Rhubarb & Apple Crumble
This rhubarb & apple crumble is a great way to use up seasonal rhubarb! The fruit’s perfectly cooked & full of flavour and the topping is crisp, crunchy & lightly spiced. It’s best served with ice cream or custard.
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You really can’t beat a homemade crumble, especially when it’s made with seasonal fruit & served with vanilla ice cream or custard! It’s a proper comforting dessert & is incredibly easy to make.
For this crumble, we’re cooking apples & rhubarb in sugar & vanilla, topping it with a nutty almond crumble topping that’s lightly spiced with ginger & cinnamon then baking in the oven until the top’s crisp & the fruit is bubbling. This classic British dessert is super simple but tastes delicious. There’s a couple of handy tips & tricks included in this post as well, that can be used for pretty much any flavour crumble…
For more homemade desserts, take a look at our collection of dessert recipes! There’s lots to choose from here, from homemade ice creams, to pies, tarts, panna cottas, cookie dough & loads more. There’s plenty of other homemade crumbles to try as well!
What You’ll Need
- Rhubarb – I used regular rhubarb but forced rhubarb will work as well. Use whatever is in season!
- Apples – I like to use Braeburn apples for crumble because they hold their shape once cooked. Other cooking apples like Bramley & Granny Smith will work as well.
- Porridge Oats – Rolled/old fashioned porridge oats work best for crumble topping.
- Butter – I like to use unsalted butter for this recipe as it means that we can control the salt content. If you’re using salted butter, omit the salt from the topping & filling.
- Sugar – You’ll need 3 different sugars for this crumble. Caster sugar for the filling and demerara & light brown sugar for the crumble topping. I find that this gives the best flavour & texture.
- Flour – You’ll need plain/all purpose flour for the crumble topping.
- Spices – The crumble topping is lightly spiced with cinnamon & ginger, which complements the apples & rhubarb perfectly!
- Almonds – I like to add some flaked almonds to the crumble topping but this is optional.
- Vanilla – Adding some good quality vanilla paste to the fruit filling adds extra flavour.
- Cornflour – Used to thicken up the crumble filling slightly. Both rhubarb & apple contain a lot of juice, so the filling can be a bit watery if you don’t thicken it.
How To Make Rhubarb & Apple Crumble
The key to making the best homemade crumble is to make the topping first then chill it in the fridge whilst you make the filling. This makes it crisper & crunchier once baked! I also like to cook the fruit on the stove before assembling & baking the crumble as it lets us thicken & sweeten the filling perfectly.
- Crumble Topping
We make the crumble topping first, to give it plenty of time to chill in the fridge before baking (this makes it crunchier once baked!). To make the topping, we add flour, cinnamon, ginger & a pinch of salt into a mixing bowl then rub in cold butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Next, we stir in porridge oats, sugars & flaked almonds then squeeze the mix together with our hands, to form small clumps. The mix then gets chilled in the fridge whilst we make the filling. - Fruit Prep
Next, we need to trim the rhubarb & cut into 3 cm pieces. The apples get peeled, cored & quartered then cut into 3 cm pieces as well. - Cook The Filling
To make the filling, we add the apples into a large pan with sugar, butter, vanilla, lemon juice & a pinch of sea salt then cook over a medium heat, until the apples are beginning to soften (this will take around 5 minutes). Then we add the rhubarb into the pan & continue cooking until the rhubarb is starting to soften as well.
Apples take longer to cook than rhubarb which is why we start cooking them first. - Thicken The Filling
Once our filling is cooked, we stir in a cornflour slurry (cornflour mixed with cold water) then cook out for a minute or so, until the juices have thickened. - Assemble & Bake
To assemble our crumble, we add the fruit into a buttered baking dish then sprinkle over the crumble topping, to completely cover the fruit. Then we bake the crumble at 180°c/356°f for 25-30 minutes, until the topping is golden brown & the filling is bubbling. - To Serve
Once cooked, we spoon the crumble into bowls then serve with ice cream or custard!
Tips & Tricks
- Slightly under cook the filling on the stove. This lets us add enough to sugar to the filling without it over cooking in the oven.
- Chill the crumble topping in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using. This makes the topping crisper & crunchier once baked!
- Use a mix of demerara sugar & light brown sugar in the crumble topping which gives it a crisp texture & deeper flavour.
- Serve your crumble with ice cream or custard, for a classic dessert!
Serving Suggestions
Like most crumbles, rhubarb & apple crumble goes especially well with vanilla ice or warm vanilla custard! These accompaniments are both creamy, so cut through the sweet fruit filling & crumble topping. You can even serve your crumble with both ice cream & custard!
Frequently Asked Questions
To cook rhubarb & apple crumble in an Aga, use the boiling plate to cook the filling & bake the crumble in the baking oven, on the bottom set of runners.
Leftover rhubarb & apple crumble should be stored in the fridge & is best eaten within 2 or 3 days.
Leftover crumble can be reheated in a microwave or in the oven. To microwave, add a portion of crumble into a bowl then microwave for a minute or so, until piping hot. To reheat in an oven, cover the crumble with foil then bake at 180°c/356°f for 20-25 minutes, until piping hot.
Yes, forced rhubarb can be used for crumble, although it’s quite an expensive option!
Regular rhubarb is in season from late April until the end of June whereas forced rhubarb is in season from late December until March.
You can use pretty much any type of apple for rhubarb & apple crumble! I like to use Braeburn apples as they hold their shape once cooked.
Yes, both the rhubarb & apple filling and the crumble topping can be made 2-3 days in advance & stored separately in the fridge. I’d recommend assembling the crumble just before baking and if you’re baking the crumble straight from the fridge, you’ll need to add a couple of extra minutes to the cooking time.
Although you don’t have to pre cook crumble filling, I recommend it as it allows us to thicken up the juice before baking. It also means that we can taste the filling then add in more sugar if needed.
Equipment Used
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More Dessert Recipes To Try!
- Blackberry, Pear & Apple Crumble
- Cherry Bakewell Crumble
- Classic Apple Crumble
- Brown Butter Hobnob Cheesecake
- Cake Crumb Treacle Tart
- Banana Sticky Toffee Pudding With Miso Caramel
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Rhubarb & Apple Crumble
Equipment
- 10" Round Baking Dish
- Large Saucepan
- Mixing Bowl
- Vegetable Peeler
Ingredients
Crumble Topping
- 170 g Plain Flour
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
- ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ½ tsp Ground Ginger
- 150 g Unsalted Butter (Chilled & Diced)
- 80 g Porridge Oats
- 80 g Demerara Sugar
- 70 g Light Brown Sugar
- 30 g Flaked Almonds (Optional)
Rhubarb & Apple Filling
- 400 g Rhubarb
- 4 Braeburn Apples
- 175 g Caster Sugar
- 50 g Unsalted Butter
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Vanilla Paste
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
- 1 tbsp Cornflour
- 1 tbsp Cold Water
To Serve
- Vanilla Ice Cream Or Custard
Instructions
Crumble Topping
- Place the plain flour, salt, cinnamon & ginger into a mixing bowl, stir to combine then add in the butter. Rub the butter in with your hands, until the mix resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
- Next, stir in the oats, both sugars & almonds then squeeze the mix together to form small clumps.If the pieces are too big, break them up with your fingers.
- Place the crumble mix into the fridge & leave to chill whilst you make the filling.
Rhubarb & Apple Filling
- Preheat an oven to 180°c/160°c fan (356°f/320°f).
- Grease the inside of a round 10" ovenproof dish with butter then set aside.
- Lightly trim the ends off the rhubarb if needed then cut into 3 cm pieces. Set aside for now.
- Next, peel, quarter & core the apples then cut into 3 cm pieces.
- Add the apples into a large saucepan along with the sugar, butter, lemon juice, vanilla & salt. Set the pan over a medium heat then cook, stirring frequently until the apples are starting to soften. This will take 5 minutes or so.Apples take longer to cook than rhubarb which is why we add them in first.
- Add the rhubarb pieces into the pan then continue cooking for another 3-4 minutes, until the rhubarb is starting to soften as well. Make sure to stir the fruit frequently!
- Place the cornflour & water into a small bowl, mix together then stir into the fruit. Cook out for another minute or so, until thick then transfer the fruit into the greased dish.
- Sprinkle the cold crumble topping over the fruit, to completely cover then bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes until the topping is golden brown & the filling is bubbling.
- Once cooked, let the crumble stand for a couple of minutes then spoon into bowls & serve with ice cream or custard (or both!).
