Anna Louise An apple crumble tart is exactly what it sounds like and considerably better than you might expect. A crisp, short pastry case holds a warmly spiced apple filling, and the top is covered with a buttery, golden crumble rather than another layer of pastry.
It is the combination of a proper tart and a proper crumble — the pastry gives structure and elegance, the crumble gives the golden, textured top that makes the whole thing look and taste completely wonderful.
This is the dessert that satisfies both the pastry lover and the crumble lover at the same table. It also slices more cleanly than a crumble and presents more elegantly than a crumble from a dish — the pastry case holds everything together into neat, identifiable wedges.
The apple filling uses a combination of Bramley for softness and Cox for texture — the same approach as the best apple pie on this site — giving a filling that is neither entirely collapsed nor entirely firm but somewhere between the two.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Apple Crumble Tart
For the Sweet Shortcrust Pastry
- 200g plain flour, sifted
- 30g icing sugar, sifted
- 125g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2–3 tbsp cold water
- Pinch of fine salt
For the Apple Filling
- 400g Bramley apples, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
- 300g Cox or Braeburn apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1.5cm pieces
- 100g golden caster sugar — adjust to taste
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- Zest of ½ unwaxed lemon
- 2 tbsp cornflour
For the Crumble Topping
- 150g plain flour
- 75g rolled oats
- 150g cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 100g demerara sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- Pinch of fine salt
How to Make Mary Berry Apple Crumble Tart
Step 1 — Make the Pastry
Pulse flour, icing sugar, salt, and cold butter in a food processor until fine breadcrumbs. Add the egg yolk and cold water one tablespoon at a time until the dough just comes together. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 2 — Line and Blind Bake
Preheat your oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / Gas 5. Roll the chilled pastry to 3mm on a lightly floured surface. Line a deep 23cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Prick the base. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Line with parchment and baking beans. Blind bake for 15 minutes. Remove beans and parchment — bake a further 8 minutes until pale golden and just dry. The pastry should not be fully golden at this stage — it will take further colour with the filling inside.
Step 3 — Cook the Apple Filling
Place the Bramley apple chunks in a medium saucepan with the sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and lemon zest. Cook over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for eight to ten minutes until the Bramleys have collapsed and become a thick, fragrant purée.
Remove from the heat. Fold in the Cox or Braeburn apple pieces and the cornflour. The mixture should be thick and slightly jammy with identifiable pieces of eating apple throughout. Leave to cool for fifteen minutes.
Step 4 — Make the Crumble Topping
Combine the flour, rolled oats, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl. Add the cold cubed butter and rub with fingertips until rough, uneven crumbs form — some pea-sized pieces remaining. Add the demerara sugar — stir through with a fork.
Step 5 — Assemble
Spoon the cooled apple filling into the blind-baked pastry case — spread evenly. The filling should come close to the top of the pastry sides.
Scatter the crumble topping evenly over the apple filling. Do not press it down — scatter loosely for the lightest result.
Step 6 — Bake
Bake at 190°C for 30 to 35 minutes until the crumble topping is deep golden and the apple filling is bubbling slightly at the edges.
Leave to cool in the tin for twenty minutes before releasing the springform or removing the tart ring. Serve warm.
My Top Tips For Perfect Apple Crumble Tart
Cook the Bramley apple to a purée before adding the eating apple pieces. This two-stage approach gives a filling that has both a smooth, jammy base — from the Bramley — and distinct, slightly firm apple pieces — from the Cox. A filling made from only one type of apple gives either all purée or all firm pieces, neither of which is as interesting.
Cool the filling before adding it to the pastry case. Hot filling in an already-baked pastry case can soften the pastry from the steam. Fifteen minutes of cooling gives a manageable, slightly thicker filling that goes into the pastry case without drama.
Use sweet shortcrust — not plain shortcrust. The icing sugar and egg yolk in this pastry give a more tender, slightly richer, slightly sweeter case that suits a dessert tart far better than a plain savoury shortcrust.
Scatter the crumble loosely — do not press. This instruction from the apple crumble recipe applies equally here. Loose, uncompressed crumble gives a light, varied, properly crunchy topping. Pressed crumble gives a dense, slightly doughy slab.
The tart slices more cleanly than a crumble. The pastry case holds the filling and the crumble together so each wedge comes out neat and intact. Let it cool for twenty minutes in the tin before cutting — cutting too early gives a slightly looser slice.
Serving Suggestions
Warm with proper custard — the finest combination. With clotted cream for something richer. With vanilla ice cream. At a dinner party where a crumble feels slightly too casual but something equally comforting is wanted.
How to Store
At room temperature: Store covered for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 180°C oven for ten to twelve minutes to restore the crumble’s crunch.
In the freezer: Freeze assembled before baking the crumble stage for up to 3 months — freeze after the filling is in the pastry case. Add the crumble topping and bake from frozen at 190°C for 40 to 45 minutes.
Try These Recipes
- Mary Berry Pear Pavlova
- Mary Berry Apple And Cinnamon Crumble
- Mary Berry Air Fryer Lemon Drizzle Cake
- Mary Berry Apple And Rhubarb Crumble
Mary Berry Apple Crumble Tart Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Make pastry — pulse to crumbs, add egg yolk and cold water, wrap and chill 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / Gas 5. Roll to 3mm — line 23cm tart tin. Prick. Chill 20 minutes. Blind bake 15 minutes. Remove beans — bake 8 minutes until pale and just dry.
- Cook Bramley apples with sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and lemon zest over medium heat 8–10 minutes until collapsed into a thick purée. Remove from heat. Fold in Cox pieces and cornflour. Cool 15 minutes.
- Rub cold butter into flour, oats, cinnamon, and salt — rough uneven crumbs with some pea-sized pieces. Add demerara — stir through.
- Spoon cooled apple filling into pastry case — spread evenly. Scatter crumble topping loosely over — do not press.
- Bake 30–35 minutes until crumble is deep golden and filling bubbling at edges. Cool in tin 20 minutes. Serve warm with custard.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add blackberries to the filling?
Yes — 150g of fresh or frozen blackberries added with the Cox apple pieces give a vivid, slightly tart addition that works beautifully. The filling will be more liquid — add an extra tablespoon of cornflour.
Can I use all Bramley apples?
Yes — the filling will be softer and more uniformly purée-like. It is still delicious but has less textural variation than the two-apple combination.
Can I use ready-made pastry?
Yes — a 375g sheet of ready-made sweet shortcrust pastry pressed into the tin gives a good result with considerably less work. The flavour and texture are slightly different but perfectly acceptable.
Can I make this in a rectangular tart tin?
Yes — a 35x12cm rectangular fluted tart tin gives a more formal, more dramatic presentation that slices into neat portions more easily than a round tart.
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