Anna Louise Apple and pear crumble is the more refined, more quietly elegant cousin of the standard apple crumble. Where apple alone gives a sharp, vivid filling, the addition of pear softens and deepens the flavour — the pear’s gentle, slightly floral sweetness rounding the sharpness of the Bramley into something more complex and more interesting.
I first made this combination when I had both Bramleys and Conference pears to use up at the same time and was not convinced it would be remarkable. It was considerably better than I expected.
The pear softens more quickly than the apple during baking and gives the filling a varied texture — patches of soft, almost purée-like pear alongside the more defined apple pieces.
The combination, spiced with cinnamon and a little cardamom, feels both autumnal and slightly sophisticated.
This is the crumble I serve at dinner parties when I want the comfort of a crumble but something slightly more considered than the standard version.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Apple and Pear Crumble
For the Apple and Pear Filling
- 500g Bramley apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 3cm chunks
- 400g Conference pears, peeled, cored, and cut into 3cm chunks — ripe but firm
- 100g soft light brown sugar — adjust to taste
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom — the detail that elevates this from good to genuinely elegant
- ¼ tsp ground ginger
- Zest and juice of ½ unwaxed lemon — toss pears in lemon juice immediately after cutting
- 2 tbsp water
For the Crumble Topping
- 175g plain flour
- 75g rolled oats
- 175g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 125g demerara sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 50g flaked almonds — stirred through for a slightly more elegant finish
- Pinch of fine salt
To Serve
- Warm vanilla custard — the most natural pairing
- Clotted cream for something richer
- Crème fraîche for something slightly sharper
How to Make Mary Berry Apple and Pear Crumble
Step 1 — Prepare the Filling
Preheat your oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / Gas 5. Butter a deep 28x20cm ovenproof dish generously.
Peel and core the pears and toss immediately in the lemon juice — pears discolour much faster than apples. Add the Bramley chunks. Transfer everything to the buttered dish.
Add the soft light brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, lemon zest, and water. Toss gently until all the fruit is coated. Taste a piece of raw Bramley — adjust the sugar if it seems very sharp.
The brown sugar suits this crumble particularly well. Its slight molasses note complements both the pear’s floral sweetness and the Bramley’s tartness in a way that white sugar does not quite achieve.
Step 2 — Make the Crumble Topping
Place the flour, rolled oats, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold cubed butter. Rub quickly with fingertips until rough, uneven crumbs form with some pea-sized butter pieces remaining. Add the demerara sugar and flaked almonds. Stir through with a fork — do not rub further.
Step 3 — Top and Bake
Scatter the crumble topping loosely and evenly over the fruit. Do not press it down.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the crumble is deeply golden — the almonds will have toasted beautifully during baking — and the filling is bubbling at the edges.
Rest for five minutes before serving.
My Top Tips For Best Apple and Pear Crumble
Toss the pears in lemon juice the moment they are cut. Pears discolour far more quickly than apples — within minutes of cutting, the flesh begins to turn brown. The lemon juice prevents this and also gives a brightness that suits the gentle pear flavour.
Use ripe but firm pears — not fully soft ones. Fully ripe pears collapse almost completely during the baking time and give a filling that is more pear purée than pear pieces. Firm but ripe pears — which yield slightly when pressed at the neck — give pieces that soften but retain some structure in the finished crumble.
The cardamom is the detail that makes this different. A quarter teaspoon of ground cardamom in the filling gives a slightly floral, slightly exotic warmth that suits pear in particular. It is subtle — nobody will necessarily identify it, but everyone will notice that the crumble tastes more interesting than they expected. Do not be tempted to increase the quantity — more than a quarter teaspoon becomes the dominant flavour.
The flaked almonds in the crumble are worth adding. They toast beautifully during baking and give a varied, more interesting texture to the topping. They also look beautiful — golden almonds scattered across the crumble surface give this a slightly more elegant appearance than a plain flour and oat crumble.
Soft light brown sugar in the filling — not white. Brown sugar gives a slightly warmer, slightly more complex sweetness that suits the combination of Bramley tartness and pear gentleness better than plain white caster sugar.
Serving Suggestions
Warm with vanilla custard — the most natural and most satisfying pairing. With crème fraîche for something slightly more sophisticated and less sweet. As a dinner party dessert in individual ramekins — portion the filling and crumble topping into eight individual ramekins and bake for 20 to 22 minutes.
How to Store Mary Berry Apple and Pear Crumble
In the fridge: Store covered for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 180°C oven for fifteen minutes until the topping is crunchy and the filling is bubbling.
In the freezer: Freeze assembled before baking for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen at 190°C for 55 to 65 minutes — cover loosely with foil if the topping browns too quickly before the filling is cooked through.
Mary Berry Apple and Pear Crumble Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / Gas 5. Butter a deep 28x20cm dish generously.
- Toss pear chunks in lemon juice immediately after cutting. Add Bramley chunks to the dish. Add sugar, spices, lemon zest, and water — toss gently. Taste and adjust sugar.
- Rub cold butter into flour, oats, cinnamon, and salt — rough, uneven crumbs with pea-sized pieces remaining. Add demerara and flaked almonds — stir through. Do not rub further.
- Scatter crumble loosely over filling. Do not press down.
- Bake 40–45 minutes until deeply golden and filling bubbles at the edges. Rest 5 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use eating apples instead of Bramleys?
Eating apples give firmer, more distinct pieces and less juice. The filling will be less yielding but equally good — a more textured result with identifiable pieces of both apple and pear.
Can I use Williams pears instead of Conference?
Yes — Williams pears are sweeter and softer than Conference and give a slightly more intensely pear-flavoured filling. They soften faster — reduce the baking time slightly and check the filling at 35 minutes.
Can I leave out the cardamom?
Yes — the crumble will still be very good with only cinnamon and ginger. But the cardamom is the detail I would encourage everyone to try at least once — it gives a character that is specifically, memorably elegant.
Can I make individual portions?
Yes — portion into eight individual ovenproof ramekins. Bake at the same temperature for 20 to 22 minutes until golden on top and bubbling around the edge.
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