Strawberry Gooseberry Crumble

This is a quick and easy to make summer dessert with so much flavour that the whole family will fall in love with.

If you adore gooseberries then this combination of the tart gooseberry with its softer sweeter strawberry cousin will have you hoarding them in your freezer so you can enjoy this dessert throughout the summer months.

Gooseberry season is much too short but this delicious Strawberry Gooseberry Crumble makes the most of their unique flavour and sharp bite.

This is the pudding that you will be serving up warm with ice cream on Sunday evenings and enjoying again for a cheeky breakfast on Monday mornings straight from the fridge. I can't be the only one to agree that there is even more joy to be had with leftover cold crumble.

Ingredients needed

Strawberries. Fresh strawberries are best here as they are easy to get. Seasonal strawberries locally picked will always be the most flavouful.

Gooseberries. I have used both fresh and frozen gooseberries to make this crumble and both work well. You can't really buy commercially frozen gooseberries, so the quality is always good. I like to buy my frozen fruit from British Frozen Fruits. I recommend topping and tailing your gooseberries whilst they are frozen (if that's what you are using) as it's impossible to do it when they have thawed as they are too mushy.

Caster sugar. A fine white sugar which gives lightness. You can substitute for granulated white sugar. The caster sugar is used for macerating the fruit which helps to preserve the shape of the fruit during the bake so they don’t fall into a mushy slump. We also use it to create the crumble topping along with brown sugar.

Brown sugar. We use this with the caster sugar in the crumble topping to gives lovely gentle molasses flavour and moisture.

Almond flour. You are looking for blanched ground almonds. There is a bit of labelling confusion over almond flour which is sold as ‘ground almonds’ in most major UK supermarkets and found in the baking aisle. If you want to know what exactly you are looking for then check out this post >>>Is Almond Flour The Same As Ground Almonds.

Buckwheat flour. We choose this gluten-free flour for its hearty texture whilst its distinct nutty and earthy flavour is a great backdrop to the fruity crumble. It doesn’t have the same binding power of gluten though so we need to blend it with the almond flour ensure a balanced mix.

Unsalted butter. We need unsalted so we can control the salt content of the recipe. It needs to be cold so it can create a more crumbly crumble.

Cornflour (cornstarch). We use this flour just to absorb some of the fruity juices and create a jammy sauce. You can substitute with tapioca starch.

Spices. We use ground ginger and ground cinnamon in both the fruity base and the crumble topping for a little added depth of flavour.

Vanilla extract. You don’t need to use the best quality vanilla extract here as there's already a lot going on with the flavours and it won't make a difference. A supermarket brand is just fine.

Whole almonds. These are optional but if you sprinkle a little chopped almonds on top of the crumble before baking it gives a lovely crunch and texture.

Salt. I like to use kosher salt in my baking as it has a round gentle flavour. Using salt in your baked goods lifts and sharpens all the other flavours.

How To Make Strawberry Gooseberry Crumble

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post. 

Toss hulled strawberries and top and tailed gooseberries with caster sugar in a large bowl and leave to macerate for at least 2 hours.

Mix the flours together in a bowl with the sugars.

Rub in the butter with your fingertips until it starts to clump together. Set crumble mixture aside (in the fridge) whilst you are waiting for the fruit to finish macerating.

Strain the fruit and reserve the liquid, measuring out 100g of liquid, then whisk in the cornflour to create a slurry. Pour the slurry back over the fruit and toss together, making sure to not break the fruit up. Stir in the vanilla, ginger and cinnamon.

Pour the fruit mixture into the bottom of a baking dish and top evenly with the crumble mixture. Bake for 40 minutes. Allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

What to Serve with Crumble

There is always a hefty divide when you try and pin a member of our family down on what they want with their crumble. It kind of depends whether it's one of those scorching summer days or a cooler British one. Nevertheless we have lots of options:

• Ice Cream.
• Homemade Gluten-Free Vanilla Custard.
• Homemade Strawberry Custard.
• Or just lashings of single cream.

More Summer Desserts You'll Love!

The combination of fruit in this Gluten-Free Nectarine & Plum Cobbler is a perfect balance. The last nectarines of the season are especially sweet and juicy and the new plums are on the tart side but bursting with flavour. The cobbler topping is made with gluten-free flour and cornmeal which tastes like the most delicious honeyed cornbread.

This self-saucing Blackberry Lemon Pudding is such a great dessert, being both sweet and tart. It's cakey on the top with an ooey gooey blackberry lemon sauce puddled beneath. Made with gluten-free flour and almond flour.

Red Berry Eton Mess is a quintessential British dessert. Here we crush crisp yet chewy homemade meringue into fresh strawberries, raspberries and cherries, muddled with a thick mascarpone cream.