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Jamie Oliver Apple Crumble

Jamie Oliver apple crumble with a golden, sandy breadcrumb-style topping and a bubbling apple-pear filling. Baked at 190C until the fruit bubbles at the edges and the crumble turns crisp and caramelized.
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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: 440
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Fruit filling
  • 4 large apples Peel and slice.
  • 2 ripe pears Peel and slice.
  • 50 g unsalted butter For melting.
  • 50 g granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp mixed spice or allspice
  • 1 lemon zest Zest 1 lemon.
Crumble topping
  • 200 g plain all-purpose flour
  • 100 g cold unsalted butter Cube it and keep cold.
  • 75 g demerara or raw sugar
  • 50 g light brown sugar
  • 50 g ground almonds
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
For serving
  • 1 custard or pouring cream Serve warm.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Preheat and cook the fruit filling
  1. Preheat the oven to 190C (375F). This ensures the crumble bakes straight away for crisp, golden edges.
  2. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof pan, then add the apples, pears, sugar, cinnamon, mixed spice, and lemon zest. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the fruit is slightly softened.
  3. Transfer the softened fruit mixture to a baking dish. Spread it out evenly so the bubbles reach all corners.
Make the crumble topping
  1. Put the flour and cold cubed butter into a bowl, then rub together with your fingertips until it resembles rough breadcrumbs. Keep the mixture crumbly so it bakes into a crisp topping.
  2. Stir in the demerara (or raw sugar), light brown sugar, ground almonds, and cinnamon, mixing briefly until evenly distributed. The crumbs should look dry and sandy.
Assemble and bake
  1. Spread the crumble over the fruit without packing it down. Leave the top airy so it turns golden and crisp.
  2. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the crumble is golden and the fruit bubbles. Look for visible bubbling around the edges and a caramelized, sandy crust.
Serve
  1. Serve the crumble warm with homemade custard or pouring cream. Let the topping set for a minute so it stays crisp when you spoon it.

Notes

For best texture, keep the butter for the crumble cold so it stays breadcrumb-like rather than turning into a paste. Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat in a 180C oven for 10 minutes to re-crisp. Freezing works for the baked crumble up to 2 months—thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat. For a lighter option, swap some of the butter in the crumble for an equal amount of reduced-fat spread, noting the topping may brown slightly less.