Black Currant Crumble (with Apples)

Juicy, tart black currant crumble with apples: this is one of our favorite ways of using these great summer berries.

Do you still have some berries in the garden? Why not try this black currant crumble with apples?

I make crumbles and crisps regularly, they are the kind of go-to desserts when you think you want something but you don’t want to start baking a cake or spending too much time in the kitchen. So have a look at the Gooseberry Crumble or the Rhubarb Apple Crumble.

A crumble dessert is light, quick, and easy to make, perfect to have after a light summer meal or even instead of a meal. Ask my daughter; she would gladly swap any of her favorite lunches for a lovely, hot berry or fruit crumble, preferably with some melting vanilla ice on top!

Ingredients needed

Berries:

• You will need about 200 g/7 oz/ about 1 ½ cups of black currants and about the same amount of white or red currants. These quantities are not set in stone; use a bit more or a bit less of the berries and make up for the difference by using more or fewer apples.
• I don’t recommend making a pure black currant crumble. I did cook it like that once, but I found the tartness and earthiness of the black currants overpowering a tad too much.
• Nowadays, I almost always combine these berries with the same amount of white or red currants (they are even tarter but have less of an earthy flavor) and apples, which balance the berries perfectly.

Can I use other berries?

• If you don’t have any red or white currants, replace them with more apples or with other berries of choice. Blueberries or raspberries are perfect as well.
• Or you can replace all the currants altogether and use another sort of berry or berry mixture.

Can I use frozen berries?

• You can definitely do so. Let them thaw and drain well in a sieve.

Apples:

• A crisp, tart variety, like Golden Delicious, Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, etc.
• However, I must admit that when making apple blackcurrant crumble, I use what I happen to have, not thinking much about the sort. We eat crisp apples most of the time, but if I happen to have some softer (or aged) apples there, I throw them in the pot without overthinking the matter. The pieces might get softer and even slightly disintegrate, but we still love the dessert.

Crumbles:

• All-purpose flour, brown sugar, oats, unsalted butter, and cinnamon.

Other ingredients: honey, lemon juice.

How to make a quick black currant crumble?

The best thing about this recipe (except that it tastes fantastic) is that it is easy to make. There is no need to pre-cook any ingredients in the pan, no need for any equipment at all; you will not even need a standard mixer. All you need are a bowl and a baking dish. I use a large ceramic baking dish with a diameter of 28 cm/ 11 inches. A little more or less is ok.

How to make the crumble topping?

• Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and oats in a large bowl. (1)
• Add the very cold, diced butter.
• Mix with the hands. (2)
• Refrigerate the topping while you prepare the rest of the dish.

Tip: make sure that the butter is refrigerator cold; it makes for a crispier topping. And your hands should be cold as well when you rub the butter into the flour.

Filling:

• Rinse and dry the berries. Pat them dry with kitchen towels. Remove the stems.
• Place them in the baking dish.
• Peel and core the apples. Cut them into small cubes. Add to the berries.
• Add honey (or sugar) and lemon juice. Stir gently to combine. (3)
• Cover the berries with the topping. (4)

Bake:

• Bake in the preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 25 minutes until the crumbles are deeply golden brown, and the edges are bubbly.
• Let rest for about 10 minutes before serving.

How to serve apple and black currant crumble?

With ICE CREAM!!! The best way of serving it if you ask anyone in my family. A generous dollop of vanilla ice cream melting on top of the hot crumble!!! So good!!!

Other delicious serving ideas:

• Whipped cream
• Single, heavy, or double cream, unwhipped
• Crème fraiche mixed with a bit of brown sugar
• Custard
• Clotted cream

Can I make it in advance?

• Yes. You can either prepare the berries and the topping, keep them separated, and only assemble and bake the black currant dessert before you want to serve it.
• You can make the crumbles in advance and refrigerate them for up to 3 days in an airtight container.
• Or you can bake the dessert, let it cool completely, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Then, you can serve it at room temperature or reheat it in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10-15 minutes.
• Leftovers keep well in the fridge for about 3 days. Serve at room temperature or reheat in the microwave or the oven.

How about freezing?

• Make and freeze the topping for up to 3 months. Use frozen berries for the dessert.
• Prepare and assemble the dessert in the baking dish. Cover very well with plastic wrap so that it’s airtight. Freeze for up to one month. Bake from frozen at 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. It will take a bit longer, between 40 and 60 minutes.
• Freeze leftovers in airtight containers for about 2 months. Then, thaw on the counter and reheat in the microwave or the oven.

More crumble desserts

Do you still have some black currants?