Baked apple & toffee crumble

  

                                                         

Ingredients

For the apple layer

• 100g raisin
• 100g pitted soft date
  
  , snipped into small pieces with scissors
• 85g light muscovado sugar
• 3 tbsp dark rum (or use orange juice)
• 25g unsalted butter
• 1 tsp mixed spice
• zest and juice 1 lemon
  
• 4 Bramley apples
  
  , about 800g, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm rings

For the crumble

• 125g plain flour
• 100g unsalted butter
• 50g light muscovado sugar
• 3 tbsp jumbo oats
• 25gm flaked almond (or use other nuts if you like)
• custard or ice cream, to serve

Method

1. 1)Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Put   everything for the apple layer, except the   lemon juice and apples, into a bowl and   microwave on High for 1½ mins until the butter   has melted and the sugar is syrupy. Toss in   the apples and lemon juice, then spoon into a   medium baking dish, making sure the dried   fruit is evenly distributed.
2. 2)Rub the flour and butter together, first into        fine crumbs, then keep going until the mix          forms bigger clumps, a bit like a rough biscuit    dough. Stir in the sugar, oats and almonds.        Scatter over the fruit, then cover with foil and      bake for 1 hr, removing the foil for the final 30    mins, until golden and bubbling. Rest for 10        mins, then serve with custard or ice cream.