples, pears, sugar, cinnamon, mixed spice, and lemon zest. Stir to coat everything evenly.
  3. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the fruit is slightly softened. You should see syrupy juices forming in the pan.
  4. Transfer the fruit mixture to a baking dish. Spread it out so it bakes evenly underneath the topping.
Make the crumble topping
  1. Put the flour and cold butter into a bowl, then rub together with your fingertips until it resembles rough breadcrumbs. Keep the butter cold for a crisp, sandy texture.
  2. Stir in both sugars, ground almonds, and cinnamon, then mix briefly. The mixture should look crumbly and evenly speckled.
  3. Spread the crumble over the fruit without packing it down. Leave it light so it turns golden and crisp in the oven.
Bake and serve
  1. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 190C (375F), until the top is golden and the fruit bubbles. Look for active bubbling at the edges of the filling.
  2. Serve with homemade custard or pouring cream. Spoon immediately while the crumble is still hot.

Notes

For the best crumble, make sure the butter stays cold when rubbing it into the flour. Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat in the oven at 180C (350F) until warmed through. Freezing is okay for up to 1 month, but the topping may soften slightly after thawing. For a lower-sugar option, replace the sugars with a like-for-like baking sweetener (and taste the fruit—apples vary by sweetness).