There is a legendary kind of quiet that only descends on a campsite once the dinner plates have been cleared and the fire has settled into a steady, glowing bed of coals. It’s that perfect moment in the cool Australian winter when the temperature drops, the stars sharpen overhead, and everyone starts edging just a little closer to the heat. This is when the camp oven earns its real keep. While most use it for a roast or a stew, there is nothing quite like the smell of bubbling cinnamon apples and tart blackberries wafting from under a heavy cast-iron lid to bring the whole camp together.
This Apple & Blackberry Crumble is the ultimate winter "set and forget" dessert. It’s forgiving, uses simple supermarket staples, and delivers that deep, caramelised crunch that you just can't replicate in a caravan oven. Whether you’re hunkered down in the Victorian High Country or enjoying a crisp night in the Flinders Ranges, this is the sweet finish your camp menu deserves.
What you need
Ingredients
The Fruit Filling:
- 2 x 800g tins of sliced apples in syrup (drained slightly, but keep a bit of juice)
- 1 cup frozen blackberries (or a 150g punnet of fresh ones if you’ve hit a local market)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- Juice of half a lemon
The Crumble Topping:
- 1.5 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup plain flour
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 125g butter, chilled and cubed
- ½ cup shredded coconut (optional, for extra Aussie crunch)
To Serve:
- 500ml carton of thick vanilla custard (Coles or Woolies brand works a treat)
Gear
- 9-quart or 12-quart cast-iron camp oven
- Camp oven lid lifter
- Heat-resistant gloves
- Large mixing bowl
- Shovel (for moving coals)
- A trivet (optional, if you want to prevent bottom-burning)
How to make it
- Prepare your fire: You’re looking for a good bed of coals, not active flames. Scrape a flat area of coals to the side of your main fire.
- Prep the fruit: In your camp oven (or a separate bowl if you want to be neat), combine the drained apples, blackberries, cinnamon, brown sugar, and lemon juice. Stir it gently to coat the fruit. If it looks too dry, add a splash of the apple syrup back in.
- Make the crumble: In your mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, and brown sugar. Add the chilled butter cubes. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the coconut if you’re using it.
- Assemble: Spread the crumble topping evenly over the fruit layer. Don’t pack it down—you want it loose so the heat can circulate and make it crunchy.
- Set up the oven: Place your camp oven lid on. Place the oven onto your bed of coals. If you have a trivet, place the fruit/crumble in a round cake tin on the trivet inside the oven for the most even bake.
- Coal placement: Place a shovel-full of coals on top of the lid. You want about 70% of the heat on top and 30% underneath to get that golden crust without burning the fruit on the bottom.
- Bake: Let it bake for about 30–40 minutes. You’ll know it’s ready when you can hear the fruit bubbling and the smell of cinnamon is driving everyone crazy.
- Check progress: Around the 20-minute mark, use your lid lifter to peek. If the top isn’t browning, add a few more fresh coals. If it’s darkening too fast, brush some coals off.
- Final touch: Once the top is golden and crunchy, remove the oven from the heat and let it sit with the lid slightly ajar for 5 minutes. This lets the topping crisp up.
- Serve: Scoop deep into the oven to get a mix of the hot, jammy fruit and the crunchy top. Smother each bowl with cold custard.
Camp tips
- Prep at home: You can rub the butter into the dry crumble ingredients at home and store it in a Zip-lock bag in the Engel. Then you just dump it on the fruit at camp.
- The "Cheater" Topping: If you’re really low on space, a packet of ANZAC biscuits crushed up with a bit of extra butter makes a fantastic emergency crumble top.
- Temperature Control: Remember that cast iron holds heat. It’s better to go slower with fewer coals than to scorch it. If the bottom is cooking too fast, lift the oven up on a few rocks.
- Leftovers: If you have any left, it’s actually a cracking breakfast the next morning with a dollop of Greek yoghurt before you hit the road.
A Warm Finish to the Day
There’s something about a warm dessert that makes a remote campsite feel like a five-star resort. This crumble isn't about precision—it's about the crunch, the heat, and the shared spoons around the fire. If you're planning on staying off-grid for a few days this winter, make sure your pantry is stocked with these simple staples. While you're at it, check out our 12V Accessories collection for gear that makes van life just that little bit easier on those long winter hauls.
