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Smoking Chimney

Recipes from a working kitchen · Cape Town

Apple Crumble

By Marna Ross Updated 12 August 2026 4.60 from 25 ratings
Apple crumble is also a lovely dessert to enjoy. This apple crumble recipe is in my file since my very first job. I have found that many people do love apple desserts quite a lot. This one is quick to make and the topping ingredients also keep fresh in the fridge for some time. I have always been keen on recipes that are tasty but it must not contain pages full of ingredients and this ingredient list for this apple crumble is fairly short. I personally compare apple crumble with English speaking people, I don't know why, but for me that is. I think the thought of a large British Estate with the happy family and girls with their moms sitting at the high tea table is my picture of the affair. My fellow chef - a colleague at Augusta Kleinbosch Guest Farm, Ronelle Liebenberg used to tell me this apple crumble is one of her personal favourite desserts among all our recipes we used to make. Serving it with a dollop of freshly whipped cream or lovely homemade ice-cream will compliment this apple crumble. Or just simply serve it with Crème Anglaise, a delicious confectioners custard. What is also nice about this recipe is that you can use blueberries, raspberries or strawberries when in season. If no berries are in season, simply make it only an apple crumble, Add some raisins to your taste with and some ground cinnamon and make this one your personally own!.You can bake it completely off, then later just quickly heat it in the microwave, but do stay and look after it. If you wish not to put it in the oven again. This is also a good apple crumble recipe to play with when you decide in which ramekin you want to bake it. Nowadays see-through ramekins look beautiful, like a see-through teacup from a glass. I used to use a small white little bowl to bake it in, added the cream or ice-cream on top, placed the bowl in the middle and added some coulis around for a beautifully plated dessert.
A warm baked apple crumble dessert with a golden, buttery oat topping.
Prep 20 min
Cook 20 min
Total 40 min
Serves 4

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Ingredients

Topping

  • 2 Tablespoons caster sugar
  • 1 cup flour
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 5 ml baking powder
  • 3 Tablespoons oats
  • 100 g butter

Apple-Fruit Part

  • 4 apples, cored, peeled and chopped into small blocks
  • 2 Tablespoons caster sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons flour, 4-6 strawberries, chopped
  • one handful or two blueberries
  • cinnamon and raisins - OPTIONAL (only if going with apple flavour and no berries)

Method

Topping

  1. Mix all the dry ingredients together and rub in the soft butter until mixture forms breadcrumb mix

Apple-Fruit Part

  1. Peel, core and finely chop the apples into small little blocks

  2. Mix the caster sugar and flour with the small apple blocks

  3. If you are making only an apple variation, add cinnamon and even raisins to make it traditional at this step

  4. If you are making an apple and berry variation, you can add now your blueberries, or a mixture of berries as you wish

  5. Spray the ramekins with spray and cook and fill up the ramekins till the top with the apple mixture. Use more flour and caster sugar is it is necessary to bind the mixture

Assemble

  1. Add the topping for the crumble last an make sure it is spread evenly over the apple mix

  2. Bake until golden brown for about 20-30 minutes at 180° Celsius oven

  3. Let cool on a rack and serve warm

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