Recipes, re-invented from cooking shows
Apple Crumble Self-Saucing Puddings

Prep. Time:
Baking Time:
Total Time:
45 mins
50 mins
1 hour 35 mins
Serves:
8 individual puddings
Tom W created this dish for Great British Bake Off ™ Series 17. Inspired by the apple crumble he has always made with his dad, mum and nan, he set tender apples in a dark brown sugar and golden syrup caramel sauce under a light cinnamon sponge. A crunchy oat crumble and warm vanilla custard finish e...
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Ingredients
FOR THE OAT CRUMBLE: ½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour ½ cup (45 g) old-fashioned rolled oats ¼ cup (50 g) demerara sugar or light brown sugar Pinch of fine salt 4 Tbsp (55 g) cold unsalted butter, diced
FOR THE APPLES: 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus extra, softened, for the ramekins 3 medium (about 1 lb) tart baking apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and cut into ½-inch dice 2 Tbsp light brown sugar ½ tsp ground cinnamon
FOR THE CINNAMON SPONGE: 10 Tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter, softened ¾ cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar 3 large eggs, at room temperature 1 tsp vanilla extract 1⅓ cups (165 g) all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp ground cinnamon ¼ tsp fine salt ¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk
FOR THE BROWN SUGAR CARAMEL SAUCE: ¾ cup (150 g) packed dark brown sugar 2 Tbsp golden syrup (or light corn syrup) 1⅓ cups (320 ml) hot water, just off the boil
FOR THE VANILLA CUSTARD: 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped, or 1½ tsp vanilla bean paste 4 large egg yolks ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar 2 tsp cornstarch
EQUIPMENT: Baking sheet lined with parchment paper Eight 10-oz (300 ml) ovenproof ramekins Rimmed baking sheet Medium skillet Stand mixer or hand mixer Mixing bowls Whisk Medium saucepan Instant-read thermometer Fine-mesh sieve
Method
STEP 1: BAKE THE OAT CRUMBLE
Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle. In a bowl, mix the flour, rolled oats, demerara sugar and salt. Rub in the cold diced butter with your fingertips until the mixture forms small clumps. Scatter it over the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15–18 minutes, stirring once, until golden and crisp. Cool on the sheet. Baking the crumble separately keeps it crunchy; scattered raw over the batter it would sink and turn soft.
STEP 2: COOK THE APPLES
Butter the ramekins and set them on the rimmed baking sheet. Melt the 2 Tbsp butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add the apples, light brown sugar and cinnamon and cook for 3–4 minutes, just until the edges soften. Do not cook them to mush; they finish in the oven and should keep some bite. Divide the apples and their juices among the ramekins.
STEP 3: MAKE THE CINNAMON SPONGE
Beat the softened butter and light brown sugar for 3–4 minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk, until just combined. Stop as soon as no flour shows; overmixing makes the sponge dense. Spoon about ⅓ cup of batter over the apples in each ramekin and level it gently. The ramekins should be no more than two-thirds full.
STEP 4: POUR OVER THE SAUCE
Stir the dark brown sugar and golden syrup into the hot water until dissolved. Slowly pour about ¼ cup over the back of a spoon onto each pudding. Do not stir: the syrup sits on top, then sinks during baking and turns into caramel sauce around the apples.
STEP 5: BAKE THE PUDDINGS
Bake on the rimmed baking sheet for 25–30 minutes, until the sponge is risen and springs back when pressed and the sauce bubbles at the edges. A skewer in the sponge should come out clean while the sauce beneath stays liquid.
STEP 6: MAKE THE VANILLA CUSTARD
While the puddings bake, heat the milk, cream and vanilla in the saucepan until steaming. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Pour the hot milk onto the yolks, whisking, then return everything to the pan. Stir over low heat until it reaches 175–180°F on an instant-read thermometer and coats the back of a spoon. Strain through the fine-mesh sieve and keep warm.
STEP 7: SERVE
Serve straight from the oven. Scatter the oat crumble thickly over each pudding and pour the vanilla custard alongside. Spoon down to the bottom so every portion gets apple and plenty of sticky sauce.
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Instructions
FOR THE OAT CRUMBLE:
½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (45 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
(/interesting-ingredients/classic-rolled-oats)¼ cup (50 g) demerara sugar (/interesting-ingredients/demerara-sugar)or light brown sugar
(/interesting-ingredients/light-brown-sugar)Pinch of fine salt
4 Tbsp (55 g) cold unsalted butter, diced
FOR THE APPLES:
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus extra, softened, for the ramekins
3 medium (about 1 lb) tart baking apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored and cut into ½-inch dice
2 Tbsp light brown sugar
(/interesting-ingredients/light-brown-sugar)½ tsp ground cinnamon
FOR THE CINNAMON SPONGE:
10 Tbsp (140 g) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (150 g) packed light brown sugar
(/interesting-ingredients/light-brown-sugar)3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
(/interesting-ingredients/vanilla-extract)1⅓ cups (165 g) all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp fine salt
¼ cup (60 ml) whole milk
FOR THE BROWN SUGAR CARAMEL SAUCE:
¾ cup (150 g) packed dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp golden syrup (/interesting-ingredients/golden-syrup)(or light corn syrup)(/interesting-ingredients/light-corn-syrup)
1⅓ cups (320 ml) hot water, just off the boil
FOR THE VANILLA CUSTARD:
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped, or 1½ tsp vanilla bean paste
4 large egg yolks
¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
EQUIPMENT:
Baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Eight 10-oz (300 ml) ovenproof ramekins
Rimmed baking sheet
Medium skillet
Stand mixer or hand mixer
Mixing bowls
Whisk
Medium saucepan
Instant-read thermometer
Fine-mesh sieve

Heading 5
Ingredients
STEP 1: BAKE THE OAT CRUMBLE
Heat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the middle. In a bowl, mix the flour, rolled oats, demerara sugar and salt. Rub in the cold diced butter with your fingertips until the mixture forms small clumps. Scatter it over the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15–18 minutes, stirring once, until golden and crisp. Cool on the sheet. Baking the crumble separately keeps it crunchy; scattered raw over the batter it would sink and turn soft.
STEP 2: COOK THE APPLES
Butter the ramekins and set them on the rimmed baking sheet. Melt the 2 Tbsp butter in the skillet over medium heat. Add the apples, light brown sugar and cinnamon and cook for 3–4 minutes, just until the edges soften. Do not cook them to mush; they finish in the oven and should keep some bite. Divide the apples and their juices among the ramekins.
STEP 3: MAKE THE CINNAMON SPONGE
Beat the softened butter and light brown sugar for 3–4 minutes until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the butter mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk, until just combined. Stop as soon as no flour shows; overmixing makes the sponge dense. Spoon about ⅓ cup of batter over the apples in each ramekin and level it gently. The ramekins should be no more than two-thirds full.
STEP 4: POUR OVER THE SAUCE
Stir the dark brown sugar and golden syrup into the hot water until dissolved. Slowly pour about ¼ cup over the back of a spoon onto each pudding. Do not stir: the syrup sits on top, then sinks during baking and turns into caramel sauce around the apples.
STEP 5: BAKE THE PUDDINGS
Bake on the rimmed baking sheet for 25–30 minutes, until the sponge is risen and springs back when pressed and the sauce bubbles at the edges. A skewer in the sponge should come out clean while the sauce beneath stays liquid.
STEP 6: MAKE THE VANILLA CUSTARD
While the puddings bake, heat the milk, cream and vanilla in the saucepan until steaming. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Pour the hot milk onto the yolks, whisking, then return everything to the pan. Stir over low heat until it reaches 175–180°F on an instant-read thermometer and coats the back of a spoon. Strain through the fine-mesh sieve and keep warm.
STEP 7: SERVE
Serve straight from the oven. Scatter the oat crumble thickly over each pudding and pour the vanilla custard alongside. Spoon down to the bottom so every portion gets apple and plenty of sticky sauce.
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