Apple and Blackberry Crumble

Apple and blackberry crumble is the ideal way to ease into autumn. Wild blackberries, picked from the hedgerows add jammy flavour to this quick & easy to assemble dessert. Try serving it with custard on cooler days or with ice cream should an Indian summer emerge.

A serving of apple and blackberry crumble is the ideal way to cross the line between summer and autumn. Wild blackberries are ripe and ready for picking around late-August and early September, so this knockout dessert is particularly good at this time of the year.

However, this easy to make and utterly irresistible pudding can be enjoyed all year round. Just use frozen or store-bought fruit when they are out of season.

Try serving this blackberry crumble with warm and soothing custard in the colder months. On warmer days, opt for vanilla ice cream or, even better, a scoop of clotted cream to make this dessert shine.

Why make this blackberry crumble

Fruit crumble is a universally popular dessert, and here's why you should consider making this apple and blackberry crumble recipe:

• It's quick and easy to make (assembly takes 15-20 minutes)
• And it can be made in advance (it can even be frozen)
• Plenty of blackberries are included
• It's full of sweet, jammy fruit flavours with just a hint of spice
• And it's piled high with a classic crumble topping

And if this blackberry crumble is your jam I think you'll also love my blackcurrant crumble.

Ingredients

The ingredients in this apple and blackberry crumble are rather rudimentary. It's a mix of seasonal fruit topped with a very simple classic combination of flour, butter and sugar. Here's a little in-depth information about a few of these ingredients to help you get the best out of this recipe.

First of all, I've chosen to use spelt flour since it adds a lovely gentle nutty taste to the crumble topping. I'm a huge fan of spelt flour, but if you do not have any to hand then plain flour (or a mix of plain and wholemeal flour) will work well too.

This recipe has been devised using cooking apples. These apples emit a lot of liquid during the cooking process, so I have included cornflour (cornstarch) to turn this liquid into a sauce. It is therefore not advisable to use eating apple in place of cooking apples in this recipe.

I've used wild blackberries in this crumble recipe. Wild blackberries are generally smaller than cultivated ones. Store-bought blackberries also generally taste a little sweeter and can be juicier than their wild counterparts. If you are using store-bought fruit, it may be necessary to cut large berries in half and also add a little more cornflour to compensate for the additional liquid the fruit emits as it cooks (see recipe notes for further details).

A small amount of demerara sugar mixed into the crumble topping and a little sweet spice mixed in with the fruit serves to add depth of flavour to both components of this blackberry crumble recipe.

Step-by-step instructions

Full instructions are given in the recipe card at the end of this post.

This apple and blackberry crumble recipe is very easy to make:

1. Mix the flour, 60g granulated sugar and salt together in a bowl
2. Rub the butter into the flour mixture using your fingers. Keep on rubbing until the mixture looks like large breadcrumbs then stir through the demerara sugar
3. Mix the cornflour, remaining granulated sugar and spice together in a bowl then peel, core and chop the apples into medium sized pieces. Toss the apple and sugar mix together
4. Lay half of the apples into the base of a deep oven-proof dish and scatter with half of the blackberries. Repeat the remaining apples and berries
5. Spoon the crumble topping over the fruit, covering it entirely (do not press it down)
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until golden
7. Let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving

Baking tips

• Use digital scales. They are invaluable when it comes to any baking recipe as they are so much more accurate that cup measurements
• This recipe has been developed using cooking apples. Regular eating apple are not a suitable substitute
• Don't forget the cornflour when preparing the fruit base - this is essential to create a sauce around the fruit and avoid an unappetising liquid at the bottom of the pan
• If, after 30 minutes in the oven, the topping looks as if it is fully cooked cover it loosely with foil to protect it from burning and continue to cook for the full 40 minutes to ensure the apples are tender
• Plain flour or self-raising flour can be used in place of spelt flour
• Add a little cinnamon to the crumble topping for a little extra spice
• Turn it vegan by swapping the regular butter for a vegan butter and adding in an extra pinch of salt. It's also a good idea to check the sugars you are using are vegan too, since not all of them are
• Make it gluten free by exchanging the topping for this one. There is no need to replace the cornflour in the recipe as this is a naturally gluten-free product
• Once assembled, put the crumble dish onto an old baking sheet to catch any sticky liquid that may bubble over the edge as the crumble cooks. It's far easier to clean a baking sheet than the oven bottom and shelves

Tips for picking wild blackberries

If you fancy making this apple and blackberry crumble or other blackberry recipes using foraged fruit here are a few tips to help you:

• Start looking out for wild blackberries from mid-August onwards. If it's been a warm summer they may be ready early
• Wear old trousers and long-sleeved tops as blackberry bushes are on the thorny side
• Take several containers. It's a good idea to spread the fruit out rather than piling too much on top of each other as this leads to the fruit at the bottom getting squashed
• Look for fruit that is black and leave the fruit that is still red (it's not ripe yet)
• Pull the berries gently - ripe fruit will easily come away from the branch
• Avoid anything too low (think: dogs and wild animals)
• Pick from bushes that are well away from busy roads (think: petrol fumes)
• Ensure you are not picking fruit from private land

How to clean wild blackberries

Once picked, wild blackberries do need to be cleaned before they are safe to use in baking recipes. Rinsing quickly in cold water may not do a thorough job. Some dirt and small insects may remain inside of them. Instead try the following:

1. Fill a large bowl with cold water and stir in 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
2. Tip in the blackberries, swirl them around and leave to soak for 30 minutes
3. Swirl them again, then skim off any floating debris
4. Carefully drain the fruit
5. Repeat the above process once more
6. Next fill the bowl just with water, add the berries, swirl and drain
7. Repeat
8. Finally drain the berries and leave to dry on a clean tea towel before using or freezing (note: the fruit can stain fabric so use an old towel or kitchen paper instead)

Frequently asked questions

More crumble recipes worth making

Have you made this recipe for apple and blackberry crumble? If you have please give it a rating or leave a comment - I love to hear how you get along with my creations.

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