Big Crumb Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake
This perfect spring dish combines the tart tangy rhubarb and the sweet bright taste of strawberry. Topped with a big crumb cinnamon brown sugar streusel, this coffee cake is a winner. Originally in the New York Times, my version is made in a bigger pan due to the increase in ingredients and addition of strawberries. I hope you enjoy it!
Ingredients
- Butter, for greasing pan
FOR THE STRAWBERRY RHUBARB FILLING:
- 2 Cups rhubarb, chopped into small dice
- 2 Cups sliced strawberries
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger (I used fresh)
FOR THE CRUMBS:
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup melted butter
- 1 ¾ cups flour (original recipe called for cake flour but I used all purpose)
FOR THE CAKE:
- ½ cup sour cream
- 3 large eggs
- 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup flour (cake or All purpose)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons softened butter, cut into small pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 9×11” baking pan.
For filling:
Slice rhubarb and strawberries 1/2 inch thick and toss with sugar, cornstarch and ginger. Set aside.
- To make crumb topping, in a large bowl, whisk together sugars, spices, salt and butter until smooth. Stir in flour with a spatula. It will look and feel like a solid dough. Set aside.
- To prepare cake, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla.
- Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- Add butter and a spoonful of sour cream mixture and mix on medium speed until flour is moistened. Increase speed and beat for 30 seconds. Add remaining sour cream mixture in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of bowl with a spatula. Scoop out about 1/2 of batter and set aside.
- Scrape remaining batter into prepared pan. Spoon strawberry and rhubarb mixture over batter. Dollop set-aside batter over rhubarb; it does not have to be even.
- Using your fingers, break topping mixture into big crumbs, about 1/2 inch in size. They do not have to be uniform, but make sure most are around that size. Sprinkle over cake. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean of batter (it might be moist from rhubarb), 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely before serving.