Scottish Rhubarb Cranachan is my variation on one of the best known Scottish desserts. It’s a delicious dessert of whipped cream, Scotch whisky, honey, toasted oatmeal and roasted rhubarb.
What is rhubarb?
Rhubarb is a hardy perennial plant with pink, red or pale green stems that are most often used in desserts like crumbles and pies.
It has a tart flavour and is too sharp to eat raw, but combined with sugar and other ingredients it has a delicious tangy taste.
How do you grow rhubarb?
Rhubarb grows from a crown. This is a thick rhizome which is planted just below the surface of the soil.
Rhubarb plants like lots of moisture. If you live in a dry areas of the country then mulch the plant with compost to keep in the moisture.
When is rhubarb in season?
The best rhubarb is available in Spring. Forced rhubarb that grows in the dark is available earliest. It has pale pink stems and is tender and sweet.
Rhubarb continues to grow throughout the summer but as the season progresses the stems become tougher.
My garden rhubarb
I have several well-established crowns of rhubarb in my garden. They have been in the garden for at least 50 years and pop up every year providing lots of delicious rhubarb stalks.
What is Cranachan?
Cranachan is a dessert usually made with Scottish raspberries, whipped cream, honey, Scotch whisky and toasted oatmeal. For this recipe, I use rhubarb from my garden instead of raspberries and roast it with sugar to make a Rhubarb Cranachan.
How to make Scottish Rhubarb Cranachan
It’s easy to make Scottish Rhubarb Cranachan, you will find the full recipe at the bottom of this article. Here are the basic steps:
- Roast the rhubarb in a single layer sprinkled with caster sugar until tender.
- Toast the oatmeal and the hazelnuts under the grill or in a dry frying pan
- Rub the skins off the hazelnuts, then blend the oats and hazelnuts with sugar to a crumb texture.
- Whip the double cream and fold in the creme fraiche, whisky and honey
- Layer the oats, cream and roasted rhubarb in glasses.
You can eat the Cranachan straight away, but it does improve if you leave it for up to 24 hours.
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More Cranachan Recipes
Scottish Whisky Mac Cranachan brings the warmth of ginger to this classic Scottish dessert.
Iced Cranachan – a frozen Scotch whisky, oatmeal and honey ice cream served with raspberries and a raspberry coulis
Cranachan – Tinned Tomatoes
More Rhubarb Desserts
Rhubarb Cheesecake Bars bring creamy cheesecake together with pieces of rhubarb and an oaty biscuit base.
Rhubarb and Orange Fool is a light and creamy dessert that everyone will love.
You only need three small stalks of rhubarb to make this delicious Rhubarb and Ginger Trifles dessert, ideal for the first rhubarb of the season.
Mini Chocolate Rhubarb Pavlovas – Tin & Thyme
Rhubarb and Ginger Pavlovas – Foodie Quine
Scottish Rhubarb Cranachan
Ingredients
- 3 large stalks of rhubarb
- 30 g caster sugar
- 100 g pinhead or medium oatmeal
- 50 g hazelnuts toasted
- 60 g light soft brown sugar
- 200 ml double cream
- 100 ml creme fraiche
- 25 ml malt whisky or a whisky liqueur
- 2 tsp Scottish Heather Honey or other honey
Instructions
- Clean the rhubarb and cut into 3cm lengths, place in a single layer in an ovenproof dish and sprinkle with caster sugar. Roast for about 8-10 minutes at 180C. The rhubarb pieces should be whole but if you pierce with a knife, it should be soft all the way through. Leave the rhubarb to cool.
- Meanwhile, toast the oats on a tray under the grill (broiler), watch them carefully so they don't burn, move them around a little so that they toast evenly.
- Toast the hazelnuts in the same way or in a dry frying pan which can be easier to manage, let them cool and rub off the skins.
- Put the oats, hazelnuts and sugar into a blender and whizz them up, make sure you don't grind them to a powder you want a little bit of texture, you are looking for the texture of rough breadcrumbs.
- Whip the double cream and mix with the creme fraiche, honey, and Scotch whisky.
- Spoon into individual glasses starting with the oat mixture, the cream, rhubarb and then repeat the layers, finishing with a few of the best pieces of rhubarb and a little spoonful of oat mixture.
What a FABULOUS dessert and as a BIG rhubarb lover, as you know, this would be top of my list for a spring dessert! Karen
Thanks Karen, it is definitely the time to be a rhubarb lover!
My family are obsessed with rhubarb so I’ve saved this to make for them. Lovely photos x
Thanks Sisley, I hope you all enjoy it.
This looks delicious – I applaud you for getting your layers so neat, I can never do it! Too clumsy!
Why thank you, I never really thought about the layers, I just blob it in, seems to come out okay – tee hee!
Heavenly – I love rhubarb and I’m missing picking my own (our crown got too woody and old and I made the mistake of splitting it too vigorously), I must plant a new one next year!
Oh what a shame Chris, I used to have three crowns but only one now, so I will need to think about getting another just in case!