Apple & Rhubarb Crumble With Ginger (juicy fruit, crisp, oat topping)

Apple & rhubarb crumble with ginger being served from a large baking dish into bowls.

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Apple & Rhubarb Crumble With Ginger (juicy fruit, crisp, oat topping)

Apple & rhubarb crumble is sweet, tart and irresistibly comforting. This easy homemade crumble combines juicy fruit with a hint of stem ginger (optional) and a golden, buttery oat topping. A tasty medley of flavours, this classic dessert is a crowd pleasing must try.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Dessert, Pudding

Cuisine: British, Worldwide

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 425kcal

Author: Jane Coupland

Equipment

1 Large baking dish approx 15cm x 20cm x 6cm (WxHxD)

Ingredients

Apple & Rhubarb Filling

400 g Rhubarb
400 g Eating apples e.g. Pink Lady
2 Stem ginger bulbs
80 g White sugar granulated or caster sugar
1 tablespoon Cornflour (cornstarch)

Crumble Topping

190 g Plain flour (all purpose)
75 g White sugar granulated or caster sugar
125 g Butter
Salt - a pinch
60 g Oats large
50 g Demerara sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180℃/350℉ and lightly grease the baking dish.
Trim and discard the ends from the rhubarb. Cut the remaining stalks into pieces approximately 2cm long. Cut the apple into quarters, remove & discard the core and chop the flesh roughly. Put the rhubarb and apple into a large mixing bowl.
400 g Rhubarb, 400 g Eating apples
Combine the cornflour and sugar in a small bowl then sprinkle it over the fruit. Use your hands to toss the ingredients together until the fruit is coated in the sugar-flour mixture.
80 g White sugar, 1 tablespoon Cornflour
Spoon half of the fruit mixture into the baking dish. Finely dice one bulb of stem ginger and spread it over the fruit (it can be sticky, so use a knife to push chunks onto the fruit).
2 Stem ginger bulbs
Spoon the remaining fruit, plus any remaining sugar-flour mix (or liquid) into the baking dish. Chop the remaining bulb of stem ginger and spread it over the top.
2 Stem ginger bulbs
Make the crumble topping by stirring the flour, white sugar and salt together. Cube the butter, add it to the bowl and use your fingers to rub it into the other ingredients until it begins to form clumps.
190 g Plain flour, 75 g White sugar, Salt - a pinch, 125 g Butter
Add the oats and Demerara sugar to the topping mixture. Stir them in.
60 g Oats, 50 g Demerara sugar
Spoon the crumble mixture over the top of the fruit. Spread it out evenly, but do not press it down.
Bake for 40 minutes until golden on top. The filling may bubble up a little, adding to the rustic charm. Let your crumble cool for 20 minutes then tuck in.

Video

Notes

Use a deep baking dish: The rhubarb and apple filling takes up a lot of space. As it cooks it does soften, leading the dessert to fall in height during baking, but don't try squeezing all the ingredients into a shallow baking dish as it is likely to overflow.
Reduce the sugar with caution: The recipe presented includes sufficient sugar to enjoy the fruit filling sweet but with the signature tart rhubarb flavour. Significantly reducing the sugar content in this recipe may mean that the filling is too tart to be enjoyable.
Bake adequately: The fruit in the filling needs plenty of time to cook through to ensure it is tender. Don't rush the bake time.
Use frozen rhubarb: If you are using frozen rhubarb you can add it into the apples just as it is, but I'd advise using an extra tablespoon of cornflour as frozen fruit can often give off a little more liquid that their fresh counterparts. You may also need to extend the cooking time by 5-10 minutes - just cover the top of your crumble loosely with foil or parchment if it is browning too much.
Make it vegan: Swap the butter for dairy-free block butter substitute to turn it into a vegan apple & rhubarb crumble.
Make it gluten-free: You will need to use gluten-free plain flour and ensure that the oats are also labelled as gluten-free, without risk of cross contamination in production. If in doubt, omit the oats entirely and replace with an extra 60g of your chosen gluten-free flour.
Storage instructions: Fruit crumble is best eaten on the day it is made to enjoy the topping at it's best. However, it can be stored (covered) in the fridge for up to 2 days. Just reheat for a few minutes at a low oven temperature. Alternatively, it can be frozen and reheated once defrosted.

Variations

Omit the ginger: Don't want those warming spice notes? Just go with a straightforward apple rhubarb crumble.
Add orange: Toss the finely grated zest of a large orange with the fruit for an extra burst of fruit flavour.
Include nuts: Almonds are a lovely addition to this dessert. Mix 30g of flaked almonds into the crumble topping.
Add vanilla: Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract over the fruit before mixing in the cornflour and sugar.
Rosemary: Sounds strange, but rosemary pairs well with both fruits in this recipe. Leave out the ginger but scatter the finely chopped leaves from a spring of fresh rosemary over your fruit to wind up with a noteworthy crumble that will get tongues wagging.

Nutrition