September Apple & Maple Oat Traybake
A sturdy, sliceable apple and oat traybake—maple-sweet, cinnamon-scented and perfect for packed lunches or after-school tea.
September means apples at their best and a school-run that suddenly demands food you can grab with one hand. This apple and maple oat traybake is sturdy enough to slice for lunchboxes yet tender and sweet enough for after-school tea.
It uses Bramley apples for a pleasant tang against the maple-honey sweetness and a crunchy oat topping that kids (and grown-ups) can happily dunk into milk or tuck straight into a lunchbox.
Ingredients
- 250 g porridge oats
- 150 g plain flour
- 120 g golden caster sugar
- 5 ml baking powder
- 10 ml ground cinnamon
- 5 ml fine sea salt
- 125 g unsalted butter
- 60 ml honey
- 2 free-range eggs
- 5 ml vanilla extract
- 2 Bramley apples — about 350 g peeled and chopped
- 1/2 lemon — juice only (about 15 ml)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C conventional. Line a 20 x 30 cm baking tin with baking parchment, leaving a little overhang to lift the traybake out later.
Peel, core and chop the Bramley apples into roughly 1 cm pieces. Put them in a bowl, squeeze over the lemon juice and toss with 1 tsp of the golden caster sugar and 1 tsp ground cinnamon so they don't go brown.
Place the unsalted butter, honey and the remaining golden caster sugar into a small saucepan over a low heat and stir until the butter has just melted and the sugar has mostly dissolved (about 2–3 minutes). Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
In a large bowl combine the porridge oats, plain flour, baking powder, remaining ground cinnamon and fine sea salt. Beat the free-range eggs in a small bowl, then pour the eggs and the warm butter-honey mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir until everything is evenly combined.
Weigh out 150 g of the combined oat mixture and put it to one side for the topping. Press the remaining mixture evenly and firmly into the lined tin to form the base (use the back of a spoon or a spatula).
Scatter the lemon-tossed Bramley apples evenly over the pressed base, then sprinkle the reserved 150 g oat mixture over the apples as a crumbly topping.
Bake on the middle shelf for 30–35 minutes until the top is golden and the apple juices are bubbling at the edges.
Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin — this helps the traybake set and makes cutting neat squares easier.
Use the parchment overhang to lift the traybake from the tin. Cut into 12 even squares and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze individual squares for up to 2 months.
Tips
- Weighing 150 g of the mixture for the topping makes the texture predictable; if you don’t have scales, reserve roughly one-quarter of the mix.
- Cool completely in the tin — warm traybakes are prone to falling apart. If in a hurry, chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before cutting.
- Make ahead: bake, cool and freeze individual squares on a tray, then transfer to a box — pull out the night before for school lunches.
- To avoid a too-soggy base, spread the apples in a single layer and press the base firmly before adding fruit.
- If using particularly sweet eating apples (Cox, Gala), reduce the golden caster sugar by 20 g.
Substitutions
porridge oats → certified gluten-free porridge oats, same quantity
Stays closehoney → maple syrup, same quantity
Stays closeBramley apples → eating apples such as Cox or Braeburn, same quantity
Noticeably differentunsalted butter → plant-based block spread suitable for baking, same weight
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 281
- Calories
- 6 g
- Protein
- 42 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 3 g
- Fibre
- 19 g
- Sugar
- 120 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this gluten-free for school lunches?
Yes—use certified gluten-free porridge oats and a gluten-free plain flour blend. The texture will be very similar.
How long will the traybake keep?
Keeps up to 4 days in an airtight container at room temperature, or freezes well for up to 2 months.
Can I use other fruit instead of apples?
Pears work well in autumn; berries are fine but may make the base wetter, so reduce juicy fruit slightly.
How do I stop the topping burning before the apples are cooked?
If the topping is browning too quickly, reduce the oven by 10–15°C (fan) and extend the bake until the apple juices bubble.
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