Anna Louise Of all the crumble variations I make through the year, apple and raspberry is the one I come back to most often. The combination is almost perfect — the gentle sweetness of cooked Bramley apple, the vivid, sharp pop of raspberries that burst during baking and bleed their vivid crimson juice into the surrounding apple, and the golden, oat-topped crumble above.
I make this version in two seasons — in late summer when British raspberries are at their absolute best, and through the winter with frozen raspberries that give an equally vivid, equally wonderful result.
Frozen raspberries, I have found, release even more juice during baking than fresh and give the filling an almost jammy quality that I find completely irresistible.
The crumble topping here uses rolled oats alongside the flour and demerara sugar — giving a more textured, more interesting surface than plain flour alone. Every bite has a slightly different texture: some crisper, some slightly softer where the crumble has absorbed a little of the bubbling fruit beneath.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Apple and Raspberry Crumble
For the Apple and Raspberry Filling
- 700g Bramley apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 3cm chunks
- 300g fresh or frozen raspberries — do not defrost if frozen
- 100g golden caster sugar — adjust to taste
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Zest of ½ unwaxed lemon
- 2 tbsp cornflour — thickens the raspberry juices
For the Crumble Topping
- 175g plain flour
- 100g rolled oats
- 175g cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 125g demerara sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of fine salt
To Serve
- Proper pouring custard — always my first choice
- Clotted cream or vanilla ice cream as alternatives
How to Make Mary Berry Apple and Raspberry Crumble
Step 1 — Prepare the Filling
Preheat your oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / Gas 5. Butter a deep 28x20cm ovenproof dish generously.
Place the Bramley apple chunks in the buttered dish. Add the raspberries — straight from frozen if using frozen. Add the golden caster sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest, and cornflour. Toss everything together very gently — I use my hands, which is the most careful way to avoid crushing the raspberries. The cornflour will coat the fruit and thicken the juices as they are released during baking.
Taste a piece of raw Bramley. If it seems very sharp, add an extra tablespoon of sugar. Bramleys vary significantly in tartness and the right amount of sugar depends on the specific apples in front of you, not a fixed quantity in a recipe.
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 — lifting the mixture and rubbing to incorporate the butter — until rough, uneven crumbs form with some pea-sized pieces of butter still visible. These larger pieces give the most interesting, most varied crumble texture after baking.
Add the demerara sugar and stir through with a fork. Do not rub further — the sugar should be distributed but not incorporated into the crumb.
Step 3 — Top and Bake
Scatter the crumble topping loosely and evenly over the fruit filling. I do not press it down — loose crumble gives a lighter, crispier topping than compacted crumble, which bakes denser and slightly doughy.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the crumble topping is deep golden and the filling is bubbling vigorously at the edges of the dish — the crimson raspberry juice visible through the crumble where it has bubbled up through the surface.
Rest for five minutes. The filling settles and the surface firms very slightly.
My Top Tips For Best Apple and Raspberry Crumble
Add the raspberries directly from frozen. Defrosted raspberries release a flood of juice before they even go into the dish, making the filling too liquid and potentially preventing the crumble from crisping properly above it. Straight from frozen, they hold their structure during the early stages of baking and release their juice gradually — giving the perfectly balanced, slightly jammy filling that makes this crumble what it is.
The cornflour is essential with raspberries. Raspberries release significantly more juice during baking than apples. Without the cornflour to thicken the released juices, the filling can be watery beneath the crumble. Two tablespoons gives a beautifully glossy, properly thick filling.
Taste the Bramley before deciding on the sugar. I make this point in every apple crumble recipe and it is always worth repeating — Bramley tartness varies dramatically between early and late season and between individual fruits. A sharp-tasting raw piece of Bramley means the filling will need the full 100g of sugar and possibly more. A milder piece means less sugar will give a better-balanced result.
Do not press the crumble topping down. Loose, uncompressed crumble gives a light, crunchy, varied surface. Pressed crumble bakes to a denser slab without the appealing texture contrast. Scatter it and leave it alone.
The crimson raspberry juice bubbling through the crumble is the sign the filling is ready. When I see the vivid crimson juice working its way up through the crumble surface, I know the filling beneath is properly cooked and the juices have concentrated. This is the visual cue that tells me the crumble is done, regardless of timing.
Serving Suggestions
Warm from the oven with proper pouring custard — the most natural and most satisfying combination. With clotted cream for something richer. With vanilla ice cream, which melts into the warm crimson filling in a way that is completely wonderful.
How to Store Apple and Raspberry Crumble
In the fridge: Store covered for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 180°C oven for fifteen minutes until the topping has regained its crunch 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.
Mary Berry Apple and Raspberry Crumble Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / Gas 5. Butter a deep 28x20cm dish generously.
- Place apple chunks and raspberries (straight from frozen if frozen) in dish. Add sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest, and cornflour — toss very gently with hands. Taste raw apple — adjust sugar if very sharp.
- Rub cold butter into flour, oats, cinnamon, and salt — rough, uneven crumbs with pea-sized pieces remaining. Add demerara — stir through with a fork.
- Scatter crumble loosely over the filling — do not press down.
- Bake 40–45 minutes until topping is deep golden and filling is bubbling vigorously at the edges. Rest 5 minutes. Serve warm with custard.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use eating apples instead of Bramleys?
Eating apples give firmer, more distinct apple pieces and less juice than Bramleys. The filling will be less jammy and the apple pieces more identifiable. Add two more tablespoons of water to the filling to compensate for the lower juice content.
Can I use blackberries instead of raspberries?
Yes — blackberries give a slightly less sharp, more deeply flavoured alternative. The colour of the filling is a deeper purple rather than crimson. Equally wonderful — see the apple and blackberry crumble recipe on this site.
Can I add almonds to the crumble topping?
Yes — 50g of flaked almonds stirred through the crumble topping with the demerara sugar give a pleasant additional crunch and a slight nutty sweetness that suits raspberries particularly well.
Why is my crumble topping pale and soft rather than golden and crispy?
Either the oven was not hot enough, the crumble was pressed down and baked dense, or the filling released too much liquid and steamed the crumble from below. Ensure the oven is properly preheated, scatter the crumble loosely, and use the cornflour to thicken the filling juices.
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