My go to rhubarb crumble recipe!

March in the UK means that spring has arrived and what that means is that rhubarb is available! Rhubarb season in the UK usually kicks off in late February and runs through to about June, with the peak often being around March to May!

There are a lot of classic desserts that I love, like sticky toffee pudding, trifle, jam roly-poly but there’s something about rhubarb crumble that makes it stand head and shoulders above the rest, especially at this time of year! This isn’t just any dessert, it’s the kind that makes your kitchen smell like happiness and even the most reluctant pudding lovers come back for seconds. Tart, sweet, buttery and just a touch rustic, rhubarb crumble is without a doubt, one of the best ways to welcome spring into your life and it’s surprisingly easy to make even if you’re not usually a whizz in the kitchen. Did you know that rhubarb is packed with vitamin C, fibre and antioxidants? so you can convince yourself that you are having a treat but you’re also doing something good for your body.

You can serve it straight from the oven with a dollop of custard or with cream or ice cream. Some people even like it slightly warm with a drizzle of golden syrup and for those of us who like to get a little creative, you can mix rhubarb with other fruits like strawberries, which are the obvious choice but oranges, apples and even blackberries work beautifully too.

Rhubarb Crumble Recipe

Serves: 4 to 6 people.

Prep time: 15 minutes.

Cooking time: 35 to 40 minutes,

Ingredients!

For the filling:

500g of rhubarb,

100g of caster sugar (adjust depending on how tart your rhubarb is).

1 tsp vanilla extract (optional).

1 tbsp plain flour (helps thicken the juice).

For the crumble topping:

100g of plain flour.

75g of unsalted butter, cold and cubed.

75g of light brown sugar (or granulated sugar if you prefer).

50g of oats (optional, for extra crunch).

A pinch of salt.

Instructions!

Preheat your oven to 180°C / 160°C fan / 350°F / Gas 4.

Prepare the rhubarb:

Start by washing your rhubarb and chopping it into chunks, about 2 to 3cm pieces. Not tiny bits because they’ll turn to mush but not massive sticks either. You want them to soften but still hold their shape.

Pop the rhubarb into a bowl and sprinkle over the sugar. The sugar isn’t just for sweetness, rhubarb is sharp and the sugar also draws out the juices while it bakes, which helps create that lovely syrupy bottom layer.

Add the teaspoon of vanilla if you’re using it. It just rounds out the flavour and takes the edge off the tartness a bit. It's not essential but I always add it if I have it.

Now sprinkle over the tablespoon of plain flour and give everything a good mix. This is important because rhubarb releases loads of juice when it cooks. The flour thickens those juices so you don’t end up with rhubarb soup under your crumble.

Make the crumble topping:

Put the flour into a bowl and add the cold. Cold is important here. If the butter is soft, you won’t get that crumbly texture and it will go pasty. Rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips. Keep going until it looks like breadcrumbs. Don’t panic if there are a few slightly bigger lumps; those turn into the best crunchy bits on top.

Stir in the light brown sugar. I like brown sugar because it gives a slight caramel flavour and a deeper colour on top but granulated works fine too. Add the pinch of salt. It sounds tiny but it balances the sweetness and makes everything taste better.

If you’re using oats, stir them in now. They add texture and a bit of chew.

Assemble:

Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the rhubarb. Don’t press it down! Just let it sit loosely on top. If you press it, it goes dense instead of crumbly.

Bake:

Pop it in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes. You’re looking for bubbling fruit around the edges and a golden brown top. If the top browns too quickly, you can loosely cover it with foil for the last 10 minutes.

When it comes out, it will be molten underneath, so let it sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. This helps the filling thicken up a bit more too.

Serve it with custard, cream or ice cream but it is delicious on its own too!

Do you like rhubarb crumble?