Apple Crumble and Custard Mini Cakes – Perfect for an Autumnal Party

Back along, I made these mini chocolate surprise cakes for a friend’s celebration, along with these dairy and gluten free lemon and almond coconut cakes. It so happens that I also made some rum and raisin cupcakes and these rather fun apple crumble and custard mini cakes for the same occasion.
Apple Crumble and Custard Mini Cakes
With ninety four cakes to make in four different flavours, I had a day of logistics to contend with and my mini muffin moulds got used as never before. I adapted a recipe I found in Primrose Bakery Christmas by Martha Swift and used my tried and tested cake mix. I decided having a filling of apple in the actual cake as well as apple in the batter was the way to go. There are a few steps involved in making these cakes, but all of the processes are quite easy.
The apple crumble and custard mini cakes are topped with custard buttercream and crumble pieces. They turned out to be very cute and tasty too.

Photo courtesy of Perle Laouenan-Catchpole

- 3 large cooking apples
- 30 g light muscovado sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- splash of water
- 125 g unsalted butter
- 125 g light muscovado sugar
- 2 large eggs I used duck eggs
- 75 g wholemal flour
- 75 g plain white flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- apple purée
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 50 g light muscovado sugar
- 75 g wholemeal flour
- 75 g plain white flour
- 1 tsp cold water
- 75 g unsalted butter
- 20 g custard powder
- 100 g icing sugar
- Simmer all the ingredients together in a small pan for about ten minutes or until the apples are soft.
- Blend into a rough purée with a stick blender.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
- Sift in the dry ingredients and stir gently in.
- Fold in 1 heaped tbsp of the apple purée.
- Place 1 tsp of batter into each muffin case (24 in total), add a scant tsp of apple purée than top up with another tsp of batter so the muffin is slightly over 3/4 full.
- Bake at 180C for 15-20 minutes when the cakes should be well risen and firm to the touch but not too brown.
- Rub the butter and sugar into the flower with fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the water and stir with a knife until the mixture clumps together.
- Spread out onto a baking tray and bake at 180C for 15 minutes or so until golden.
- Allow to cool.
- Beat the ingredients together in a bowl until well combined and light in texture. Add a drop of milk if the mixture is too stiff.
- Spread onto the cooled cakes and top with a little crumble.
Adapted from Primrose Bakery Christmas by Martha Swift
Link-Ups
I am sending these apple crumble and custard mini cakes off to Lisa’s Apple Season link-up over at United Cakedom.
Other Crumble Cakes You Might Like
- Apple and blackberry crumble bundtlettes via The Crafty Larder
- Banana chocolate chip crumb cake via Little Sunny Kitchen
- Blackberry & apple crumble cake via Family Friends Food
- Blackcurrant buckle via Tin and Thyme
- Peanut butter oreo crumble cake via Anne’s Kitchen
- Pumpkin cream cheese muffins with crumble topping via Kerry Cooks
Keep in Touch
If you make these apple crumble and custard mini cakes, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or via social media. A photo is always good too. For more delicious and nutritious recipes, follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest.
Liz (Good Things)
23rd September 2015 at 7:43 amThese look so delicious and quite delightful… I am not a huge fan of those over-iced sickly looking cupcakes they sell in some stores, but would gladly eat a few of yours xx
Choclette
23rd September 2015 at 7:41 pmThank you Lizzy. I can’t cope with copious amounts of sugary buttercream either. I tend to make mine less sweet and rarely use more than a smidgeon 🙂
Henk Kooiman
23rd September 2015 at 8:03 amYou are too productive Choclette ;)) I can’t keep up anymore. These mini cakes look great and I’m sure they taste great too. Definitely to be tried in some future !
Choclette
23rd September 2015 at 7:39 pmAh but that’s because you are more thorough than me Henk and try variations until you’ve hit on something you’re really happy with 🙂
Angie@Angie's Recipes
23rd September 2015 at 12:10 pm94 cakes!! wow…surely you had some fun with it. These muffin form cakes look fantastic!
Choclette
23rd September 2015 at 7:43 pmThank you Angie, I really did have fun. It was great trying to think up four complimentary flavours as well as something that pretty much anyone could eat, whatever intolerances they had.
Emily
23rd September 2015 at 12:21 pmHow lovely are these! Custard on a cupcake sounds yummy xx
Choclette
23rd September 2015 at 7:44 pmThank you Emily. Really loved the concept of these and they were really cute too.
Kate - gluten free alchemist
23rd September 2015 at 9:57 pmwoooahh!!!! 94 cakes in 4 different flavours? Sounds like a GBBO double take!
If they were all as good as this, then I am sure they went down a storm! Apple, crumble and custard all in a cake….delish!!
Choclette
24th September 2015 at 8:35 pmThanks Kate. It was fun, but as always took me longer than I’d anticipated so I was in a bit of a panic. I’d be a gibbering wreck on Bake Off 😉
Camilla
23rd September 2015 at 11:17 pmTotally lush cakes for autumn – can you post?
Choclette
24th September 2015 at 8:35 pmI can virtually post Camilla, will that do?
Ceri
24th September 2015 at 9:46 amOoh these look devilishly good. Great use of seasonal apples! More to come I’m sure
Choclette
24th September 2015 at 8:37 pmYes Ceri, I love the autumn with so many apples and other bounty available. It may be apples now for some time to come.
Jo
24th September 2015 at 12:43 pmThese sound fantastic and I’m seriously impressed that you baked such a variety of cupcakes in one day! Bookmarking this recipe 🙂
Choclette
24th September 2015 at 8:39 pmThanks Jo. These were the most I’d done in a while and I was out of practice. Luckily it all came good 🙂
Dom
24th September 2015 at 3:39 pm94 cakes… where’s this party?
Choclette
24th September 2015 at 8:39 pmIt should be yours and the Vikings TODAY Dom. Happy Birthday.
Erica
25th September 2015 at 7:37 pmSounds delicious. Love the custard and crumble topping idea..
Choclette
26th September 2015 at 11:03 amAgree, it’s a good one Erica and perfect for this time of year.
waagmi
25th September 2015 at 9:25 pmThis is really a nice combination. .. love the recipe. ..can u tell me the substitute of egg for this recipe!
Choclette
26th September 2015 at 11:04 amThanks Waagmi. I’ve not tried it with anything other than egg, so I wouldn’t like to say. But I know flaxseed is often used as a vegan egg substitute.
Sara @ Life's Little Sweets
26th September 2015 at 5:15 amThese look great! Pinning to my apple dessert recipes board!
Choclette
26th September 2015 at 11:05 amThanks Sara. I think I need one of those on Pinterest too!
Sundari
26th September 2015 at 1:29 pmMust be very tasty.. No doubt 🙂
Choclette
26th September 2015 at 7:01 pmThanks Sundari, blueberries and lemon make for a great combination 🙂
molly kumar
27th September 2015 at 7:08 amThey look so nice and perfect bite size. Love the crumble n custard icing too – Absolutely Yum!!!
Choclette
27th September 2015 at 8:18 amThanks Molly. I have a thing for mini cakes 😉
Prateek
27th September 2015 at 11:06 amLove the recipe, mouth water as always from you Choclette! Just curious does using duck eggs instead of regular eggs enhance the taste in any way?
Choclette
27th September 2015 at 11:35 amThanks Prateek, that’s really lovely of you. Duck eggs are the eggs of choice for baking, you can find out why in this post I wrote about it – /2009/07/duck-eggs/
Eb Gargano
28th September 2015 at 12:15 pmWhat a great idea! I love cupcakes and I love apple crumble so I think I will really love these. Definitely bookmarking!
Choclette
29th September 2015 at 9:29 amThank you Eb. These little apple crumble bites are a bit of a winner 🙂
Amanda@ChewTown
29th September 2015 at 6:30 amI really do love the sound of these mini cakes, especially with the puree, custard and crumble. I’m pinning this for later!
Choclette
29th September 2015 at 9:35 amThanks Amanda. Hope you like them, they are a bit of a crowd pleaser.
LauraOinAK
2nd October 2015 at 6:27 amI have a teenaged son who would adore these. The combination of custard with cake and crumble is just mouthwatering.
Choclette
2nd October 2015 at 8:24 pmThanks Laura. It really is mouthwatering and I can feel a real apple crumble coming on – with custard 😉
Becky Winkler (A Calculated Whisk)
2nd October 2015 at 4:10 pmThese look so good! Bet the apples and custard are great together.
Choclette
2nd October 2015 at 8:21 pmThanks Becky. It’s a classic, although the custard isn’t the real deal of course, it’s just a nod to it really.
Callie | Flour and Fancy
2nd October 2015 at 4:16 pmWhat a great recipe! And with crumble and custard buttercream – sign me up! Thanks for sharing this.
Choclette
2nd October 2015 at 8:22 pmThanks Callie, it’s a lovely concept and a delicious little bake 🙂
Lisa
25th October 2015 at 8:58 pmCake, Custard, and most importantly apples. Yum! Yum! These would be great for bonfire night!
Choclette
26th October 2015 at 5:48 pmThanks Lisa, they would indeed be good for Bonfire Night 🙂