Everything you love about Strawberry Rhubarb Cake but easier to make and share! These bars are a great way to round off an al fresco meal.
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The appearance of rhubarb on the market is the first herald of spring for me! I look forward to seeing bright red stalks of this celery double every year—it’s one of my favorite ingredients.
Anyway, I can’t wait to get my hands on it and when it finally turns up I’ll be buying it in bags.
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Strawberry Rhubarb: A classic combination
Strawberry and rhubarb are such a classic combination. The bright red color is enhanced when cooked together, and the deep, tart flavor of the rhubarb plays so well with the candy-like sweetness of ripe strawberries.
While everyone thinks of pies when there’s rhubarb, these crumble bars are an easy-to-prep, hand-held option. The dough used for the crust doubles as a crumble topping.
Dicing the rhubarb and strawberry means the fruit easily turns into a jam-like center filling. Larger chunks of fruit will take longer to cook, which can result in overcooking of the crust.
Make the filling sweeter (or less) to taste.
The filling is made with minimal sugar content, which keeps the rhubarb more on the tart side and allows the naturally sweet strawberry flavor to shine through. But if you like your strawberry rhubarb desserts sweeter, feel free to increase the sugar by a tablespoon or so.
Use a parchment “sling” for easy baking.
A simple spritz of cooking oil will “stick” the parchment paper to the bottom of the pan while you prepare the bars. After baking, the parchment paper turns into a “sling” that allows you to remove the entire pan with bars and easily cut them. No need to dig into the bars and ruin them (or your pan)!
More great rhubarb recipes
- Rhubarb Meringue Pie
- Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
- Rhubarb sorbet
- Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler
- Rosemary-lemon-rhubarb spritzer
Strawberry rhubarb crumble bars
These strawberry rhubarb crumble bars are prepared in no time. The crust doubles as a crumble topping. Just be sure to dice the strawberry and rhubarb into small 1/4-inch pieces so they turn into a jam-like fruit filling. Larger pieces of fruit result in a chunkier filling.
ingredients
For the crust and crumble dough
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3 cups (420G) all purpose flour
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1 cup (200G) white granulated sugar
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon Cinammon
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1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
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1 cup (225G or 2 sticks) unsalted buttercold
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1 big egg
For the fruit filling
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2 cups (250G) diced 1/4 inch pieces) rhubarb (2 to 3 thick stems or 5 to 6 thin stems or just over 1/2 pound)
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2 cups (310G) diced (1/4 inch pieces) strawberries (3/4 pounds)
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3 tablespoon white granulated sugar
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1 tablespoon cornstarch
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1 tablespoon lemon juice
method
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Preheat oven to 375°F:
Spray a 9×13-inch skillet with cooking oil. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving the 1 inch of extra parchment paper hanging over the sides.
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make dough:
Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch pieces and sprinkle over the dry ingredients. Mash the butter with your fingers, chop into small pieces and mix together the dry ingredients. The butter should be the size of a small pea, but flat, not in chunks.
Add the egg and first whisk with a fork, then massage into the batter with your hand. The dough will be crumbly.
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Divide dough and shape crust:
Scoop out 1 cup (about 170g) of the crumbly batter and set aside.
Place the remaining batter in the bottom of the lined pan and press down firmly with your hands or the flat bottom of a cup to form an even layer of batter at the bottom.
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Prepare the filling and add to the pan:
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl (you can use the same bowl you used to make the dough if you like, no need to clean it). Spread it evenly over the bottom crust.
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Sprinkle with sprinkles and bake:
Scatter the reserved crumb pastry over the fruit filling. Bake in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes or until the tops of the fruit are bubbling and the crumbles are golden brown. Allow to cool completely in the pan until it reaches room temperature.
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Chill and cut the bars:
Use the parchment paper side to lift the entire block and carefully place it on a cutting board. Cut into bars. Serve at room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 180 | calories |
| 8g | Fat |
| 25g | carbohydrates |
| 2g | protein |
