Rhubarb & Custard Muffins with Hazelnut Crunch Crumble Topping for The Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round-Up (2024)

Fish & Chips, Blackberry & Apple, Strawberries & Cream, Sausage & Mash, Steak & Chips, Liver & Onions, Roast Beef & Yorkshire Pudding and Rhubarb & Custard.…….all of these recipes and ingredients are marriages made in heaven, and of them all I think rhubarb and custard is my favourite, on the sweet front that is. With several crowns (all from Yorkshire, home to the Rhubarb Triangle)in our garden all doing well this year, I thought it was time to share a few rhubarb recipes.

As well as creating lots of new rhubarb recipes, I also asked my good friend Janice (Farmersgirl Kitchen) if she’s like to co-host a little rhubarb challenge, and soThe Great British Rhubarb Recipe Round-Up was born…….anyone who has any rhubarb recipes, or who wants to create some new recipes, can join in and add their recipes to our Blog Hop and Linky Party challenge…..and between us all, we’ll get all of our rhubarb recipes out there for all to share!

Before I carry on, I must just share one of my all time favourite sweets, a two-toned boiled sweet that has my taste buds tingling just thinking about it, Rhubarb and Custard Sweets (or sweetie)……as seen above, and beloved of all tuck shops and village sweet shops. I remember running down to our local sweetie shop after school, with a threepenny piece burning a hole in my pocket, for a “quarter” of rhubarb and custards. I am sure that no rhubarb was ever used in making these sweets, but I still love their tart and creamy combination.

But back to my TWO recipes today, I am sharing my recipe for Roasted Rhubarb as well as my recipe forRhubarb & Custard Muffins with Hazelnut Crunch Crumble Topping.If you roast a batch of rhubarb, you can keep it in the fridge for a few days and then have a ready supply of the red stuff for cakes, desserts, pies, crumbles and even cordials and co*cktails. Roasting rhubarb intensifies the flavour and also helps to keep its shape too. Once roasted, you can then freeze it too…..I always have a batch or two in the fridge or the freezer.

Before I go, do have a look at my recipe forRhubarb & Custard Muffins with Hazelnut Crunch Crumble Topping, these are just genius, with rhubarb and custard in a muffin AND with a crumble topping, they cover all the bases for this classic flavour combination. I was delighted how these turned out and since making a dozen over the weekend I’ve made a second batch for the freezer. Roasted rhubarb is mixed with the muffin batter then a goodly dollop of cooked custard is “hidden” in the middle of the muffin before a hazelnut crunchy, crumble topping is added as the final flourish.

They work so well as a “cake” and as a warm pudding too, it’s up to you how you decide to serve them. That’s all for today, see you later in the week, with more recipes and news, Karen

Rhubarb & Custard Muffins with Hazelnut Crunch Crumble Topping

Print recipe

Serves	12
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	25 minutes
Total time	40 minutes
Allergy	Egg, Milk, Wheat
Dietary	Vegetarian
Meal type	Dessert, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot
Occasion	Birthday Party, Casual Party, Easter
Region	British
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

These delectable little muffins hide a delicious secret - in the middle of each rhubarb muffin is some custard. Who doesn't love rhubarb and custard and these also combine a crumble style topping too, so you can have rhubarb and custard AND crumble all in one or two bites!

Ingredients

Muffins

half a batch of roasted rhubarb, about 300g, drained (or 300g cooked rhubarb)
300g self raising flour
120g soft brown sugar
75g melted butter
1 large free-range egg, beaten
250ml creme fraiche or natural thick (Greek) yogurt
12 tablespoons ready-made custard (it should be quite thick and not too runny)

Crunch topping

50g plain flour
25g butter
50g soft brown sugar
75g hazelnuts, roughly chopped

Note

Directions

Step 1	Pre-heat oven to 180C/350F/Gas mark 5. Line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.
Step 2	Place all of the muffin ingredients, except the roasted rhubarb, into a bowl and mix with a hand mixer for 2 minutes - do NOT over mix.
Step 3	Add the well drained rhubarb and gently mix it through the mixture.
Step 4	Make the crunch crumble topping by rubbing the butter into the flour and then adding the sugar and hazelnuts, mix well.
Step 5	Spoon half of the muffin mixture into the prepared muffin cases and then add a tablespoon of custard to every muffin case; divide the remaining muffin mixture between the cases, and then scatter the crumble mixture over the tops of the muffins.
Step 6	Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the muffins are well risen the the crumble topping is crunchy and golden brown.
Step 7	Allow to cool in the tin for a few minutes before easing the muffins out of the tin.
Step 8	Best eaten warm; can be reheated and served as a hot pudding with extra custard or cream.
Step 9	NB: DO NOT eat when very hot as the custard might burn your mouth!

Roasted Rhubarb

Print recipe

Serves	4 to 6
Prep time	15 minutes
Cook time	20 minutes
Total time	35 minutes
Dietary	Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Meal type	Condiment, Dessert, Side Dish, Snack
Misc	Child Friendly, Freezable, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold, Serve Hot
Occasion	Casual Party, Easter, Formal Party, Valentines day
Region	British
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A easy way to cook fresh rhubarb; by roasting rhubarb you get a more intense flavour and taste, and the rhubarb holds it shape better. Roast a batch and then pop it in the fridge for future desserts, pies, cakes, crumbles or fools, and then strain the juice to use as a cordial or in co*cktails.

Ingredients

600g fresh rhubarb
100g soft brown sugar or golden caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla paste or the seeds from a vanilla pod

Note

A easy way to cook fresh rhubarb; by roasting rhubarb you get a more intense flavour and taste, and the rhubarb holds it shape better. Roast a batch and then pop it in the fridge for future desserts, pies, cakes, crumbles or fools - then just strain the juice to use as a cordial or in co*cktails.

Directions

Step 1	Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F/Gas mark 6.
Step 2	Wash or wipe the rhubarb, cut the leaves off, discard the leaves and then trim the "root end" of the rhubarb.
Step 3	Cut the rhubarb into bite sized pieces and place it all in an oven-proof tray or roasting tin.
Step 4	Spoon the sugar over the top and then mix the sugar through the rhubarb. Add the vanilla paste, mix again, covert with foil and bake covered for 15 minutes.
Step 5	After 15 minutes, remove the foil and stir the rhubarb through the sugary juices; roast for a further 5 minutes uncovered until the rhubarb is just soft but still holds its shape.
Step 6	Serve immediately with custard, or, allow to cool and store in a covered container in the fridge to use later for crumbles, pies, scones, cakes, muffins or fools. The liquid can be drained off and used as a cordial or in co*cktails.

The Rhubarb Triangle:

The Rhubarb Triangle is a 9-square-mile (23 km2) triangle in West Yorkshire, England between Wakefield, Morley and Rothwell famous for producing early forced rhubarb. It includes Kirkhamgate, East Ardsley, Stanley, Lofthouse and Carlton. The Rhubarb Triangle was originally much bigger, covering an area between Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield. From the first decade of the 20th century to 1939 the rhubarb industry expanded and at its peak covered an area of about 30 square miles (78 km2).

Rhubarb is a native of Siberia and thrives in the wet cold winters in Yorkshire. West Yorkshire once produced 90% of the world’s winter forced rhubarb from the forcing sheds that were common across the fields there.

In February 2010, Yorkshire Forced Rhubarb was awarded Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status by the European Commission’s Protected Food Name scheme after being recommended by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)