Avoid These Common Mistakes and Make Perfect Fruit Crumbles Every Time (2024)

FAQs

Avoid These Common Mistakes and Make Perfect Fruit Crumbles Every Time? ›

If you have washed the fruit, make sure it is perfectly dry before cutting up. Avoid using stewed fruit, and don't cook your fruit first as it increases the risk of a soggy crumble. Frozen fruit works fine, and you generally don't need to thaw it, as this helps keep the top crisp.

If you have washed the fruit, make sure it is perfectly dry before cutting up. Avoid using stewed fruit, and don't cook your fruit first as it increases the risk of a soggy crumble. Frozen fruit works fine, and you generally don't need to thaw it, as this helps keep the top crisp.

Often this happens if the crumb topping is over-mixed or if the butter was much too hot. Over-mixing will leave you with a pasty, batter-like mixture rather than the crumbly topping you are aiming for. Using very hot butter can cause the sugars to melt, leaving you with a greasy and not crumbly mixture.

I usually give them a short blast in the microwave; not long enough to send them to mush, but just enough to keep their shape and texture and the oven will do the rest. I usually slice the apples quite thinly then put the crumble mixture on top and put the dish on a baking sheet.

A crisp contains oats in the topping, while a crumble does not. Baking powder can also be added to a crumble topping (like it is here) to ensure it's extra light and tender.

Then, make sure to bake the crumble long enough so that the fruit filling comes to a profuse simmer at the edges of the pan. This shows that the cornstarch has been activated enough to thicken the juices, turning them supple and silky.

Flatten down with your hand to prevent too much crumble falling through. Put 175g plain flour and 110g golden caster sugar in a bowl with a good pinch of salt. Slice in 110g cold butter and rub it in with your fingertips until the mixture looks like moist breadcrumbs.

Apple Crumble also makes a great breakfast. Either you can microwave it, which is our usual method, or you can cover with foil and reheat at 350°f / 180°c in the oven until warmed through. Usually we tend to just warm up individual servings as needed though in the microwave. Apple crumble is also amazing cold!

The ingredient list for a crumble or crisp is relatively short, but don't be tempted to leave out the cornstarch. As fruit cooks, it releases its juices, becoming saucy and soupy. This is partially what makes a crisp so delicious—but also what can turn it from a casserole-style dessert into fruit soup.

How to know if crumble is done? ›

Crumble requires more baking time than you think; the top should be brown and the filling should be bubbling. In order to thicken properly, the cornstarch in the filling must boil, which is why bubbling is a key indicator for doneness.

Streusel is similar to crumb topping and the terms are often used interchangeably. Traditionally, the two have different ratios of the same ingredients, with streusel containing more flour, and crumb topping more sugar, so they offer a different texture and flavor on top of baked goods.

Double-bake your fruit crumble topping

For the crunchiest crumble ever, pre-baking the topping is the key. Otherwise, once in the oven, the crumble topping will mop up the fruit's juices like a sponge. The undersides of the topping never even had a chance to achieve their golden glory days.

Like an apple crisp, an apple crumble is a baked fruit dessert with a layer of topping. But unlike the crisp, the crumble topping rarely includes oats or nuts. Instead, a crumble's topping is more like streusel, made with flour, sugar and butter.

As its name suggests, crumb topping is a dessert topping. It's a simple mixture of butter, sugar, and flour, and is typically used to top pies or muffins prior to baking for a crunchy, sweet contrast.

Tips For Making a Classic Fruit Crumble

Use cold butter and work it into the flour mixture for a pastry-like topping. The top should be brown and the filling should be bubbling. In order to thicken properly, the cornstarch in the filling must boil.

Most crisps and crumbles (two names for essentially the same thing) are squishy and jammy, with a luscious fruity cushion beneath a shaggy brown-sugar blanket that might contain a few nuts, with or without oats, as a vague attempt at crunch.