Glorious Salted Caramel Apple Crumble

Glorious Salted Caramel Apple Crumble

Yield: 6

A glorious plant-based salted caramel apple crumble: tender apples under a nutty, wholemeal oat topping, with date-sweetened caramel and a whisper of cinnamon—comforting, autumnal, and dairy-free.

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Ingredients

Topping

• 1 ripe banana
• 50g pecan
• 1tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 100g rolled oats
• 100g wholemeal flour
• pinch of salt

Filling

• 100g Medjool dates
• 120ml boiling water
• 1/2 tsp flaky salt
• 800g apples
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

Crumble topping

1. Roughly chop the pecan and reserve.
2. Peel the banana put it in a bowl, and mash it really well with the back of a fork.
3. Add the cinnamon, oil and maple syrup and stir to combine.
4. Add the oats, flour, chopped pecan nuts and salt.
5. Fold to combine, using your fingers to give a varied texture of large and small pieces.

Caramel

Pit the dates, put them in a food processor with the boiling water and the salt, and pulse until you have a smooth caramel.

Apples

1. Core, peel and dice the apples.
2. Put the apples in a large saucepan with the maple syrup and toss to coat.
3. Add the water and cinnamon, put it on the hob over medium heat and simmer for 8-10 minutes, occasionally stirring, to help the apples soften evenly.
4. Add the caramel to the pan and fold it into the apples

Build the crumble

1. Pour the apple and filling into the baking dish. 
2. Sprinkle over the crumble topping.
3. Put the dish in the oven and bake for 25 minutes until the crumble is crispy and golden.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 356Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 222mgCarbohydrates: 72gFiber: 10gSugar: 38gProtein: 6g

Apples: heritage, aroma, and why they bake so well

Apples have travelled a long road from their wild origins in Central Asia to orchards across Europe. Centuries of careful grafting created today’s range—from tart cookers to perfumed dessert apples—each with distinct acidity, sugar levels, and texture. What makes apples perfect for baking is their pectin (a natural gelling fibre) and a balance of malic acid and sugars. During cooking, pectin helps the fruit keep gentle structure while softening, and the heat unlocks familiar aromas—green, floral, honeyed—thanks to volatile compounds that read as “apple” to our senses. Varieties with a lively acidity cut through sweetness, keeping a crumble from tasting flat.

Dates as “caramel”: nature’s toffee with benefits

Your crumble’s salted caramel is driven by Medjool dates blitzed with hot water and a pinch of flaky salt. Dates bring natural glucose and fructose bound up with soluble fibre, which creates that glossy, spoonable texture without dairy or refined sugar. Their flavour isn’t just sweet—it’s layered: notes of toffee, coffee, and dried fruit come from slow drying and the concentration of sugars and polyphenols. The fibre matrix also helps moderate absorption, making them a more considered way to create indulgence. Add salt, and the caramel seems more intense; salt suppresses bitterness and heightens sweetness, so a little goes a long way.

Oats & wholemeal flour: the crunch that nourishes

A crumble lives or dies by its topping. Rolled oats supply chew and toasty aroma when baked, while wholemeal flour contributes nutty depth and extra fibre compared with white flour. Oats contain beta-glucans, a soluble fibre associated with heart-friendly benefits and steady energy release. When oats, wholemeal flour, and a touch of maple syrup meet heat, Maillard reactions give you that biscuit-like, golden crunch that contrasts beautifully with soft, stewed fruit beneath.

Pecans, banana, and maple: a trio for flavour and feel

Pecans add buttery richness and a delicate snap. Their fats are mostly monounsaturated, which carry aroma molecules superbly, boosting every cinnamon and caramel note in the mix. Chopped through the topping, they create textural punctuation—little islands of crunch that make each mouthful interesting.
A ripe banana mashed into the topping is a quiet masterstroke: its natural pectin and starches help bind crumbs, while subtle tropical sweetness means you can lean less on added sugars.
Maple syrup, tapped from the sap of maple trees, brings more than sweetness; it carries faint woody, vanilla, and smoke notes from natural compounds developed during evaporation. That flavour complexity gives the crumble a rounded, “grown-up” sweetness that pairs superbly with apples and dates.

Cinnamon & salt: the flavour amplifiers

Cinnamon (from the inner bark of Cinnamomum species) contributes warmth and perfume via compounds like cinnamaldehyde. It complements apples so well because it accentuates their fruity top notes while lending cosy depth.
A pinch of salt in sweet baking is not about making things salty; it organises flavour. Salt tightens the focus, pulling fruit, spice, nut, and caramel into a coherent whole. Using a flaky finishing salt in the caramel means you get occasional bursts of savoury sparkle against the sweetness—precisely what “salted caramel” promises.

A brief sustainability note

Plant-based crumbles often have a lighter footprint than dairy-heavy desserts. Opting for seasonal or locally grown apples reduces transport impact, and choosing responsibly sourced maple syrup and pecans supports growers who steward forests and orchards over many years. Minimising refined sugar by leaning on fruit (dates, banana, apples) keeps the ingredient list close to whole foods.

Fun facts to share over pudding

• The science of apple aroma is surprisingly complex: more than 300 volatile compounds can appear during ripening and cooking, which is why different varieties smell distinct in the oven.

• Medjool dates are sometimes called the “king of dates” for their size and plush texture; historically they were reserved for special occasions.

• Oats were once considered humble fodder in parts of Europe—now they sit at the centre of modern, health-forward baking.

The flavour takeaway

This crumble balances sweet, tart, nutty, and warm in one spoon: orchard-fresh apples, lush date caramel, toasty wholegrains, and the quiet magic of spice and salt. It’s nostalgic comfort, refined for today’s plant-based table.