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    Spiced Apple Crumble

    29/11/2014 by thebakingexplorer 10 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Spiced Apple Crumble

    This Spiced Apple Crumble is the ultimate comfort food for cold weather. Soft apples and juicy sultanas, infused with warming spices, and a layer of crunchy buttery crumble - just add some warm custard and you're in heaven! I adore all the spices that are prevelant during the colder months and I wanted to add them to this crumble to make it extra cosy and delicious. This apple crumble is so easy to make too, once assembled it's just a matter of snuggling under a blanket and waiting for it to bake!

    Spiced Apple Crumble

    Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

    • You can use either unsalted butter or a baking spread for the crumble topping.
    • Mixed spice is a British spice blend containing cinnamon, coriander seed, nutmeg, clove, pimento and ginger. If you can't get hold of it, use a mix of these spices or use a Pumpkin Spice mix instead.
    • I really recommend using light brown soft sugar if you can, as it gives the crumble a lovely caramel flavour. But if you can't get hold of it, you can use golden caster sugar or regular caster sugar (superfine sugar) instead.
    • I like to add a bit of wholemeal flour into my crumble mix for texture and goodness, you could replace it with porridge oats, ground almonds, or the same amount of regular plain flour.
    • Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
    • For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

    For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

    How to make Spiced Apple Crumble

    For the crumble, stir the light brown sugar, plain wholemeal flour and plain flour together. Add butter and rub it in with your fingers until it looks like breadcrumbs. You can also use a fork or a food processor to do this.

    Peel and core the apples, and chop them into small pieces. Mix them together with sultanas, light brown sugar, cinnamon, mixed spice, nutmeg and cornflour. Add the apple mix to a baking dish, then spread the crumble topping over the fruit and bake it for 45 minutes or until golden and bubbling, and the apple is soft.

    Spiced Apple Crumble

    What can you serve apple crumble with?

    • Custard - either warm or cold!
    • Ice cream, ideally a good quality vanilla one
    • Creme fraiche
    • Whipped cream
    • Natural yoghurt

    What are the best apples to use for apple crumble?

    It's best to use either cooking apples, which are the very large and bulbous apples you'll find in the shop. Or, use an apple variety that is both crisp and tart, for example Granny Smith, Jazz or Pink Lady. Golden Delicious will also work well. Or if it's apple season and you have an apple tree, it's a great way to use some of them up!

    Do you need to peel the apples?

    I definitely recommend at minimum coring apples for apple crumble, however peeling them is not necessary if you are in a rush. Although, I do much prefer them peeled and it's more enjoyable to eat the crumble without apple peel, especially if the apple variety you use has a tougher skin.

    Spiced Apple Crumble

    What size dish can you make this apple crumble in?

    The dish I used was 32.5 x 19 x 8 cm. It didn't reach the very top of my dish so you can use a slightly smaller one. I wouldn't recommend using a much bigger one as your layers of apple and crumble will be thinner, and the crumble may brown too much on top before the apples are cooked through.

    Can this recipe be made gluten or dairy free?

    Yes, for a gluten free version replace the plain flour and plain wholemeal flour with a gluten free plain flour blend. Cornflour (also known as cornstarch) is naturally gluten free, however please do check the packaging in case of cross contamination. For a dairy free version, replace the butter with a dairy free butter. This recipe is already egg free.

    More tips for making the Spiced Apple Crumble:

    • You can make the crumble topping by hand or using a food processor, just make sure if you are using a food processor not to over mix it.
    • You can freeze the uncooked crumble mix in a ziploc bag, you can also freeze the baked apple crumble in the freezer in sealed tubs. I recommend portioning it out before freezing.
    • The sultanas are optional, so if you're not a fan then leave them out.
    Spiced Apple Crumble

    Troubleshooting

    If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

    Recommended equipment & ingredients*

    • Apple cutter
    • Mixing bowls
    • Kitchen scales
    • Mixed spice
    • Baking dish
    • Cooling rack

    *I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!

    Spiced Apple Crumble

    More apple recipes...

    • Apple Crumble Cupcakes
    • Apple Cake Traybake
    • Apple Crumble Baked Donuts
    • Spiced Caramel Apple Bundt Cake
    • Apple Cinnamon Cake
    • Biscoff Apple Crumble
    • Apple Crumble Cheesecake (No Bake)
    • Apple Crumble Cake
    • Apple Crumble for Two
    Spiced Apple Crumble

    Spiced Apple Crumble

    Delicious apple crumble with warming spices and sultanas, topped with a buttery crumble
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: British
    Keyword: Dessert
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 45 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Author: thebakingexplorer

    Ingredients

    For the crumble

    • 175 g Plain flour
    • 45 g Plain wholemeal flour
    • 115 g Butter or baking spread cold
    • 100 g Light brown soft sugar

    For the filling

    • 5 Medium apples (about 650g before peeling/coring)
    • 75 g Sultanas or raisins
    • 75 g Light brown soft sugar
    • 1 tsp Cornflour (cornstarch)
    • 1 tsp Cinnamon
    • ½ tsp Mixed spice
    • ¼ tsp Nutmeg
    Metric - US Customary

    Instructions

    • Pre-heat your oven to 180C Fan/400F/Gas Mark 6
    • For the crumble sitr the light brown soft sugar, plain flour and the wholemeal plain flour together in a mixing bowl
    • Add the butter to the bowl in chunks or cubes, then using your fingers, rub it into the flour and sugar until it resembles breadcrumbs. You can also do this in a food processor if you prefer, or with a fork
    • Peel, core and chop the apples into small pieces and place in a bowl. Use an apple cutter to do this quickly and avoid the apples browning. Or you can put a squeeze of lemon juice into a bowl of water and add the apple chunks to it as you cut them. Drain them off when you're done
    • Add the sultanas, light brown soft sugar, cornflour, cinnamon, mixed spice and nutmeg to the apples and stir them all together
    • Put the apple mix into a baking dish (ideally 31x21cm)
    • Spread the crumble topping over the fruit and bake it for 45 minutes or until golden and bubbling
    • Serve warm, or leave to cool fully, cover the dish with cling film and store in the fridge for up to 3 days
    Made this recipe?Share on Instagram with me @TheBakingExplorer or tag #thebakingexplorer!

    Notes

    • You can use either unsalted butter or a baking spread for the crumble topping.
    • Mixed spice is a British spice blend containing cinnamon, coriander seed, nutmeg, clove, pimento and ginger. If you can't get hold of it, use a mix of these spices or use a Pumpkin Spice mix instead.
    • I really recommend using light brown soft sugar if you can, as it gives the crumble a lovely caramel flavour. But if you can't get hold of it, you can use golden caster sugar or regular caster sugar (superfine sugar) instead.
    • I like to add a bit of wholemeal flour into my crumble mix for texture and goodness, you could replace it with porridge oats, ground almonds, or the same amount of regular plain flour.
    • Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
    • For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 500kcal | Carbohydrates: 88g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 149mg | Potassium: 360mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 563IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg

    If you like this, check out more of my Dessert recipes!

    « Mince Pie Bakewell Squares
    Chocolate Roulade with Baileys Cream »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Janine

      November 29, 2014 at 4:27 pm

      I love apple crumble! I am with you on the comfort factor. Looks great.

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        February 17, 2015 at 11:57 pm

        Perfect comfort food indeed! Thanks Janine!

        Reply
    2. Charlene F

      November 29, 2014 at 8:40 pm

      I first discovered spiced apple crumble last year and was so in love. I love your photos and glad that you have enjoyed this 🙂 x

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        February 17, 2015 at 11:58 pm

        It's easy to fall in love when it's so tasty! Thanks Charlene!

        Reply
    3. Kate Glutenfreealchemist

      November 29, 2014 at 9:23 pm

      I know what you mean Kat..... it is so the weather for crumble. Spice is always perfect with apples...... I could happily eat a bowl of this right now!!

      Reply
    4. [email protected]

      November 30, 2014 at 12:05 pm

      Mulled wine... apple crumble... this is DEFINITELY my favorite time of year!

      Reply
      • Kat BakingExplorer

        February 17, 2015 at 11:58 pm

        It's a great time for eating!!

        Reply
    5. Anonymous

      December 07, 2014 at 4:58 pm

      This is the best apple crumble recipe I have tasted, thanks

      Reply
    6. Brian

      September 04, 2022 at 3:40 am

      5 stars
      Hello, this looks so delicious, especially with the custard sauce. I checked your site for a custard (or Creme Anglaise) and I did not find a recipe. Do you have one to go along with this crumble? Many thanks.

      Reply
      • thebakingexplorer

        September 04, 2022 at 8:40 pm

        Hi Brian, sorry I don't have a recipe for homemade custard as yet, depending on where you are based you can get really good quality ready made custard in the shops. I will definitely put it on my reader request list 🙂

        Reply

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