September 28, 2018
Apple Blackberry Crumble Cake!
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A two layer apple & blackberry crumble cake with vanilla buttercream frosting & blackberries!
AUTUMN!
So, if you’re in the UK, you are probably quite aware that its been quite chilly recently for the beginning of Autumn, and I utterly adore it. I love this kind of weather where it is freezing cold in the mornings, but so bright and sunny during the day. It’s cosy, but not dreadful, and I am loving it!
However, as it is so cold, I always want a warming and delicious pudding to entertain my taste buds in the evening after dinner. I tend to have my dinner and be completely content, but then a couple of hours later I get the munchies and want something sweet. I won’t lie, its not always cake… thats not sustainable and I tend to send all my bakes away to others to be eaten. However, when I have something like this I don’t want to share.
Apple and blackberry
After the downright and delicious success of my apple crumble cake last year, I thought I would post a variation on that, because yum. I ended up being given some blackberries by my friend who had picked far more then she realised, and I wanted to bake something with them. I thought apple and blackberry always go well together so lets try that.
Apple and blackberries together are a wondrous combination, being ever so slightly sweeter than just apple. I wouldn’t say this cake is the best with just blackberries, as it does already bake differently in comparison to just apple, so if you did want to do just blackberries, don’t use more than 300g worth.
Crumble
I make a really simple crumble mix to top the cake, as you don’t want to go too much otherwise it can affect how the cake bakes. It’s basically the same as my apple crumble cake, but I have done a bit less because I couldn’t be bothered to make extra to sprinkle on top this time. In total, you have about 200g worth of crumble, which you split between the two cakes and its a perfect amount.
Recipe tweaks
Because of the blackberries, I didn’t want to use cinnamon in this particular bake, but you can add it in if you wanted. To be honest though, you can always experiment with my bakes and such, just know I haven’t tried every combination of idea ever so you take it on your own head if maybe it tastes a little funky! The best thing yet is when someone put in 3tbsp of cinnamon and moaned, when I had definitely written teaspoon.
Crumble pie version
My apple blackberry crumble pie is a beauty that also inspired this particular bake. As I had already done the pie/tart version, I clearly had to have a go at a cake version. I know my staging of my photos was quite off, probably shouldn’t have used such a dark background, but I hope you can get inspired by the images! It was definitely a delicious cake.
Bake
This cake does take a smidge longer to bake compared to the apple crumble cake, because the blackberries have more juice in them. Don’t be worried, stick to the idea that the cake will take roughly 50-55 minutes, but you’ll know its finished baking when it stops making a faint bubbling sound, and the skewer should be clean as well. You can serve this as is, or with ice cream, or anything. Enjoy!
Apple Blackberry Crumble Cake!
Ingredients
Crumble Mixture
- 100 g plain flour
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 50 g caster sugar
Cake
- 300 g unsalted butter
- 300 g light brown sugar + 25g
- 300 g self raising flour
- 6 medium eggs
- 250 g cooking apples (peeled & chopped weight)
- 250 g blackberries
Buttercream
- 250 g unsalted butter (not stork)
- 500 g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Extras
- Blackberries
- Sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C/160C Fan and line two 8″/20cm round tins. Peel and core the apples, cube the apples into about 2cm pieces.
- Make the crumble mixture. Rub together the sugar, flour and butter until the mixture resembles bread crumbs, leave to the side for now.
- Put the apples into a bowl, and cover with 25g of light brown sugar. Mix it up so all the apple pieces are covered and leave to the side.
- Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the flour and eggs and beat until smooth.
- Fold through the apple mixture and blackberries gently and split between two 8” lined tins.
- Sprinkle on a layer of the crumble mixture (only about 1/2cm worth per cake) and then bake in the oven for 50-55 minutes or until baked through (can take up to an hour or more, see tips below)
- Leave the cakes to cool in the tins for 5 minutes and then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
- Beat the unsalted butter for a few minutes until really light and supple. Add in the icing sugar 1/3 at a time and beat fully after each incorporation.
- Add in the vanilla, and beat again until smooth.
- Get the first cake and spread/pipe some of the buttercream onto it (I used half of the buttercream).
- Mash a few blackberries in a bowl, and add on top of the buttercream.
- Add the second cake on top and pipe on the other half of the buttercream.
- Add on some blackberries and some sprinkles and you're done!
Notes
- The weight of 250g, is probably 2 medium sized cooking apples after having been peeled and chopped.
- Some oven temperatures can vary even if you set it to the ‘correct temperature’. You can tell if a cake is well and truly done by testing them with a skewer, and seeing if it comes out clean. HOWEVER, you need to also listen to the cake, if its still making a crackling/bubbling sound then its not quite done. Keep baking till that sound goes away!
- I reeeeally would recommend using COOKING apples for this rather than regular eating apples because of the length of time the cake is baking for. If you used regular apples, there is a chance they’d turn to mush, and then the cake wouldn’t bake well either. The lovely bright green cooking apples are the ones you’re after!
- I just used any old blackberries!
- You could also use a ready made crumble mix if you like as well as it does save time, but don't put too much on as it won't bake properly. Stick to about 200g split between the two cakes.
- This cake will last in an airtight container for up to 3 days!
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J x
© Jane’s Patisserie. All images & content are copyright protected. Do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words and credit me, or link back to this post for the recipe.
This cake is phenomenal. I personally swapped the buttercream in this recipe for a German buttercream (custard-based) because I wanted it to be crumble and custard flavours. It’s absolutely amazing. Such a different cake to what I’ve made in the past but I will definitely make again. I’d highly recommend. Thank you 😊
Would this work as a loaf cake? Presumably it would need longer to bake but would you tweak any of the ingredients to make it a denser sponge as loaf cakes tend to be?
Hi Jane, this looks delicious, looking forward to making! Does it freeze okay with the crumble top or this better made close to serving?
Thanks a mil, big fan of your bakes!
Hiya! The crumble top freezes fine, hope this helps & enjoyyy! x
Can you replace the blackberry with another fruit like raspberries?
Hiya! This should be fine, enjoy! x
It tasted lovely but I found it has a tendency to fall apart when I took it out of the tins. I may have taken them out too soon and should have left it to cool more although the recipe did say 5 minutes and I purposely left them in the tins longer to cool.
Hiya! Im so sorry to hear this – next time try leaving to cool fully in the tin! Hope this helps! x
Just love this recipe
Gorgeous!!!! Really happy with it! I added oats to my crumble x
Do you know if this can be frozen?
Made this for my dad’s birthday after making your lemon and raspberry cake for my my mums. Wow! another lovely cake. The crumble topping is such a wonderful addition of texture. Excited to make your smores cake for my own birthday later this month.
Can you use tinned apples for the recipe?
I’m honestly not sure – I’m sure it’s worth a go but I don’t know what the end texture would be like as I have never baked with tinned apples!
Way too much mixture for two 8” sandwich tins! I reduced the cake mix by 1/3 and it’s still overflowing in the oven after 10mins. Stupidly, I didn’t think to look at comments – maybe you could specify deep tins in your recipe? Looks delish though! 🤞
A standard cake tin is usually at least 2.5″-3″ deep, and they should be okay – a sandwich tin would be be something I would specify which can be about 1″ deep sometimes!
Hi Jane, loving your recipes! I attempted this last night but the cake mixture seemed to leak out of the tins when in the oven and now its cooked just seems to want to fall to pieces. Any tips for me to re-try? Maybe i put too much crumble on the top or to much mixture into the tins?
Thanks in advance 🙂
Hey! Do you mean the mixture came out the sides or base of the tin? Usually, that means there is a problem with the tin! If you mean they overflowed, then yes I would reduce it a bit as your tins are probably shallower! x
Hello!
Could you use ordinary caster sugar or does it have to be golden?
Thanks a lot!!
You can use white caster sugar!
Do you use cake tins or sandwich tins, cake sounds yummy 😋
For this, cake tins!
Baked this week, loved by all – I only put buttercream in the middle and decided to make a separate crumble topping to go on the top
This was amazing! Recipe worked perfectly and the cake went down a treat 😊
So glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious, came out perfectly. I used granny Smith apples and blackberrys picked from the garden but only made half the recipe to make a single layer cake. Served warm with cornish vanilla ice cream instead of frosting.
Hi, this looks amazing. Just wondering would they work as cupcakes? I noticed on your apple crumble cake recipe, which I’m definitely going to make😁, that it’s halved to make the cupcake version. So would this be the case for the apple and blackberry too? Thanks x😊
Yes it should!
Could I make this into a three tier?
I’m sure you could! x
Hi, I just wondered if I can use frozen blackberries for this? Or am I better letting them thaw so they don’t add too much moisture? Thank you x
T0 be honest, I’m not 100% sure. I wouldn’t let the frozen ones thaw – you could use them from frozen, but maybe add a bit of baking time on as it might just make the mixture a bit more wet if that makes sense! X
That’s great, thank you Jane 🙂 x