crumble od jabuka

Apple Crumble With Cardamom Butter Sauce

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Crunchy almond flakes, juicy apples, refreshing lemon, pumpkin pie spices, and a crispy, buttery crumble top sound nice, right? But stop, there's more! This warm apple crumble is paired with silky butter and cardamom sauce – an irresistible addition to complement this modest, rustic dessert.
apple crumble with cardamom sauce

Lately, I’m totally into simple, rustic desserts, and apple crumble fits perfectly into that category: simple, rustic fruit dessert that is baked in the oven. Besides apples, crumble filling usually consists of peaches, berries, apricots, plums, pears, and if you’re lucky, rhubarb.

This apple crumble was the first thing I baked just after the earthquake that happened in late March in Zagreb this year. Because of all things that have been happening lately, I have somewhat felt that I no longer have control over my life.

It’s a bit scary.

And then we got home to Slavonia. Whenever I go to Slavonia, I say that I go home and when I get back to Zagreb, I say the same.

Can a person have two homes?

For me, the home is where the people you love are and with whom you can share your meal, so I know I can. Guess I’m one lucky girl.

My mom and sis’ helped me pull out that old, mint green table that was waiting for someone to bring it back to life after such a long time, so I set it up for a photo shoot.

I went to the pantry to see what do we have available from the ingredients: there were apples, almond flakes, and raisins. Some cane sugar on the kitchen counter, butter in the fridge (always), and some fresh lemon.

And that’s how this beautiful apple crumble came to life. All of a sudden, everything made sense again.

The difference between a cobbler, crumble, and crisp

I wanted to post this recipe before Easter, but the days went by so fast and somehow it didn’t make sense for me to publish it a few days before Easter when everyone was in the mood for more sophisticated desserts.

If you think about it closely, it’s actually not that easy to determine what a crumble is at all: a cake, sweet breakfast, or some weird type of pie?

Crumble, like the cobbler, uses reverse logic in comparison to fruit tarts: fruit is the base of desserts and pastry goes on the top.

But, since I’m a total food geek, I wondered what is the real difference between a crumble, cobbler, and crisp? As usual, as is the case with food and recipes, those differences are often blurred, and this is one of the controversial discussions. Just like the one about the origin of hummus.

Do you know what cobblestone looks like?

Apparently, the cobbler got its name because the pieces of pie dough are arranged just like that. You know, like the streets of Upper Town in Zagreb (if you’ve ever been). That mixture that forms the top of this dessert is often slightly moist and not as crunchy as the crumble or crisp but the fruit filling is pretty much the same as the filling for other deep-dish baked fruit desserts.

When it comes to crisp, the top layer has to be very crunchy compared to a cobbler and crumble. That crispness is usually achieved with nuts, oatmeal, or even granola!

Crumble seems like the most straightforward option here: a simple mix of flour, butter, and sugar is everything you need for a delicious, crumbly pastry. OK, I’ve added some almond flakes also.

I mean, who could possibly resist them when they become so golden and crunchy!

Do you think this is complicated? Well, the terminology conundrum is just at its beginning! There are also recipes for the slump, grunt, sonker, buckle, betty … and probably something else I missed mentioning.

As far as I’m concerned, as long as it is tasty and prepared with quality ingredients, it will be enough for me to dip a spoon into that warm, fruity, buttery mess and simply enjoy myself.

apple crumble covered with butter cardamom sauce

Why do we love these modest, rustic desserts

These baked fruit desserts are great because:

  • They are excellent for using up the seasonal fruit
  • You can easily control thy type and amount of sugar you’ll use
  • They are prepared quickly
  • Great for sharing with your loved ones
  • You don’t need to be a pastry chef to get excellent results
  • Very adaptable to the ingredients that you have at home

What to serve with apple crumble

I like my apple crumble with a scoop of vanilla ice cream but guess what: that is impossible to buy those days I’ve spent in the countryside in at my parent’s house. Because, you know – quarantine, pandemics, isolation, and aaaalllll other magical words.

BUT.

I had some heavy cream in the fridge so I made simple cardamom butter sauce for which I found inspiration on The Kitchn website.

cardamom butter sauce being poured over apple crumble

I changed the sugar and butter ratios in the sauce because I wanted it a bit lighter and less sweet than the original. But it’s still silky, sweet, and yummy and it gives this crumble a whole new dimension!

If you want it on the healthier side, you could also serve it with a scoop of Greek yogurt.

So, tell me! Do you like to bake crumble, cobbler, or crisp? What is your favorite fruit for this kind of dessert? Do you have any ideas for recipes you want to see here on the blog? Please, do tell!

If you try this recipe, don’t forget to tag me @foodandmoodblog on Instagram or Facebook or send me some photos. I enjoy seeing your creations so much!

For some more inspiration, you can find me on Pinterest too!

 

crumble od jabuka

Apple Crumble With Cardamom Sauce

Mateja Zvirotic Andrijanic
Crunchy almond flakes, juicy apples, refreshing lemon, pumpkin pie spices, and a crispy, buttery crumble top sound nice, right? But stop, there's more! This warm apple crumble is paired with silky butter and cardamom sauce – an irresistible addition to complement this modest, rustic dessert.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 10 minutes
Baking time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Servings 6 portions
Calories 667 kcal

Ingredients
  

For the filling

  • 5 apples (around 800 g)
  • 30 g raisins
  • 40 g cane sugar
  • juice of one lemon
  • ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mixture

For the crumble

  • 240 g plain flour
  • 170 g cold unsalted butter
  • 70 g cane sugar
  • 30 g almond flakes
  • good pinch of salt

For the sauce

  • 100 ml heavy cream
  • 30 g cane sugar
  • 40 g cold unsalted butter
  • teaspoon ground cardamom

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F). Coat the baking dish with some butter and set aside. Wash and peel the apples and dice them into bite-sized pieces. Add lemon juice, raisins, sugar, and spices, and toss everything together. Transfer the fruit filling to the baking dish.
  • Place the flour, sugar, salt, and cold butter diced into cubes together in a large bowl. Rub everything together until the mixture resembles heavy, moist crumbs. You can do this step in the food processor also.
  • Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly on the apple filling, and then top with almond flakes. Bake in the oven for 35 minutes or until it becomes golden. Last few minutes you can turn on the fan to get a crispier crumble.
  • Warm the heavy cream, sugar, and cardamom in a small saucepan, but do not let it boil. Then gradually whisk in the butter, one cube at a time, until well incorporated. Transfer to a serving dish and let it cool.
  • Pour over warm apple crumble and enjoy!

Notes

  • The amount of sugar in the fruit filling as well as in the crumble can be adjusted depending on how sweet or sour the apples that you have.
  • If you’re using organic apples, you don’t have to peel them if you don’t want to.
  • It is very important that butter that goes to crumble is very cold so it doesn’t melt.
  • Instead of plain flour, you can experiment with different types of flour. I used regular wheat flour because I had no other options at that moment.
  • To keep the crumble from being boring and overly sweet, it’s good to add something sour, like lemon juice. It will balance the sweetness. If you’re using organic lemons, you can grate the zest too.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Nutrition

Calories: 667kcalCarbohydrates: 80gProtein: 7gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 94mgSodium: 234mgPotassium: 310mgFiber: 6gSugar: 40gVitamin A: 1203IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional information provided is an estimate based on ingredients data and should be used for informational purposes only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on factors such as portion size, preparation methods and ingredients used.

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