Gin-soaked Blackberry & Apple Cheesecake Crumble Slices!

Come September, when the soft, cinnamony aroma of warm blackberry and apple crumble starts wafting through kitchens across the land, marking the happy arrival of autumn and its abundance of seasonal fruits, ripe for the picking - and cooking, we love to make this autumn fruit traybake.

Our gin-infused Blackberry & Apple Cheesecake Crumble Slice may be a mouthful to say but it is a mouthwatering combination of lots of our favourite things. Cheesecake, crumble, apple, blackberries and gin in one bite? Yes, please!

You can easily substitute the flavours here for whatever seasonal fruit you prefer – rhubarb or plum, for example, would add a juicy bite to the bars.

Got some of last year’s sloe gin waiting to be used up? Swap it in for an extra flavourful twist!

What’s more, this traybake recipe could not be easier to make at home! The apples are gently stewed with scrumptious autumn spices and the blackberries are macerated in gin.

The fruit is then set in a luscious cream cheese cheesecake filling and a crunchy, biscuity, oaty crumble is used as the bottom and top layers of this bar. Yum!

All baked in the oven for just thirty minutes, it’s the perfect recipe for a lazy morning or afternoon.

Give it a go!

1. To macerate the blackberries, toss them in a container with the sugar and gin. Leave to soak for a few hours, then strain out the gin and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 200c. Line a 20cm square tin with baking parchment.
3. Peel, core and dice the apples. Add to a medium saucepan with 50ml of water, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and brown sugar. Heat on a low simmer for 5 minutes. Combine 50ml of water with the cornstarch. Add the mixture to the pan along with the leftover gin and simmer for another 5 minutes, until the apples are soft.
4. In a bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, baking powder and oats. Pour in the melted butter and combine until you reach a sandy consistency. Keep 1/3 of the mix aside for the topping and press the remaining ⅔ of the crumble into the base of your tin. A bit of parchment wrapped around the bottom of a glass works well here to get a densely packed base.
5. To make the cream cheese filling, beat together the cream cheese, icing sugar, egg, vanilla and lemon juice until light and fluffy. Use a spatula to layer this on top of your crumble base.
6. Evenly scatter the macerated blackberries on top of the cream filling, then cover with the apple mix. Finally, cover it with the remaining crumble.
7. Bake on the middle shelf for 20 minutes. Scatter the top with flaked almonds then bake for another 10 minutes until the top is golden and crispy. Leave to cool for an hour, then refrigerate for a few hours before removing from the pan and slicing into squares.

To macerate the blackberries, toss them in a container with the sugar and gin. Leave to soak for a few hours, then strain out the gin and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200c. Line a 20cm square tin with baking parchment.

Peel, core and dice the apples. Add to a medium saucepan with 50ml of water, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and brown sugar. Heat on a low simmer for 5 minutes. Combine 50ml of water with the cornstarch. Add the mixture to the pan along with the leftover gin and simmer for another 5 minutes, until the apples are soft.

In a bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, baking powder and oats. Pour in the melted butter and combine until you reach a sandy consistency. Keep 1/3 of the mix aside for the topping and press the remaining ⅔ of the crumble into the base of your tin. A bit of parchment wrapped around the bottom of a glass works well here to get a densely packed base.

To make the cream cheese filling, beat together the cream cheese, icing sugar, egg, vanilla and lemon juice until light and fluffy. Use a spatula to layer this on top of your crumble base.

Evenly scatter the macerated blackberries on top of the cream filling, then cover with the apple mix. Finally, cover it with the remaining crumble.

Bake on the middle shelf for 20 minutes. Scatter the top with flaked almonds then bake for another 10 minutes until the top is golden and crispy. Leave to cool for an hour, then refrigerate for a few hours before removing from the pan and slicing into squares.