This Simple Blackberry Apple Crumble is a classic that can’t be beaten. Whether you use fresh or frozen blackberries (or forage for wild brambles) the juicy berries pair perfectly with the tang of apple. The no-oat crumble topping is simple, fuss-free, and generous enough to give the ideal crumble-to-fruit ratio.
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There’s a point in late summer and early autumn when blackberries are in season when they just seem to keep coming. Especially if you’re lucky enough to have access to a bramble bush or two. Then there becomes a scramble to work out what to do with them all. And of course crumble is often one of the first (and best) ideas. I surprised myself when I hadn’t yet shared my recipe so where we are, better late than never.
There’s apple mixed in with the berries for a couple of reasons. Firstly it bulks out the berries to make the fruit part of the crumble a bit more voluminous – which is especially helpful if you don’t have so many blackberries. Secondly, the little tang of the apple complements the blackberry really well. The third reason is related to the first – I find that only using blackberries, means that the amount of blackberry seeds can become a little overwhelming.
Crumble Topping Without Oats?
So why have I pointed this fact out? I grew up with crumble based on the recipe from the Be-Ro book. The ingredients were simple – butter, flour and sugar. Using self-raising flour gives the crumble topping lift and keeps it light and a little bit more cakey than dry.
It is really common for modern crumble recipes to use oats in the topping. Or for them to take it one step further by using granola etc. And many use plain flour. Or don’t include a raising agent. This makes the finished recipe much more like an American fruit crisp.
Crisps are great in their own right. But to me they’re really quite different from a classic fruit crumble. I know that others feel the same so I want to signpost and point out that this crumble recipe does not use oats. This recipe treads a delicious line between crumbly, crispy, soft and ever so slightly gooey underneath.
How to Serve Blackberry Crumble
Hot with lashings of custard is the obvious answer. And I am 100% going to recommend this way. I am a solid Bird’s custard girl – the powder in a tub that is mixed with sugar and milk kind. Not the instant, just add hot water kind. I’m not a total heathen. My from scratch ginger custard is also amazing and adds an extra layer of flavour.
But I’ve actually more recently come across to the dark side and started serving my crumbles with lashings of double cream instead. There is something about the cold smooth cream that just comes together with the hot berry crumble in a symphony of gloriousness. If I have clotted cream to hand, that is my number one preference.
I know many folk enjoy some ice cream with their crumble. But I find it a little too much of a contrast of hot and cold for my taste. But each to your own. I would generally advise sticking to a relatively neutral flavour of ice cream – vanilla is ideal. Something with more of its own flavour like strawberry or salted caramel might clash too much with the apple and blueberry.
As for serving the crumble cold, well of course you can. I know of several people who would happily huff half the dish straight out of the fridge.
Ingredients
Blackberries
You might notice that I use the terms blackberry and bramble quite interchangeably. That’s because for the most part they are the same thing, especially here in the UK. In the simplest terms, brambles are simply wild blackberries. What we forage here in late summer and call brambles are blackberries.
The slightly more complicated answer is that the term “bramble” actually refers to a whole group of wild growing berries. This can also include raspberries and a similar looking fruit called dewberries. And in the US, the term caneberry is more often used than bramble.
I do find that bought blackberries do tend to be larger and juicier than the foraged version but I strongly imagine that there are many exceptions to that rule.
If you find that your fruit has a lot of seeds and you’re not a fan, you can use a course sieve to remove some of the seeds after the fruit compote has cooked. Simply replace the strained fruit in the cooking bowl once you’re happy. If you do intend to be rigorous about this, you may wish to use a little extra fruit to take into account the amount that you filter out.
Apples
I use regular eating apples as that is what I am most likely to have on hand at any given moment. It is perfectly ok to use cooking apples like bramleys instead. If they are terribly tart, it might be wise to add a tablespoon extra of sugar into the fruit.
I both peel and core the apples. And then slice them fairly small and thin. This is so that they take a background note in the crumble and allow the blackberry flavour and texture to shine. It also means that they cook and soften easily within the same time that the topping takes to cook through.
Flour
The recipe uses self-raising flour (self rising) which just gives it a little lift. The crumble doesn’t bake up like a cake but it does make a slight difference with the texture.
If you prefer to use plain flour and add baking powder you can do this. You will need 1tsp baking powder for every 100g of plain flour.
You can actually just use plain flour if you don’t have any baking powder. It will still be good, just not as amazing.
Butter
I always use salted butter in my baking. And I use salt in all my baking. Please add extra salt if you insist on using unsalted butter. Salt enhances flavour and without it, the topping will be bland.
It is also best to use actual butter rather than margarine. This both helps the texture and the flavour of the finished crumble.
It is also important that the butter is fridge cold when you start making the crumble.
Sugars
It doesn’t matter if you use granulated or caster sugar (regular or superfine). But please make sure to use white sugar not brown. An unbleached white sugar is fine.
Cornflour
The cornflour is used to slightly thicken the blackberry layer of the crumble. Usually when you use cornflour, it needs to be mixed with cold water before being added to the food. But when using it with fruit like this, I find that simply sprinkling it over and mixing it up with the fruit works perfectly.
Be Flexible
As with most of my crumble recipes, it is super easy to adapt this recipe. For starters you can mix in pretty much any other berry you like. Just keep the total weight of the fruit roughly the same. Raspberries, strawberries and blueberries are the most obvious mix ins.
You can also mix late summer brambles with pear instead of the apple for a nice twist.
I am a particular fan of adding a drop of orange liqueur like Cointreau or a good oaked whiskey or rum. Adding fresh lemon or orange zest also adds a lovely extra zing.
More Fruit Crumble Recipes
Vegetarian or Vegan Crumble
This recipe is naturally vegetarian.
Vegan Blackberry & Apple Crumble
It is pretty easy to make a vegan fruit crumble. Simply switch the butter for a plant based substitute. Look for a block type version that is trying to have a buttery flavour – this will help both the texture and the taste.
Make Allergy Friendly Bramble Crumble
This recipe is free from egg and nuts.
Gluten Free: It should be fairly easy to sub in a white gluten free flour blend on a 1:1 basis. Just remember that if you are using a blend without raising agents, you will need to add gluten free baking powder.
Cornflour is gluten free so that will not need to be subbed.
Dairy Free: The butter is the only dairy in the recipe so simply swap it for a dairy free alternative.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
Equipment Notes for Fruit Crumble
You only really need kitchen basics to make a crumble. Measuring scales and spoons, a silicone spatula, and a small sharp knife should be fairly standard in most kitchens.
You can use almost any baking dish you like. I tend to use a ceramic baking dish or a glass Pyrex dish rather than a tin.
I was feeling a bit renegade when making my strawberry crumble and I tried making it in my cast iron pan. It worked beautifully and the retained heat kept the crumble warm at the table. Which was ideal when I went in for second helpings.
I will do this again and would recommend it. But you must be careful at the table because it is easy to forget how hot the pan is and touch it by mistake. Maybe not one for if there are kids (or klutzes) around.
A comprehensive list of the equipment used to make this recipe is included in the main recipe card below. Click on any item to see an example. There are no hard and fast rules so many items can be sensibly substituted to achieve the same results.
Making Crumble Topping in a Food Processor
I’ve written this recipe for the crumble topping to be made by hand. I don’t tend to want to dirty the food processor for just one small batch. But if you prefer to use a processor or are making a larger batch, you can do so. I’ve now written a seperate post with the easy step by step instructions –
Food Processor Crumble Topping (Without Oats Recipe)
It is worth noting that a stand mixer isn’t really suitable for this job.
Get Ahead
The crumble topping mix will sit in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple of days. It can also be frozen. If you make crumble regularly, it is a good idea to make a big batch then freeze it in portions. You can add it to the fruit and bake from frozen.
I don’t however like to prepare the fruit so far in advance. This recipe includes a step to toss the sliced apple in lemon juice which does stop the apple from discolouring. But it won’t prevent it in the long term.
But once you assemble the whole crumble and add the topping, the apple should keep for a couple of hours. At a stretch it may even keep overnight.
Keep it in the fridge if making more than an hour or two in advance but bring it up to room temp before cooking. Or cook it for an extra 10 minutes from chilled.
You can also freeze the whole assembled crumble. Just make sure to wrap it thoroughly and defrost before cooking.
Leftover Blackberry & Apple Crumble
Leftovers will keep for around 3 to 4 days in the fridge.
My preference for reheating would be to give each portion a couple of minutes in the microwave. You can reheat in the oven but I think this risks it drying out.
You can also freeze the cooked crumble. Just defrost and reheat as normal.
Top tip – Serve with yoghurt for breakfast!
Crumble Making Tips
Don’t be scared to adjust the sugar levels to your taste. This is one recipe where I won’t shout at you.
You can also adjust the ratio of crumble to fruit. I like a good 50/50 mix but you can adjust either way.
I suggest piling the crumble thicker in the centre of the dish and thinner around the edges. This is so the fruit can do that nice bubble up around the edges thing. And you get a nice variety of textures in the crumble topping.
Beware diving straight into crumble coming straight out the oven. The fruit will be piping hot and the sugars will burn you.
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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More Blackberry Recipes
The Recipe
Simple Blackberry Apple Crumble (Without Oats Recipe)
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Crumble Topping
- 200 g Self Raising Flour (Self-Rising)
- 100 g Salted Butter - cold
- 100 g Sugar
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt Flakes
- 2 tbsp Demerara Sugar (Turbinado Sugar)
For the Fruit Filling
- 450 g Blackberries
- 1 tbsp Cornflour (Cornstarch)
- 400 g Apple
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 2 tbsp Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180c fan | 200c | 390f.
- Measure 200g Self Raising Flour and 100g Salted Butter into a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into small pieces as you add it.
- Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips. It is ready when the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Measure in 100g Sugar and ¼ tsp Sea Salt Flakes then stir into the flour butter mix until evenly distributed.
- Set aside the crumble mix for the time being.
- Tip 450g Blackberries into a baking dish. The blackberries should make roughly 2 layers in the bottom.
- Sprinkle over 1 tbsp Cornflour and toss the berries until they’re evenly covered. Set aside.
- Top, tail, peel and quarter 400g Apple. Slice the core out and slice each quarter into thin slices.
- It is best to do this an apple at a time. Once the first apple is sliced, add it to a bowl and toss with 1 tbsp Lemon Juice. Keep adding the apple slices to the same bowl and toss to coat in the lemon juice. This will stop the apple from turning brown.
- Tip the apple slices on top of the blackberries. Give them a mix in the baking dish – just so everything is evenly distributed.
- Sprinkle the crumble topping over the fruit.
- Heap the crumble up more in the middle of the dish and keep it thinner at the edges.
- Lightly sprinkle 2 tbsp Demerara Sugar over the top of the crumble for extra crunch.
- Bake for 50 minutes then serve warm.
Dave says
I picked loads of blackberries and have a lot of apples from my apple tree so this recipe was perfect for.
Karen says
I love a crumble and the combination of apples and blackberries is delicious, I’ll be making this again.