Tangy and fragrant spring rhubarb topped with fluffy oaty biscuits in this simple and delicious rhubarb cobbler. An everyday winner!
Are you a fan of rhubarb? Then you need to take a look at my indulgent Rhubarb Curd!
All my friends know I am a rhubarb fanatic, quite literally. I snap it up as soon as the first bundles appear in shops and I go on cooking and baking it until nothing is left!
This time I was pleasantly surprised as some rhubarb came to me via a friend’s allotment. “I’ve got something for you”, she said as we were settling into our chairs with our coffees at the local coffee shop. Then she pulled up freshly cut rhubarb and I couldn’t be happier!
Rhubarb Recipes
Rhubarb has always been connected to my grandmother in my memories. She was the one who grew it in her garden next to flowers and used it in a million different ways in the kitchen.
One of my husband’s favourite ways to eat rhubarb is in a form of a cobbler. He is all about pies, crumbles and cakes. And lucky for him I have rhubarb cooked into every type of dessert imaginable.
My personal favourite is this Roasted Rhubarb Bakewell Tart, an English classic with my own twist. It takes a little time to prepare but it’s worth.
This simple Rhubarb Cake Sharlotka is typical Russian sponge cake with bits of rhubarb. It’s easy and takes barely any time at all.
Baking with rhubarb
I quite often combine rhubarb with any type of berries I happen to have at the moment. What berries do is add a burst of beautiful colour to the crumble.Take a look at this rhubarb strawberry crisp for example.
This time however, I decided to use rhubarb alone to showcase its delicate flavour without strawberries or blackberries taking away from this gorgeous vegetable!
Rhubarb itself tends to lose its beautiful shade of pink when cooked but this doesn’t take away from its delicious flavour. If the colour is important to you, a small amount of pink food colouring can be added, but I don’t find this to be necessary.
Another option is to use forced rhubarb. This has been grown in such a way that photosynthesis doesn’t happen, which keeps a vivid pink colour in the stalks as well as a sweeter, more delicate flavour. It’s a great option if you can find it!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Use forced rhubarb if you want to it to keep its colour after the rhubarb has been cooked. Forced rhubarb is deep coral colour. It is also sweeter and more tender than regular rhubarb. I wasn’t able to find it, so the rhubarb in the photos is not forced rhubarb.
- I used raw Demerara sugar for its gorgeous caramel-like taste and large crystals. Use Turbinado sugar if you are in the US. You can substitute with light brown sugar.
- I didn’t use flour or cornstarch to thicken the rhubarb but 1-2 tbsp could be added for a thicker filling.
- To get the best texture from the cobbler topping, use cold butter and cut it in the flower with a pastry blender, the same way you would for a pie crust.
- Don’t worry if your cobbler topping, or biscuits, are not perfectly shaped. It won’t make a difference once the cobbler has been baked.
Serving suggestions
It’s best to give cobbler at least 20-30 minutes to rest before serving. This will give the juices the chance to thicken so it will be less runny, and will mean that the filling will be warm rather than scaldingly hot!
I will always recommend serving warm cobbler with cold ice cream. Vanilla is my preference, but get as creative as you like. Pistachio, perhaps? Whatever you choose, the contrast of warm and cold is divine!
If you have sensitive teeth, that contrast may not be as enjoyable! In this case, whipped cream will be delicious!
Storage and leftovers
A cobbler will keep for 2-3 days in a refrigerator. I enjoy them hot or cold, but if you prefer warmed up then a microwave will do the job.
A cobbler can also be frozen. Just let it completely cool, then wrap in plastic wrap and aluminum foil or a lid and freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to enjoy it, let it defrost overnight in your fridge and then warm in an oven until it is hot throughout.
More Cobbler Recipes
Rhubarb Cobbler
Ingredients
- 5 cups /500g fresh rhubarb cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 cup /200g demerara/turbinado sugar
- 1 cup /140g flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ cup /50g demerara/turbinado sugar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup /113 g butter
- ½ cup / 50g rolled oats not instant
- ⅔ cup /150 ml whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F/190C
- Put diced rhubarb in a 2 Quart baking dish or a deep cast iron skillet and pour sugar over, stir to combine.
- For the topping, mix flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture is crumbly, then add oats and combine everything together, add milk and stir until just moistened.
- Drop spoonfuls on the rhubarb mixture leaving spaces here and there. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes until the rhubarb is cooked and the top is golden and crusty.
- Serve with ice cream, custard or whipped cream.
