Going, Going, Don’t Say Gone – Recipe: Strawberry-Rhubarb Coffee Cake

After spending June welcoming guests, grilling out on the deck and making frequent trips to the pool (for the kids, of course); spending July in Florida researching B&B’s and out-of-this-world restaurants; my head has been more than a little filled with all things summer.

Then yesterday, during my daily walk, mother nature snapped me back to reality with a little dose of this…

and this…

Sigh.

I love autumn. I used to say it was my favorite season, and in many ways it still is.

No season makes me feel more alive than fall, with its crisp, cool air and brilliant blue skies.

I love breaking out and breathing in the scent of my favorite wool sweater, and find myself hopelessly enraptured by the smells of faraway bonfires, fire pits and neighborhood wiener roasts.

I look forward to taking the kids apple picking at the orchards and choosing pumpkins from the farms, not to mention spending lazy, weekend afternoons visiting area wineries with my husband by my side.

Maybe best of all, between the pumpkins and the pears, the apples and the grapes, I get to fall in love with autumn’s exquisite flavors all over again.

Mmmm… fall holds the days of things that are good.

But so do spring and summer with their flowering herbs, fruit trees and gardens abloom. Who can resist the comfort of sunshine warming your skin, and the smell of fresh earth as you tend to the garden.

There are evening cookouts with friends and cool dips in the pool, children playing outside and strawberries by the bucket.

Yes. Spring and summer too hold the days of things that are good.

Before I can come to terms with releasing my grip on the fading days of August and begin embracing the changes fall will inevitably bring, there are a few last dishes to try. Dishes that, perhaps, should have been made earlier in the season, when spring and summer’s bounty was in its glory and the farmers’ markets were bursting with fresh fruits and vegetables of the season.

Although I’ve spent the past 40 years of my life living here in the Midwest where rhubarb runs rampant, it had never crossed my lips until my recent stay at The Addison on Amelia Island. Leave it to Florida.

Perhaps it was Shannon’s secret recipe for rhubarb-strawberry cake that finally lured me in, or maybe it was just time, but I finally stopped resisting and gave rhubarb a fair shake. After all, I had no reason not to.

If you already like rhubarb or the strawberry-rhubarb combination, I think you’ll appreciate the following recipe for Strawberry-Rhubarb Coffee Cake (with extra tips at the end). And if you’re like me, having never experimented with rhubarb before… then this is a recipe that will perhaps change your mind.

Either way it’s a great place to start, as well as a great start to your day!

Recipe: Strawberry-Rhubarb Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping

For the filling

• 3 cups sliced rhubarb, cut in 1″ pieces
• 1quart fresh strawberries, diced and lightly mashed
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the cake

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup chilled butter or margarine, cut into pieces
• 1 & 1/2 cups soured milk or buttermilk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla paste

For the topping

• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F for baking.

Assembly

In a large saucepan, combine rhubarb, strawberries and lemon juice. Cover and cook over medium heat, approximately 5 minutes. Combine sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg, stir into saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until thickened; remove from heat and set aside

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Beat milk, eggs and vanilla; stir into crumb mixture.

Spread half of the batter evenly into a greased, 13×9x2″ baking dish. Carefully spread filling across top. Drop remaining batter by the tablespoonfuls over the filling and gently spread to cover.

For the topping, melt the butter in the microwave over low heat; stir in flour and sugar until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over batter.

Lay foil on lower rack to catch any juicy, fruit spills should filling bubble over. Place coffee cake on middle rack and bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 40-50 minutes or until crumb topping turns light, golden brown. Cool thoroughly in pan. Cut into squares to serve.

Cook’s tips

• To sour milk, simply add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to 1 cup of milk, and let stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
• While this basic recipe is good, it becomes even better by replacing the crumb topping with a nutty, crunchy streusel one. If you have no objections to oats or nuts, try this easy, streusel variation for the topping instead: 1/3 cup diced, chilled butter or margarine; 3/4 cup all-purpose flour; 3/4 cup brown sugar; 1/4 cup uncooked regular oats; 1/4 finely chopped walnuts or pecans; and a pinch of salt.
• Invite a crowd over and enjoy!

Thank you for visiting Inn Cuisine! Be sure to check out the newly remodeled Recipe Index and subscribe to Inn Cuisine's free RSS feed (also available via email) so you never miss a recipe. Need more ways to stay connected? Follow Inn Cuisine on Facebook & Twitter!

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Tagged as: coffee cake recipes, coffee cake with crumb topping recipe, strawberry rhubarb coffee cake, strawberry rhubarb coffee cake recipe