Fruit crumbles are an easy, tasty and warming pudding, perfect for autumn days. This apple and raspberry crumble recipe is absolutely delicious and super easy to make.
I’m not an autumn fan, to be honest. I like spring and summer. I like the fresh start when the kids go back to school, and the build-up to Christmas is fun, but I hate the weather.
I’m that super annoying person that’s only happy when it’s between 18 and 25 degrees in the day, dropping to 10 at night.
But I really really hate being cold, and terrible circulation means that I seem to feel it more than most. I struggle to stay warm or warm up when I get in from the cold, and it’s horrible.
Food is a big comfort for me when it’s cold. I love big warming casseroles, and when it comes to sweet treats nothing beats a fruity crumble.
We go berry picking fairly regularly in late summer because we live really close to a huge nature reserve, and we’ve got an apple tree, so we tend to make a lot of blackberry and apple crumbles.
This apple and raspberry crumble isn’t as sweet and makes a wonderful change.
Is This a Sweet or Tart Crumble?
Honestly, it depends on the fruit.
The apples from our tree are very tart, and raspberries are usually tarter than blackberries. So, mine is on the tart side.
But if you use sweeter apples, it will be a sweeter crumble.
Either way, the crumble topping is fantastically sweet, and compliments tart fruit really well.
Ingredients for Apple and Raspberry Crumble
I love crumbles so much in part because you don’t need many ingredients or much time to make them. For my recipe for apple and raspberry crumble I use:
Apples
Raspberries
Sugar – This is optional, but as I say my apples are super tart, so I like to add a tablespoon as I soften them. I use just white granulated, but caster is fine too.
Water – Again you may not need this. If your apples are very hard, or otherwise not that juicy, and don’t release juices quickly as they warm up, they’ll start to stick to your pan, and you might end up with a very dry crumble. You can add a splash of water or apple juice for a little moisture.
Plain Flour
Oats – Just regular porridge oats are fine.
Brown Sugar
Unsalted Butter – At room temperature. Don’t swap for margarine.
Can You Make Apple Raspberry Crumble with Frozen Raspberries?
Absolutely. Just throw them in with the apples straight from the freezer and defrost in the pan while you are softening the apples.
They can be a little softer and juicer, but that’s fine.
What Kind of Apples are Best for Crumble?
I find generally tart apples, like cooking apples are better for most baking, because very sweet apples lose their flavour, and can get quite mushy when you cook them.
If they are too tart, you can add some sugar as you warm them to sweeten your crumble filling up.
I don’t know what the apples off our tree are, but they are very tart, and firm and I wouldn’t eat one as a snack. Perfect for baking though.
It’s up to you though, you can bake with any apple, just remember it will affect the flavour of your crumble.
How Do You Make Apple and Raspberry Crumble?
Apple and raspberry crumble, like all crumbles, is super easy.
When I make crumble with something like mincemeat, or soft fruit like pears, I don’t soften the fruit first. But in this case, my apples are very firm, and raspberries aren’t that juicy, so I find that I need to soften the apples.
But then it’s really just throwing it in a dish, making a crumble topping and baking.
You can get the full step-by-step instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
What Do You Bake a Crumble In?
I bake all of my crumbles in an old ovenproof dish.
You could bake it in a cast-iron dish, a cake tin, or a deep baking tray as an apple and raspberry traybake. As long as it’s ovenproof, and not that big that your fruit doesn’t cover the bottom, it doesn’t really matter.
How Do You Thicken Fruit for Crumble?
I heat my apples in a pan on the hob, to soften them a little before baking. This also releases some juice, so that you get a juicer fruit filling. You don’t really want dry fruit.
When you add the raspberries, their juice coats your apples, which is great for flavour, but I never find that you need to thicken anything.
If anything, I add a little water to very hard apples that aren’t softening or are sticking to the pan.
If for some reason you do need to thicken your fruit filling, I recommend adding a tablespoon of sugar, and just continuing to heat on the hob, over a low heat, stirring often, until it’s nice and thick and a bit syrupy.
Do You Sweeten the Fruit for Crumbles?
The apples I’m using for my apple raspberry crumble are very tart, so yes, I add a little sugar.
But you don’t always need to. I don’t when I use caramel or sweet pears. It’s a taste preference thing, and totally up to you.
How do You Make Crumble Not Soggy?
Don’t use margarine.
The only time I’ve ever found my crumble has been soggy is if I’ve tried to use oil-based margarine instead of butter.
Other issues might be that your crumble is too deep, or you’ve overworked it, so that big clumps have started to form.
What do You Serve with Apple and Raspberry Crumble?
I serve warm with warm custard. Always.
But other options are whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, double cream, and pretty much any of the usual pudding toppings.
Freezing Apple and Raspberry Crumble
You can free my apple and raspberry crumble with oats, baked, or assembled and uncooked. Just leave to cool, place in an airtight tub, and freeze for up to two months.
Thaw in the fridge, and transfer into an ovenproof dish to bake.
Another option is freezing leftover crumble.
I like a pretty thick layer, and my dish is quite big. If you have any crumble left over after you’ve thoroughly covered the fruit layer, place it in an airtight tub and freeze for up to two months.
Thaw in the fridge before sprinkling over a fruit base and baking or using to top muffins or cakes before baking.
Apple and Raspberry Crumble
Ingredients
For the Fruit Filling:
- 5 Apples (peeled, cored and chopped into 1-2cm chunks)
- 250 g Raspberries
- Splash of water (optional)
- 1 Tbsp Granulated Sugar (optional)
For the Crumble:
- 250 g Plain Flour
- 150 g Porridge Oats
- 150 g Soft Light Brown Sugar
- 200 g Unsalted Butter (at room temperature, cut into cubes)
Instructions
- To make the crumble add the flour, oats, sugar and butter to a large mixing bowl.
- Rub together with clean hands, until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, and is even.
- Set to one side.
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C (fan-assisted) and find a large ovenproof dish.
- Place the chopped apples in a large saucepan.
- Warm carefully over a low heat, stirring often, until they are starting to soften (about 5 minutes).
- If your apples are very firm, or not particularly juicy, you might need to add a splash of water to stop them from sticking, but if they release lots of juice quickly, you can skip this step.
- If your apples are very tart, stir in a tablespoon of white sugar.
- Add the raspberries and continue to heat for 2-3 minutes, stirring throughout so that the apples are coated in raspberry juice, and some of the raspberries have started to break up.
- Tip into the ovenproof dish and spread out evenly, making sure the raspberries are spread out.
- Sprinkle over the crumble topping until the fruit is covered and the top is even.
- Bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes until the top is browning and the fruit is bubbling around the sides.
Video
Notes
- If you have too much crumble, place it in a sealable bag or tub and freeze.
Nutrition
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
