Apple cake / crumble

Easy and tasty apple cake / crumble that is quick to prepare. This variant is based on a recipe called "Mariannes äpplekaka" whose origin I am not sure about, but is also reminiscent of regular crumble recipes from e.g. the classic Swedish cookbook "vår kokbok". One thing I really like about this recipe is how well it matches in time in the kitchen - from the moment you start cooking, you have things to do without waiting. The time it takes for my oven to heat up to the right temperature is also the same time it takes for me to peel / chop the apples and cook the crumble pastry. The butter melts at a low temperature while I prepare the apples and at the same time I finish the apples, the butter has also melted. I know its nerdy, but I like when parallel processes fall into place that way. :)

In the video, I used the "Royal Gala" apples but it works well with any apple variety. Usually I pick whatever apple variety that is ripe at the moment and it has never gone wrong so far. Autumn is a nice time for all sorts of apple dishes and of course you have to make at least one pie or cake.

The biggest difference from a classic crumble is that I melt the butter and mix the rest of the batter directly into the saucepan. Since everything should be put into the oven immediately, I think this works really well. However, you have to be a little careful so that the butter is not too hot - keep the temperature in the pan low and as soon as the butter has melted, remove the pan from the hob or turn off the hob completely.

If you want to skip the step above and instead use cold butter, of course it works just fine - some people think that is the only correct way. In that case, take the butter directly out of the fridge (feel free to divide it into smaller cubes) and mix in sugar, flour, baking powder, oatmeal and salt in a bowl quickly. You can use a food processor to avoid getting your hands dirty, but remember not to run the machine for too long but to stop while you have a crumbly dough. Food processors with suitable accessories, however, mean more dishes and I always try to avoid that.

It is also possible to use the dough with other things than apples - many combinations of fruit and berries will be good. For rhubarb pie, you should shred the rhubarb and cover with a little sugar. Some sour berries may also need one or two tablespoons of sugar. If the berries are frozen, you may need about a tablespoon of potato flour or similar to take care of the extra liquid that is released during cooking.

• It also works well to do this with plums instead of apples.
• A small amount of liqueur (limoncello or similar) gives an interesting citrus taste.
• You can exclude oatmeal for a more classic crumb pie.