Gordon Ramsay’s apple crumble has a caramel base with three apples grated into it and three more cut into chunks, dried cranberries, lemon zest and cinnamon, topped with a crumble mixed with muesli for extra crunch. No peeling. Bakes at 200°C for 12 to 14 minutes. Serves 4.
This comes from the Ultimate Cookery Course, where Ramsay says “don’t worry about peeling the fruit. Whether it’s apples, pears or peaches, the flavour is all in the skin.” He filmed the same recipe on YouTube (2.2 million views), where he calls it “a crumble with no frills, straightforward, no faffing around.” The UCC also includes a technique box on how to make any crumble crunchy, which comes down to two rules: use demerara sugar instead of caster, and never push the topping down.
The trick that makes this different from every other apple crumble is the two-texture filling. Three apples go in grated, which dissolves into the caramel and becomes a smooth puree at the bottom. Three go in chunked, which hold their shape and give you something to bite into. Most recipes use only one or the other, so you get either baby food or hard apple pieces floating in juice. Ramsay gets both in one dish.
Gordon Ramsay Apple Crumble
Course: DessertCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy4
servings15
minutes14
minutes410
kcal29
minutesFrom the Ultimate Cookery Course: apples grated into a cinnamon and vanilla caramel with dried cranberries and lemon, topped with a crumble mixed with muesli. The filling heats on the hob first so you only need 12 to 14 minutes in the oven.
Ingredients
6 tbsp caster sugar
Pinch of ground cinnamon
1 vanilla pod, seeds only
6 apples, cored but not peeled, 3 grated, 3 cut into chunks
3 tbsp dried cranberries
Zest of 1 lemon, juice of half
- For the crumble topping:
100g (3½ oz) plain flour
2 tbsp demerara sugar
50g (1¾ oz) butter, chilled and cubed
Pinch of ground cinnamon
4 tbsp nutty granola or muesli
Directions
- Make the caramel: Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan / 400°F / Gas 6). Heat a small hob-proof baking dish, add the caster sugar and heat for about 5 minutes until it caramelises. Swirl the dish instead of stirring.
- Build the filling: Add the cinnamon, vanilla seeds and grated apples to the caramel and cook for 1 to 2 minutes until the apple dissolves into a puree. Stir in the apple chunks, cranberries, lemon zest and juice. Remove from the heat.
- Make the topping: Place the flour, demerara sugar, butter and cinnamon in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add the granola or muesli and mix until incorporated.
- Assemble and bake: Scatter the crumble over the fruit. Don’t push it down or it will go soggy. Heat the dish on the hob again until the filling starts bubbling up the sides, then transfer to the oven and bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the topping is deep golden. Serve warm.
FAQs
Why does Ramsay grate half the apples and chunk the other half?
The grated apple dissolves into the caramel within a minute or two, creating a smooth puree that coats the bottom of the dish. The chunked apple holds its shape through the bake, giving you something firm to bite into between the puree and the crumble.
Most apple crumble recipes use one method or the other. Either you get a mushy base with no texture, or firm chunks sitting in watery juice. Ramsay’s approach gives you both layers in the same dish, which is why the filling holds together instead of sloshing around.
Why does Ramsay add muesli to the crumble topping?
In the UCC technique box he writes that “adding one-third muesli or granola to two-thirds crumble opens out the texture to give a crunchier result.” On the YouTube video he mixes it in by hand and says “if you haven’t got muesli, crunchy granola works brilliantly.”
The muesli adds oats, nuts and dried fruit to the topping, so it crisps up with more variety than plain flour and butter. The demerara sugar also matters because it’s coarser than caster, which stops the butter from melting into the flour and keeps the crumble loose instead of compacting into a solid lid.
Does Ramsay have other crumble variations?
In Quick and Delicious he makes a Spiced Peach, Apple and Almond Crumble using tinned peaches with marmalade, mixed spice, amaretti biscuits and almond liqueur instead of fresh fruit and granola. Completely different flavour profile but the same technique of building layers.
He also has a rhubarb crumble that uses the same crumble topping method but swaps the apple filling for poached rhubarb and ginger.
