Caramel Apple Crumble

Long-time readers of Cake Of The Week may remember my quest to recreate a Caramel Apple pie that used to be served in a childhood local cafe. Of course the flavours may have been romanticised over time, but I'm pretty sure I've finally got it right.

This post was going to be where I showed it to you, but I ate the original without photographing it and, when I came to making it again, I decided I was more in the mood for crumble than for pie.

Apples are briefly cooked with dark muscovado sugar, then tossed in flour and covered with crumble mix. The dish is baked before being smothered in caramel. Simple, but very effective; it certainly hits the spot on cold autumn evenings.

If you're nervous about making caramel, check out this comprehensive guide from Completely Delicious, complete with step-by-step photos.

Ingredients

For the apple crumble

• 1kg Apples
• 150g Dark Muscovado Sugar
• 100g Caster Sugar
• 100g Butter
• 200g + 2 Tbsp Plain Flour

For the caramel

• 150g Caster Sugar
• 50g Butter
• 100mL Double Cream

Recipe

• Preheat the oven to 200C.
• Core and slice the apples (peel if desired).
• Place the apple slices in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over a low heat, and stir in the dark muscovado sugar. Cover with a lid.
• Stir occasionally until the apples are soft, then remove from the heat and transfer to an oven proof dish.
• Meanwhile, make the crumble mix by placing all of the remaining crumble ingredients into a mixing bowl and rubbing them together with the tips of the fingers until they resemble breadcrumbs.
• Cover the apples with the crumble mix, then bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the crumble has browned slightly.
• While the crumble bakes, make the caramel. Place the caster sugar into a heavy-bottomed saucepan and cover with water.
• Heat the sugar on a low heat until the water has evaporated and the sugar is golden brown.
• Remove the caramel from the heat and immediately beat in the butter, followed by the cream.
• Allow to cool slightly before pouring over the crumble.
• When the crumble has cooled completely, it is best stored in the fridge. 
• Serve with custard or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I'm linking this up to Mila's Big Autumn Bash link party - all things autumn are welcome!