When I was buying ingredients for last week’s apple and raisin puff pastry tart I needed two cooking apples. However, the Bramley apples in the supermarket were being sold in packs of four. I’m making an apple and sultana crumble this week to use up the two that were left over.
I may have mentioned before that fruit crumble isn’t one of Justin’s favoured puddings – he thinks the crumble topping is too often soggy, floury and not very nice – especially if too thick or a bit undercooked.
I think my crumble topping recipe is none of those things; it forms large, crunchy, nutty morsels.
Sprinkle granulated sugar over the top of it just before it goes into the oven for extra sweetness and crunch. You can serve it with thick, cold cream, hot creamy custard or a scoop of vanilla ice cream – they’re all good!
Click here to pin the recipe for later!


- 2 Bramley (or other cooking) apples, peeled, cored & roughly chopped
- 25g/¾oz butter
- 100g/3½oz sultanas
- 50g/1¾oz Demerara sugar
- 50g/1¾oz plain flour
- 50g/1¾oz porridge oats
- 50g/1¾oz flaked almonds
- 50g/1¾oz Demerara sugar
- 75g/2⅔oz cold butter, cubed
- Preheat the oven to 175ºC/350ºF/Gas mark 4
- In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over a medium heat, melt the 25g of butter
- Add the chopped apples, sultanas and Demerara sugar and stir until the apples are just beginning to soften (about 5-10 minutes)
- Put the mixture into a greased baking/pie dish
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, oats, almonds and Demerara sugar
- Add the cold, cubed butter and rub into the dry ingredients - but not to much - you want the mixture to have quite large lumps
- Spoon the crumble evenly over the apple and sultana mixture so that it's completely covered
- Sprinkle a little golden granulated sugar over the top for added crunch (optional)
- Put the dish into the oven and bake for 20-30 minutes or until the crumble topping turns a lovely golden brown
- Serve with custard, thick pouring cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream
Cakes & Bakes: Spiced apple & sultana pie
We’re coming to the end of British Pie Week so we’re getting involved again and making a pie.
At the mere mention of the word ‘pie’ we usually get involved – any excuse! Yes, the saying may go, “As American as apple pie”, but we’re famous for our apples here in Blighty – and have no doubt been using them in pies for centuries.
We’ve rustled up a spiced apple & sultana pie for our Cakes & Bakes post… it’s quite a comforting, wintery version of the simple classic.
Crisp, buttery pastry with a soft, warm, cinnamon-infused fruity filling… and finished off with thick, cold cream of course.
You might have a bit of pastry left over – if you do, don’t just bin it, use cutters to turn it into shapes or letters to adorn the top.
The perfect, celebratory Pie Week pie!

Spiced apple & sultana pie
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 240 g/8½oz plain flour
- 120 g/4¼oz cold butter
- pinch of salt
- 4 tbsp cold water
For the filling
- 4 Bramley apples - peeled cored & chopped into 2cm chunks
- 50 g/2oz butter
- 50 g/2oz sultanas
- 75 g/2½oz brown or Muscavado sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp milk
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
Instructions
For the pastry
- Grease a 9" diameter round pie dish
- Put the flour, butter and pinch of salt into a food processor and pulse until it resembles breadcrumbs
- Add the cold water, a tablespoon at a time, pulsing between each addition until the mixture comes together into a ball
- Flatten the ball into a disk and wrap it in cling film and refrigerate for at least half an hour
For the filling
- Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan before adding the chopped apple
- Add the sultanas and brown/Muscavado sugar and cook until the apple is slightly softened but still al dente
- Set aside to cool completely while you roll out the pie base
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas mark 6
For the pie
- Divide the chilled pastry into two, one ⅓ and the other frac23;. Put the ⅓ back into the fridge
- Roll out the other piece into a round about ⅓cm thickness and line the dish, carefully pressing it flat cut off the excess around the rim leaving a ½cm overhang
- Prick the base with a fork, cover with baking beans (or dried peas like I do) and blind bake for 15 minutes
- Remove the pie base from the oven and set aside
- Remove the 2nd piece of pastry from the fridge, roll out into a round, again about ½cm
- Spoon the apple filling on to the cooled pastry base and cover with the pastry round. Press into the pastry base and trim any excess.
- Brush the top with milk, sprinkle with the caster sugar and put back into the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the top turns golden brown
- Allow to cool slightly before serving with cream or vanilla ice cream
