Rhubarb and strawberry cobbler

Cobbler is fruit baked beneath a layer of cake-like topping. It reminds me of crumble because, although it does not contain a crumble topping, it is served in a similar way. Most often warm, with ice cream or whipped cream… And the good news is that there is no need to worry about a soggy cake layer, because the fruit is on the bottom ;). The topping can be light or more biscuit-like; in this recipe it is very light, and you can replace the plain flour with spelt flour or wholemeal plain flour. It may not be the most elegant dessert, but it is very tasty; all kinds of fruit work well here, including frozen fruit.

Ingredients for the filling:

• 450 g rhubarb (do not peel the stalks)
• 450 g strawberries
• 1 cup sugar (or less, depending on the sweetness of the fruit)
• 3½ tablespoons potato starch

Ingredients for the topping:

• 210 g marzipan
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 115 g butter, at room temperature
• 1 large egg
• ½ teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• ½ cup milk

Cut the rhubarb into smaller pieces, place it in a small saucepan and cook for approximately 1 minute, until slightly softened.

Prepare an ovenproof dish measuring approximately 20 x 28 cm. Transfer the prepared rhubarb into the dish, then add the hulled strawberries, halved. Sprinkle with the sugar and dust with the potato starch. Set aside.

Place the marzipan into the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar and mix. Add the butter and mix again. Add the egg and extract in turn, mixing after each addition until combined. Mix the flour with the baking powder and salt. Add to the batter alternately with the milk, mixing only until the ingredients are combined. Spoon the prepared batter over the fruit. Do not spread it evenly; leave some fruit exposed so that steam can escape during baking. The top can also be sprinkled with flaked almonds if desired.

Bake at 180ºC for approximately 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the topping comes out clean. Remove from the oven, leave to cool for 10 minutes, dust with icing sugar and serve warm.

Enjoy!