On a Rhubarb Kick
If you have been on this blog in the spring or summer over the past couple of years, you will know by now that we love rhubarb. It is a favorite flavor of ours for refreshing summer desserts, especially when paired with sweet fruits, like strawberries or even apples. Rhubarb itself is not a fruit, but a vegetable, and it looks a bit like celery. Luckily, it doesn’t taste at all like celery, so we love to use it in desserts! It has a very tangy and sour flavor, so it often needs to be paired with either a lot of sugar or sweet fruits, or both. We also love it because it always grew in our garden in Denmark growing up, so it is also a nostalgic flavor for us.
Here are four of our other recipes that use this delicious vegetable: rhubarb pie, rhubarb cake, strawberry-rhubarb jam, and rhubarb slices.
Crisp or Crumble? That is the Question!
Now, today’s recipe is one that we struggled to name. In Danish, it is a smuldrekage, or a crumble cake. In English, we might translate this to a “crumble” or a “crisp.” But what is the distinction between the two? Well, luckily we aren’t the only ones asking this question. Our online research informed us us that a crisp topping contains oats while a crumble topping does not. Apparently, a crumble topping also typically has larger clumps, while a crisp topping is more evenly distributed over the layer of fruit. Therefore, we have translated this as a strawberry rhubarb crisp, mainly because we love the addition of oats and refuse to omit them!
The dessert itself is so delicious – a layer of fruit that turns jammy and has a great sweet-tangy balance, topped with a crisp that is nutty, crunchy, and so comforting! This is a wonderful dessert to make for a big group of people, as it really doesn’t take much fancy preparation but is still certain to impress. You can also customize it as you see fit, whether you want to change up the fruit or any of the ingredients in the crisp topping. I think pitted cherries or peaches would both be an amazing substitution!
How to Make Smuldrekage
The process itself really could not get easier. As I mentioned above, you can change it up however you like, and just follow the process in our recipe down below. You start by mixing together the chopped-up fruit, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and pouring it into a pan. Then, make your topping by combining the dry ingredients and crumbling in some cold butter. Top your fruit with this crisp topping and bake for about 45 minutes. The end result will be the most delicious summery dessert (although also great in the winter!) you can imagine. Serve it warm with ice cream on top and this recipe will be one that you come back to over and over again – we promise!
Smuldrekage med jordbær og rabarber (Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp)
Ingredients
FRUIT MIXTURE
- 385 grams (3-4 stalks) rhubarb
- 275 grams (~24 medium sized) strawberries
- 50 grams (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- Splash of lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp cornstarch *this is optional – it just helps to thicken up some of the liquid to make it a little less runny
CRISP TOPPING
- 113 grams (1 stick, 1/2 cup) unsalted butter *cold
- 80 grams (2/3 cup) all purpose flour
- 60 grams (1/2 cup) rolled oats
- 90 grams (~1/2 cup, packed) dark brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F (176C).
- Wash and prep the rhubarb and strawberries by cutting the rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces, removing the leaves from the strawberries and halving/quartering them (depending on the size!).
- Add the fruit to a bowl and mix in sugar, vanilla extract, a splash of lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Add cornstarch if you would like and mix together well – set aside while you prepare the topping.
- Add flour, oats, brown sugar, and salt to a bowl and stir together to combine.
- Cube the cold stick of butter and add to the bowl. Crumble between your fingers until the butter has broken down into smaller pieces (largest chunks should be pea sized) and the mixture resembles coarse sand (with oats).
- Add your fruit mixture to a pan – we used a 9 inch pie pan, but you can use a rectangular or square pan instead!
- Spread the topping over the fruit evenly.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes, until the fruit has cooked down and released its liquid – it should be bubbling around the sides! The topping should have a golden color to it as well. You can leave it in the oven for longer if needed!
- Let cool for around 15 minutes, then serve warm – we love to top ours with ice cream or whipped cream! Enjoy!
