Rhubarb Crumble

Enjoyed for generations, this old fashioned Rhubarb Crumble Recipe is – in a word – divine.

The tartness of the rhubarb is combined here with the sweet crumble topping and a hint of orange zest to create an easy, dreamy dessert.

The Recipe for Rhubarb Crumble

There are various recipes out there, but this one comes from a book I found in Nana Ling’s collection.

In 1948, the Australian Women’s Weekly published a “Cookery Book” which included prize recipes from its “cookery contest.”

As you can imagine, there are just so many wonderful recipes within the pages of this book, including this one for “Hot Rhubarb Crisp.”

Although there seems to have been some distinction between crisps and crumbles in the past, most foodies now agree that “the lines have blurred over the years and what was once called a crisp is called a crumble and a crumble is now called a crisp.” 

I’ve opted to name this recipe Rhubarb Crumble as I think it’s probably the more commonly understood term these days in Australia at least.

Ingredients for Rhubarb Crumble

This recipe calls for two cups of chopped rhubarb.

Wash and dry the rhubarb and chop it into 1cm lengths before measuring.

Take care to NOT include any leaves – only the stalks. The leaves contain a toxic compound.

You’ll also need:

• butter
• caster sugar (superfine sugar)
• vanilla extract
• egg
• cornflakes, crushed
• nutmeg
• finely grated orange rind.

All ingredient quantities can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Making this Easy Rhubarb Crumble

Prepping

Pre-heat oven to moderate (180 degrees celsius, fan-forced) and grease your baking dish with butter.

Mix up the crumble

Cream together the butter, sugar and vanilla until light and creamy.

Add the egg and beat again for one minute.

Stir through crushed cornflakes, nutmeg and orange zest.

TIP: Crush cornflakes with your hands as you add to the mixing bowl

Layer with the chopped rhubarb

Layer 1: Spoon half of the crumble mixture into the bottom of the baking dish. Spread out evenly using a spatula.

Layer 2: Place the chopped rhubarb into dish as the second layer.

Layer 3: Spoon the remaining mixture over the top of the rhubarb, spreading as evenly as possible.

Layer 4: Sprinkle the additional sugar and orange zest over the top layer.

Baking and Serving Rhubarb Crumble

Bake for 30 minutes.

Serve straight from the oven with store-bought or homemade custard.

Variation Ideas

Turn your crumble into apple and rhubarb crumble by replacing half of the chopped rhubarb with chopped apple.

Similarly, create strawberry rhubarb crumble by replacing half of the chopped rhubarb with chopped strawberries.

You could also replace the cornflakes with 1 cup of oats for a rhubarb crumble recipe with oats.

Recipe FAQs

Q. How long will Rhubarb Crumble keep?

Store covered in the fridge for up to a few days.

Q. How do I re-heat it?

Re-heat in the microwave or oven.

Q. Do you have other easy dessert recipes?

Plenty! You might like my Butterscotch Self Saucing Pudding, Chocolate Berry Cups, Heavenly
Hash, Fruit Cups, and Lemon Delicious.