A delicious rich apple crumble with caramelised cinnamon apples and a sweet & buttery topping. Serve warm, it is a most comforting and satisfying dessert.
Sponsored Post.
Tala’s Ready Steady Bake Competition
I was recently invited to participate in cooking brand Tala’s Ready Steady Bake Competition, at Divertimenti’s Cooking School in Knightsbridge, London.We were a group of food bloggers, journalists and food stylists.
We were split into six teams of two (Tala’s owner Nick Squire and wife Laura joining in the fun too), as we took our positions at our workstations equipped with a large range of Tala’s bakeware.
Tala’s baking professional, Hannah Wiltshire’s demonstrated how to make two very elegant Choux Pastry Swans. Our task was to create a couple of our own, and decorate them in a very British style.
May and I had a bit of a false start, as we mistakenly reached for Becky and Laura’s gluten free flour. As ours was a gluten recipe, the measures were off which meant we had to start again.
Watching the oven
Our choux turned out well, so we assembled our swans with generous amounts of whipped cream and strawberries and started on the decorating.
Perhaps we went slightly overboard with the decoration, but this was partly due to the Tala decorating tools being so easy to use. We used a small rolling pin to blend the different coloured icing to look like water, then shape it onto the round cake board before levelling it with a handy plastic smoother.
Pressing out different coloured icing flower shapes with the tiny release button has never been easier; these were my favourite tools!
Our Tala Swans masterpiece
We actually managed to catch up with the others and finished just in time.
The contestants
Nick, Laura and Hannah -the three judges
Unfortunately our swans looked more Monet and less British, and although we were very proud of them, we lost to Emilie and Sophie’s far more festive Swans at a (no-Brexit) party.
Scroll down for the Choux Pastry Swan recipe.
Tala very generously gave me some items from their current Indigo and Ivory range to use in my kitchen, a couple of which I enjoyed using to make this Easy Apple Crumble.
Tala measuring cup
Tala came up with this design in the 1920’s and it is still one of their best sellers today. If you too, enjoy cooking a wide variety of dishes, this measuring cup is incredibly useful in the kitchen.
The cup is calibrated for both Imperial and Metric measurements. I had no idea there was a difference between an American and British cup! (The difference is actually quite slight, so whichever you use to make the recipe should not affect the dish).
It also shows measurements for various ingredients such as lentils, ground almonds and Arborio rice, so you will not need to keep reaching for the kitchen scales.
Made of metal it is lightweight, easy to store and will last for years. Just a word of caution, do not keep liquids in it for a long period of time as it is not watertight and may leak.
Enamelled baking tray
This baking tray is heavy, which means good heat distribution. Made of 1.2mm pressed steel, it is triple enamelled, with a powdered glass coating making it super durable to withstand high temperatures, prevent discolouration and ideal for long term use (it should last forever!).
I also love that it is very easy to clean, which makes it perfect for sticky bakes such as this one!
Why this apple crumble is so good
The apples are stewed with cinnamon and sugar till they become soft and sticky, remaining slightly tart, while the crumble topping is sweet and buttery. It is a delightful combination of flavours and textures.
The aroma of freshly baked apple crumble is absolutely heavenly!
The difference between a crumble and a crisp
The answer is in the topping. While a crumble is usually made using flour, butter and sugar, a crisp has a slight bite to it with something crunchy like oats or nuts.
Which apples are best for apple crumble?
I like to use Granny Smiths as they are not too sweet and have a delicious tart flavour. They are easily available all the year round, keep their shape well and don’t turn to mush.
Gala apples would be a good alternative as they are easily available and are great for baking. They are a sweeter apple so you will need to adjust the sugar accordingly.
How to make it
- Start by combining the apples with 1/4 cup caster sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, cinnamon, clove, in a medium saucepan. Cover and cook for 15 minutes till the apples are soft.
- Meanwhile, prepare the topping by mixing together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar, in a medium bowl. Rub in the softened butter to make a crumb.
- Once apples are done, transfer to a baking dish.
- Sprinkle the crumb topping over the apples and smooth down to ensure it cooks evenly.
- Bake at 170℃/340℉ (fan oven) for 30 minutes till bubbling and the topping turns golden.
How to serve
Apple crumble is delicious served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or custard.
Can I make it in advance?
Apple crumble tastes even better when made the day before, as the flavours have had a chance to come together.
How to store it
Cover the apple crumble and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bring to room temperature, or cover and heat before serving.
Can you freeze apple crumble?
Apple crumble freezes well. Seal it well to avoid it drying out in the freezer. Then defrost in the fridge or on the counter.
Want more easy dessert recipes?
⭐️ Are you making this recipe? Do let me know how it turned out in the comments! And please give it a star rating below!
Instagram – I love seeing your creations, so post a picture, tag @endofthefork or hashtag #endofthefork
⚜
Easy Apple Crumble
Equipment
- Medium saucepan
- Medium bowl
- Baking dish
Ingredients
- 8 large apples peeled and cut into thin small chunks
- 2 tablespoons caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 cup caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 cup plain flour
- 2/3 cup butter slightly softened
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 340℉/170℃. In a medium saucepan , combine the apples, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon butter, and cinnamon and turn heat to medium. Cook for 15 minutes till apples are soft.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, white sugar and flour.
- Rub the butter into the ingredients to make the crumb topping.
- Transfer the apples to a baking dish.
- Sprinkle the topping over the apples and level so it cooks uniformly.
- Bake for 25-30 mins till golden brown and bubbling.
- Allow to sit for a few minutes before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Recipe Notes
Choux Pastry Swans
Ingredients
- 80 ml water
- 25 g butter
- 50 g plain flour
- 1 egg
- whipped cream sweetened to taste
- strawberry jam
- icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 210℃/410℉.
- Place water and butter in a pan and bring to a boil.
- Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 1 minute. Whilst cooling, beat the egg and prepare 2 piping bags: one with the smallest and one with the largest tip nozzles.
- Add the beaten egg to the pan a little at a time, till the mixture comes together. Transfer a little over 3/4 of the mixture into the large nozzle bag, and the remaining mixture into the small nozzle bag.
- Using the large nozzle bag, pipe 4 large teardrop shapes onto the baking tray. Bake for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, on a second baking tray, using the small nozzle bag, pipe 4 elegant 'S' shaped swan necks. (Tip: At the top end, pipe the head of the swan, pulling the bag away sharply to make a pointed beak).
- After 10 minutes, transfer the swan necks to the oven and bake for a further 8-10 minutes, with the teardrop shapes. (The choux pastry is ready when golden brown and puffed up)
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
- Assemble the swan as directed. Cut off the top third of one tear drop with a serrated knife, horizontally and lengthways, to create 2 wings. Fill with jam and whipped cream and position the wings and head as shown. Dust with icing sugar and decorate as desired.
hebe
I’m so glad this recipe was in my inbox. I used to make apple and blackberry crumble every year as a kid, but haven’t made one in years. I’ll be trying this recipe over the weekend!
H
www .drinkswithhebe.co.uk
Nicole
That’s great Hebe! I’d love to see it, if you post to social media do tag me!
The Happy Whisk
Nothing beats a good crumble.
Happy Baking and boogie boogie.
Nicole
Thank you so much Ivy, I’m so glad you like it!