Skip the sponge: Mastering the perfect holiday apple crumble
You might feel the same way; when you prepare cakes for the holidays or another important occasion, something always seems to go wrong. Easter baking often causes a lot of stress, so perhaps this time you should skip the sponge cake, which can be quite finicky. Instead, consider preparing a classic apple crumble – this recipe rarely fails.
The recipe for apple crumble is incredibly simple, and the ingredients cost next to nothing. Essentially, all you need is flour, sugar, butter, and apples – the rest are merely additions to enhance the texture and flavour of the bake, but are not necessary to execute this recipe.
What spices to add to apples for apple crumble?
You can traditionally add cinnamon, but there's no need for extra sugar as apples are naturally sweet. If you wish to enhance the aroma of the filling even more, add half a teaspoon of grated ginger and half a teaspoon of ground cardamom.
You can mix the apples with raisins or dried cranberries. During frying, you can also add a few cloves, but remember to remove them before placing the apples on the pre-baked crust.
Recipe for apple crumble
The following proportions are suitable for a large springform pan with a diameter of about 23-25 cm or a rectangular tray measuring approximately 23 x 28 cm.
Ingredients for the crust:
- 340 g all-purpose flour,
- 200 g cold butter,
- 100 g caster sugar or icing sugar,
- 1 packet of vanilla sugar or seeds from a vanilla pod,
- a pinch of salt,
- 1 egg yolk,
- optional: 1 tablespoon of 18% cream
Ingredients for the filling:
- 1 tablespoon butter,
- 1.5 kg apples,
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon,
- 1 lemon-flavoured jelly,
- 1 tablespoon cornflour.
Ingredients for the crumble:
- 200 g all-purpose flour,
- 100 g sugar,
- 100 g butter.
Instructions:
- Sift flour into a large bowl, add caster sugar or icing sugar, vanilla sugar, a pinch of salt, cold butter cut into cubes, and one egg yolk. Combine the ingredients. If the dough doesn’t come together, add a tablespoon of cream. Wrap the kneaded dough in cling film and place in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
- Peel the apples and remove the cores. Melt butter in a pan, add apples cut into cubes, and fry until they are soft. Then add cinnamon and mix.
- In a small amount of cold water (about 50 ml), dissolve the jelly with 1 tablespoon of cornflour. Add to the apples in the pan, and mix. When the apples thicken, remove them from the hob and set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Remove the dough from the fridge and line the bottom and inner sides of a springform pan or large rectangular tray with it. Pierce the dough with a fork and place it in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, make the crumble – put flour and sugar into a bowl. Add cold butter and rub it in with your fingers. Chill for a few moments in the fridge.
- Place the apples on the pre-baked crust, then sprinkle them with the prepared crumble.
- Lower the oven temperature to 170°C and bake the cake for 60 minutes.
