This oaty rhubarb crumble is bright, fresh and tangy. Made with fresh rhubarb and a crispy crumble topping, its the perfect dessert for a cozy night in.
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This fresh rhubarb crisp is made with a sweet, crunchy oaty topping and a dash of fresh orange to complement and boost the natural tang of rhubarb. Baking the rhubarb softens the fibers stalks and allows the flavors of this bright tangy ingredient to shine. This cozy dessert pairs beautifully with some of my sour cream ice cream, vanilla ice cream or my vegan custard (which you can't tell is vegan, it tastes just like regular custard!).
And of course if you're looking for more yummy rhubarb recipes you could try my strawberry and rhubarb tartlets, fresh, sweet and buttery crisp.
Do I need to peel rhubarb for crumble?
Not usually, but it depends. I use fresh rhubarb from my own garden and I never peel it, I just trim the ends and give it a good wash. Make sure your knife is sharp to help cut through the fibers. The rhubarb will soften up as the crumble bakes, so make sure you give it enough time.
The exception to this in the UK can be 'maincrop' rhubarb (as apposed to forced rhubarb). Maincrop rhubarb, available in spring, is grown out doors and can have tougher, stringier stalks. If you are using maincrop rhubarb you may need to peel it for a crumble.
Why is my rhubarb crumble soggy?
There might be a couple of reasons:
- The rhubarb will start to release its juices as soon as its mixed with the sugar so only mix your fruit right before baking.
- There's to much moisture in your fruit. Try mixing a little corn flour into the rhubarb before baking.
- Your crumble has cooked to quickly. Try turning down the temperature and baking your crumble for longer.
Ingredients
Rhubarb: usually sold in bundles of stalks from some supermarkets and fruit and veg stores, with or without the leaves still attached. Look for fresh, firm, fleshly stalks.
Hot tip: Rhubarb leaves are poisonous. Never eat rhubarb leaves. If your rhubarb leaves still have the leaves attached when you buy them remove and discard them.
Oranges: a little fresh orange juice and orange zest really help boost the tanginess of this crumble and complements the rhubarb beautifully. You could try using lemon or even limes instead if you prefer.
Vanilla extract: sometimes also called vanilla essence, depending on where you live. You can use either, or imitation vanilla essence, depending on your preference and budget.
Corn flour: also known as corn starch or maize starch. It provides a natural thickness this fruit crumble. You could try replacing the corn starch with tapioca or arrow root starch.
Oats: rolled oats are best for this recipe. They roast up beautifully. You could try using steel cut or quick oats, however I haven't tested the recipe with these varieties.
Plain flour: is best in this recipe. You can also use all purpose flour. For a lighter crumble you could replace the flour with the same amount of desiccated coconut.
Brown sugar: also known as light brown sugar, adds to the caramel notes of this recipe. You could use white sugar if you prefer, or experiment with dark brown sugar.
Butter: the butter mixes in with the crumble topping to help giving it that lovely crunchy topping. For a dairy free option you could swap the butter with margarine.
How to make rhubarb crumble
Pre-heat your oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan forced).
Make sure your butter is a room temperature. This can take anywhere from thirty minute to an hour depending on how warm you house it. Alternatively you can microwave it briefly to soften it up, but not to much or the butter with melt and you won't be able to rub it into your four.
Cube the butter and add it to a bowl with your flour. Rub the butter into the flour with your fingers and hands until to resembles coarse bread crumbs. Add the brown sugar and oats and mix well.
Lightly zest and juice the orange. Trim the rhubarb and thoroughly wash and dry it. Cut it into roughly equal lengths, approximatly one inch long.
Put the rhubarb in a bowl with the brown sugar, orange juice and orange zest and mix well. Add the vanilla and corn flour and mix well. Transfer to a baking dish and smooth down. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the top, leaving plenty of bumpy bits to crisp up.
Bake in the oven for fifty mins, or until golden and delicious and bubbling around the edges.
How to serve
This crumble is best served warm from the oven. Fabulous on its own, or with some of my sour cream ice cream, vanilla ice cream or my vegan custard (that does Not taste like vegan custard, even my husband couldn't tell the difference!)
How to store
This crumble is best eaten fresh from the oven. It will keep covered in the fridge for up to three days but the topping may start to go a little soggy over time.
I do not recommend freezing this crumble as I find the topping can go soggy when reheating.
Have you made this recipe? Tell me how it went in the comments below and tag me on instagram so I can see your delicious creations! @keep_calm_and_eat_icecream
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📋 Recipe
Rhubarb crumble
Equipment
- Baking dish
Ingredients
Rhubarb filling
- 1 large bunch, or about 12 large stalks (1.6lbs 750gms) fresh rhubarb stalks without leaves
- 1 medium orange
- ½ cup (110gms) tightly packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon corn flour
Crumble topping
- ¾ cup (115gms) plain flour
- ¾ stick (85gms) butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (100gms) rolled oats
- ¼ cup (55gms) brown sugar
Instructions
- Make the crumble topping first, then make the fruit filling
- Pre-heat your oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan forced),
Crumble topping
- Add the flour and cubed butter to a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour with your finger tips until it resembles large coarse crumbs. Add the sugar and oats and mix well.
Fruit filling
- Lightly zest and juice the orange. You will need three tablespoons of orange juice and half to all the orange zest, depending how orangy you want it.
- Clean, dry and trim the rhubarb stalks. Slice to into approx. 1 inch (2.5chm) pieces.
- Add the cut rhubarb stalks to a bowl, mix in the sugar, orange juice and zest and vanilla. Sprinkle over the corn flour and mix well.
- Transfer to a deep baking dish. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the top, leaving a few lumpy bits to crisp up on top.
- Bake at 375°F (190°C/170°C fan forced) for fifty minutes, or until golden and delicious.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately with some of my sour cream or vanilla ice cream or vegan custard. Delicious!
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What a delicious way to enjoy rhubarb, I wish I had a big plate of this crumble in front of me right now!