Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake

This is one of those posts I almost don't want to write because any description or photo of this coffee cake can't do it justice.  This is my mom's recipe and it is the best. coffee cake. EVER.

I LOVE rhubarb.

Usually I want it straight up.  I would choose straight rhubarb pie over strawberry rhubarb pie any day.  

But this is one instance when the strawberries should not be left out.  And the result is pure heaven.

This is a breakfast we beg my mom to make every time we go home.  She even made this for Josh at Christmas time this past year, on special request, even though it was obviously the wrong season for it.

When we went to Vermont this time we were very sad to hear that rhubarb season was already over.   

But mom was ready for us...she had frozen some. :)

Look at those frozen beauties.

 
So we got to have another strawberry rhubarb coffee cake after all. 

My mom is usually the one who makes this for us but since a cute little blond haired boy woke me up very early one morning I decided to do the honors this time.

Still half asleep.

We haven't had much luck finding rhubarb in Texas, but after writing this post I think I'm going to go from store to store on a serious rhubarb hunt this weekend.  We need to have one more taste of this deliciousness before summer is over.
 

Hmm, I wonder what's in here!

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Coffeecake

FILLING*

2 1/4 cups rhubarb, sliced

12 oz. frozen strawberries with sugar, thawed (or 1 1/2 cups fresh plus extra sugar)

1 1/2 Tbl. lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

*We usually double this filling recipe and freeze half of it to make another coffeecake later!  

Cook berries and rhubarb, covered, over medium heat for 5 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients and cook, stirring, for another 5 minutes or until thick.

CAKE

3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. powder

1 tsp. salt

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 375. 

Combine dry ingredients.  Cut in butter till crumbly.  Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla and mix till combined.

Spread half the batter in a greased 13x9 inch pan.  Spread strawberry/rhubarb filling over top.

Spoon remaining cake batter in small rounds on top of filling and smooth slightly to partially/mostly cover the filling.

TOPPING

3/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup butter

Combine flour and sugar; cut in butter.  Sprinkle over top of coffee cake.

Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes.

Eat it while it's still warm!

King Arthur's Crumb Coffeecake

It's another ice day in Dallas! 

After our terrifying trek out to eat last Friday night, when two crazy drivers almost hit us even though by then they had to go out of their way to slip in the slush, we are staying right here. 

Everything is closed and we're wondering when this city will just invest in a couple dozen sand trucks.  One sand truck?  Really, Dallas, this is getting ridiculous.

But we'll take another lazy day.


And today I really mean lazy.  I did do my Insanity workout, but just barely.  And I did do four huge loads of laundry.  But now they're all staring me in the face waiting to be folded...and I just don't know if I can do it.

Here they are:

Under this pile there is, or at least there used to be, an big brown overstuffed chair.  I'm not sure when we'll see it again.

I'm feeling so lazy today that I don't even feel like baking anything.  It's that bad. 

So here is a recipe I made for Saturday morning brunch two weeks ago when Josh's parents were here.  It was the first time I tried this recipe, it's from my King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion Cookbook, and it was GOOD.

Five star, keep-this-recipe-forever kind of good. 

Without further ado:

King Arthur's Crumb Coffeecake

Crumb Topping:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 tsp. almond extract

Cake:

8 Tbl. butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup sour cream

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

Confectioner's Sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350.  Greased 13x9 pan.

To make the crumb topping:

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.  Pour butter and extracts into flour mixture and mix until butter is absorbed and you have a uniformly moistened crumb mixture.  Set aside.

To make cake:
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time and beat in-between additions.  Beat in vanilla and sour cream.  In a medium-sized mixing bowl whisk together flour, soda, salt and powder.  Add to sour cream mixture, mixing until combined.  Pour into greased pan.  Crumble the crumb mixture over top.  

Bake 30-35 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool on a rack; dust with confectioner's sugar.

 

And after looking at all these photos I think I just found the energy to bake something today after all.  :)