Recipe by Maya Chen · Serves 6 · Easy
Why this crumble works
Browning the butter takes a humble crumble somewhere nuttier and deeper — toffee notes against sharp berries. A spoonful of cornflour keeps the juices jammy rather than soupy, and demerara in the topping bakes up shatteringly crisp.
Use whatever berries look best; frozen work too, straight from the freezer with five extra minutes.
Prep15 min
Bake35 min
Serves6
LevelEasy
Ingredients
- 700g mixed berries, fresh or frozen
- 80g sugar, 1 tbsp cornflour, lemon zest
- 150g plain flour, 100g rolled oats
- 100g demerara sugar, pinch of salt
- 140g butter, browned and cooled slightly
- Cold double cream, to serve
Method
1
Brown the butter. Melt until foaming, swirl until amber with nutty specks. Cool 10 minutes.
2
Toss the fruit. Combine berries, sugar, cornflour and zest; tip into a baking dish.
3
Rub the crumble. Mix flour, oats, demerara and salt; pour in the brown butter and clump with your fingers.
4
Top generously. Blanket the fruit thickly — every berry should be covered.
5
Bake. 35–40 minutes at 190°C until the juices bubble up ruby-red at the edges.
6
Rest and serve. Wait 15 minutes so the juices set, then serve warm with cold cream.
Kitchen notes
Watch the butter
Browned becomes burnt in seconds. Pull it at deep amber with a nutty smell.
Big clumps win
Squeeze the topping into pebbles and boulders — texture beats even coverage.
Bubbling means done
The fruit must visibly bubble at the edges, or the cornflour never activates.
