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Big Crumb Strawberry Rhubarb Cake

February 6, 2022 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

While I write this entry, it is sleeting, and miserably cold. It was 40* earlier this week, and last weekend we had a big snow storm. So, there you go New England weather…Good times.

I don’t mind the cyclical movement of the seasons, there is something absolutely beautiful in each, and there is a reminder that things change. Winter brings about a certain type of darkness and quiet that I do not get in the summer.

Which is all a gift. I’m more apt to be comfortable in my own skin during the warmer productive months. Summertime brings long days outside working either in my own yard or my other job (which I love- working on a local flower farm). I am up really early, am outside later, and I go to bed tired. I like the long hours of sunlight. I like the sound of crickets and birds.

So during winter, I have found, I am not good at sitting still. I’m working on it, but it’s not something that comes naturally. I kind of envy the people that slowly ease into their day or sit on a sofa on a Saturday morning just to watch TV. It is just not who I am. I had a friend who could nap anywhere. What a talent! Winter is nice for a few weeks, but it is wearing out its welcome. Winter is just too quiet.

No matter the weather today, I have to remember that soon the days will get longer and the plants will send forth their shoots, and the world will be green again. It will happen, I mean, in a few months or so…but still. A girl can dream.

I planted four Rhubarb plants over the course of the last few years, and they are always a welcome reminder that spring is coming. They pop up with their little “hello world” selves and my heart is so happy. Four rhubarb plants provide enough for multiple recipes, even being newly established.

In Pennsylvania, my children’s great grandparents -affectionately called “Grandma and Grandpa Choo Choo” (because he had built an elaborate train set in his basement) had a real-deal victory garden. He had served overseas in WWII, they had known what it was like to live without during that time. He would tell stories of having to ration items, to make due with what they had. Every year their garden was sizable and productive.

They had rhubarb plants so big you could hide in them. Or maybe that’s just my memory.

What I loved most about that garden was, whenever you needed rhubarb, Grandpa would hold back the leaves, grab an old knife hidden/stuck in the ground near the base of the plant, and whack off a few stalks. It was genius. Maybe not super safe according to today’s standards, but it worked.

I know rhubarb isn’t an ingredient well loved by all. It’s a sour-celery sort of thing. But when it is baked into a cake with strawberries, it provides the moist, bursts of flavor that balance a sweet cake and definitely the cinnamon sugar buttery topping.

There are a few renditions of this recipe out there in the recipe world, the original one I found was the New York Times recipe that is straight up rhubarb. I added the strawberry. You can add or substitute as you see fit. It might be really good with blueberry or without anything extra.

The cake batter comes together quickly and is the top and bottom layer for a generous fruit filling.

Now, the crumb topping is out of this world. When you make it and set it aside as the cake bakes, you think…did I do this right? It may appear stiff and clumpy. The answer is yes, yes you did. The buttery cinnamon and sugar goodness is so complimentary to the strawberry rhubarb/cake part of this recipe. Don’t skimp.

When this bakes up the crumb topping stays in chunks, and it is glorious.

Now if we could just get the weather to agree and move on to spring. Soon, soon, soon.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, I thank you for coming to the table.

Love, Chrissy

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Big Crumb Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake

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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!

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

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.

Banana Pecan Streusel Coffee Cake

February 5, 2022 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Recently while grocery shopping, my daughter asked me why we never buy coffee cake. It’s not that I don’t like coffee cake, I just always lean towards making it instead of purchasing it. Especially since it is an easy thing to put together.

This recipe is so good. It combines a lighter banana cake, a sweet crumble toping with pecans, and then an optional “Honey Bun” glaze…(as if that is an option). It’s from a cookbook entitled Big Bad Breakfasts, by John Currance, which I just had to check out. It has a tough guy book exterior, but actually the stories associated with each of the recipes is charming. I love that in a cookbook.

I’m the type of person who would rather go out for breakfast over any other meal. Find me a diner or a tiny cafe, I am in. There is something to having someone else make my breakfast it better.

This batter uses two ripe mashed bananas, which is either the amount hanging around or easy enough to find in the produce section. I like that the banana flavor is present without being overpowering. It comes together quickly, and the streusel topping is out of this world.

In the original recipe it calls for placing the pecans on top of the streusel- I just chopped mine up and added them in with all of the brown sugary goodness. If you wanted to do both, I am sure the larger pieces of pecan would add a special decorative quality as well as flavor boost. I figured since I was opting for the Honey Bun Glaze, I didn’t mind incorporating the pecans with the streusel mixture.

This recipe bakes up beautifully, combining the sweetness of cinnamon and brown sugar with the banana cake.

While your cake is cooling, prepare your glaze and drizzle away! You will not be disappointed!

While the winter season continues to keep us bundling up with warm sweaters and socks, there is something comforting in a recipe such as this. It isn’t just for breakfast either…I am pretty sure a slice of this cake is perfect any time of day.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table.

Love,

Chrissy

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Banana Pecan Streusel Coffee Cake

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Banana Pecan Coffee Cake with Honey Buns Glaze is originally from the cookbook Big Bad Breakfast by John Currance. This light banana coffee cake is topped with a generous streusel topping and another layer of sweet glaze!

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Cake:

· 1/3 cup granulated sugar

· 1/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

· 2 ripe bananas, mashed

· 1/4 cup sour cream

· 1 egg

· 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

· 1 tablespoon baking powder

· 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

· 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· 1/4 cup milk

Streusel Topping:

· 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

· 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar (I use dark brown sugar in my recipe)

· 2 tablespoon granulated sugar

· 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

· 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

· 1/3 cup toasted chopped pecans

Honey Glaze:

· 1/2 cup powdered sugar

· 2 tablespoons honey

· 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

· 1 tablespoon milk

· 1 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

Cake:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Grease an 8-inch square baking dish. Set aside. (I baked my recipe at 350*, you can also line your baking pan with parchment paper for easy lifting/cutting for serving).

Combine the sugar and butter in a large bowl and cream together in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment until light and fluffy, (about 5 minutes).

Add in the mashed bananas, sour cream, and egg. Mix until thoroughly combined.

In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt.

Add the dry ingredients into the banana mixture, then add the milk.

Beat until completely combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking 8 x 8 pan.

For the Streusel Topping:

In another bowl, combine the flour, both sugars, and the cinnamon. (I added my pecans at this point or you can add on top after the streusel is distributed).

Add the butter – using a pastry cutter, fork, or your fingertips, cut the butter into the mixture until coarse crumbs form.

Sprinkle the topping over the batter, then sprinkle the pecans on top.

Bake until the cake is golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Glaze:

While the cake is cooking, make the glaze. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, honey, vanilla, milk and melted butter.

Drizzle the cake with the glaze, then let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting into squares.

Coffee cake with last up to 2 days covered.

Springform Pan Blueberry Crumb Coffee Cake

September 7, 2017 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Once upon a time, I went to bed with a cookbook and a stack of post its. OK, it wasn’t that long ago…no worries, I have fully accepted and embraced my nerd status. I’m ok with it.

Actually, I tend to purchase cookbooks and read them like novels. There is something about a back story to a recipe or the person creating it. Enter websites and food blogs, and I am one happy reader. Listen, some people binge watch reality tv, recipes are my thing…it’s all good.

As a teacher note- if you or your loved one doesn’t consider yourself, “a reader,” but you find yourself drawn to reading online articles, sports magazines, book about bugs, how-to books, or say, cookbooks…guess what? You are a reader. You just prefer non-fiction. I am a balanced reader, in that I read whatever, but for some people (and students in particular young students who don’t love reading) non-fiction is my in. I am teaching about bugs, and trucks, and tigers, oh my. If they are interested in what they are reading, leave it alone and let them read.

We also have this staff breakfast on Fridays at my work where we take turns supplying the eats. It’s a collaborative friendly celebration of survival and academic excellence. So my inner breakfast bossy-pants wants to bring my best to the table, I want my staff to know I love them enough to make the good stuff.

Practice makes perfect. So, I tried out another recipe.

This recipe started out with one from the justapinch food blog. The original recipe can be found here: https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/dessert/cake/blueberry-crumb-coffee-cake.html I did make some changes because I don’t want to just use another person’s recipe, and I am also always struggling with the density of coffee cakes and muffins, and am on a cake flour bender.

I made this recipe using a springform pan, which is another new thing for me, but I think the effect of the finished cake was beautiful, and enabled me to slice it into perfect wedges for sharing.

The crumb topping for this cake is beautiful. I added more spices than the original and in truth, felt it needed more. I asked my tasters (fresh out of the gym, yes I am the bad friend who hands baked goods over after people work out) and the response was, “What? It doesn’t need anything.” Granted, it could be the boot camp talking. They work hard in those classes. Anything may have tasted good at the moment.

I once read about how one of the makers of Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream had a condition which made him not be able to taste efficiently, which is why the flavors in that ice cream are so intense. I wonder sometimes if I suffer from the same thing? The need for more cinnamon is a thing, right? Right?

So, in addition to messing with the flour, I also added a little more sugar, more blueberries, and like aforementioned, more spice.

This deliciousness will be coming to Friday breakfast for sure, and even though it is close to perfection, I can be absolutely sure it won’t be my last recipe when it comes to blueberries, crumb topping, and the oven. Like my nerd awareness, I am ok with it. I really am.

I hope you like this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

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Springform Pan Blueberry Crumb Coffee Cake

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This blueberry perfection is based on the original Recipe Blueberry Crumb Coffee Cake by Lori Newton of www.justapinch.com My alterations to the recipe include combination of flours, and minor regarding amounts of spice, sugar, and berries. Her recipe is perfection!

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com
Category: Breakfast
Method: Baking
Cuisine: Coffee Cake

Ingredients

Scale

Blueberry Cake:

1 C AP Flour
1 C Cake Flour
2 tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 ¼ C granulated sugar
¼ C softened butter
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ C buttermilk
4–5 C blueberries

Perfection Crumb Topping:

½ C light brown sugar
¼ C AP Flour
¼ C Cake Flour
½ C Butter
1 ½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (I used a nutmeg and a microplane)

Instructions

Prepare a springform pan, buttering and flouring, then set aside. Preheat oven to 350*

Combine ingredients for crumb topping, mixing flours, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar until combined. Grate butter or cut into small cubes and cut into dry mixture until form a crumble texture.

For Cake:

Cream together butter, sugar, until light yellow, add in egg, vanilla, and small amount of buttermilk. Combine dry ingredients, then add to mixture slowly, alternating with remainder of buttermilk. Gently fold in blueberries.

Put batter into prepared springform pan, and top with crumble topping.

Depending on your oven, bake anywhere between 45-60 minutes, testing the center until the tester comes out clean with just a little crumb.

Cool and slice in to wedges.

Coconut Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Bread

August 9, 2017 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Coconut Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Bread

Have you ever had one of those recipes you can locate at anytime within a matter of seconds? You know, the tried and true and you almost don’t need the recipe but you keep an extra copy of it at arms reach just as a reference? For me, this is that recipe.

This started with an abundance of zuchinni more than a decade ago. We had a fantastic garden in Pennsylvania, as well as access to an amazing farmer’s market. While up to this point I was a zucchini evader (bring on the yellow squash all day…) I found myself growing and then harvesting, especially around this time of summer, an abundance of this green squash.

I am a veggie lover. I prefer “zoodles” to pasta at this point. We had created all sorts of healthy casseroles and zucchini lasagna, and yet…even after donating them to any who would take them, we still had more.

Here is where my life as a zucchini fan changed forever. A family recipe surfaced that included INSTANT PISTACHIO PUDDING, wait, and SHREDDED COCONUT? Squash drop. Sign me up.

Of course I added chocolate chunks. Because, hello? Chocolate chunks and steamy, beautiful bread work. If you are not a fan of coconut, I have to add that you really don’t notice it. I add coconut extract because I love coconut, but you can substitute it for vanilla extract as well. It doesn’t come across as one of those coconut cakes you see around Easter (which, I love, by the way). There is so much texture to the bread already, so I say, just try it. Worst case, you can give it away, and people WILL ask you for the recipe. Because, its that good.

This is a simple one bowl recipe the mixes quickly and easily. However, I must advise if for any reason you are a pre-measurer and want to get stuff done ahead, leave the pudding mix out until you are ready to go. Once upon a time I made zucchini bread with alien green chunks (apparently instant pudding will become pudding if say, there is any moisture at all present). It was good, but not as good.

The pistachio pudding makes the bread a little greener, but it also adds moisture and a nice flavor. I don’t always add additional walnuts to my bread, so the pistachio pudding gives it that nutty kick as well. You can substitute this flavor for vanilla or even chocolate if you feel festive. The bread mixture is versatile.

As for the zucchini, here’s where I do my thing. I like to use a fine grater for this. You can have your big chunkies of squash if you like it, but for me, a fine grate, and squeeze the moisture out. It just makes for me a more aesthetically pleasing bread.

Coconut Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Bread Mixture

You can make this recipe into two loaf pans, or as I do, in many smaller pans (then you have more to share). Either way, the recipe does take almost a full hour to bake, and trust me, you will want to slice into it as soon as it comes out of the oven. And hey, we need to taste the product before we give it away, am I right?

This bread freezes beautifully, so you can make a bunch of these breads and enjoy them later on, when the zucchinis in the super market are skinny and sad, and look road-travel weary. Some vegetables just taste better in the summer when they are fresh and local. Take advantage.

I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

Coconut Chocolate Chunk Zuchinni Bread Finished Product

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Coconut Chocolate Chunk Zucchini Bread

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Deliciously moist zucchini bread with coconut and chocolate chunks! So fantastically

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50-60 minutes
Total Time: 42 minute
Yield: 2 loaves 1x
Category: Bread
Method: Baking

Ingredients

Scale

3 Eggs
1 C Oil
2 C Sugar

Add:

2 C Finely Grated Zucchini
1 Tbsp Coconut Extract
1 tsp Baking Soda
¼ tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
3 C Flour
1 Box instant Pistachio Pudding
½ C Shredded Coconut
½ C Chopped Walnuts
½ – 1 C Chocolate Chunks

Instructions

Prepare two loaf pans, combine first three ingredients. Add remaining ingredients until combined. Pour batter into pans.

Bake at 350* for 50-60 minutes

I Messed With Betty’s Buckle

August 5, 2017 by chrissy@mythankfultable.com

It’s blueberry season in our area. Call me an old fashioned girl, but there is something special when my daughter and I head out to our local farm, buckets in hand, ready to pick. Yes, you can buy them in the grocery store or your local farm stand, but there is nothing like being a part of the process. If you are lucky, the season extends for several weeks.

Often, you hear the people talking in the next row, or young families taking their children on an adventure for the first time. That’s when I look at my now willowy fourteen year old and think, “didn’t we do this with the baby carrier yesterday?” Sigh.

There is a sense of community and accomplishment to berry picking that is really unique. For every person I share this with who thinks, “OH COOL!” there is another person who gives the blank glazed over stare. As in, “That sounds painful.” I get it, to each her own. For some reason, I think the berries I pick myself…always taste sweeter. I’m sticking to it.

Blueberry picking is something we have done for years. I am a huge fan of supporting local businesses, and especially the farms in our area. By doing this, hopefully one day (WAY) down the road I can bring my grandchildren for the same experience.

A Blueberry Buckle is essentially a really great blueberry coffee cake. So for my base I used a recipe a friend of mine makes and brings to school if we are lucky. Thanks Lisa for sharing Betty’s goodness. Of course, leave it to me to mess with a good thing…

The original recipe can be found here and it is amazing.

https://www.bettycrocker.com Blueberry Best Coffee Cake

So here is where I went off trail…

I switched out half of the flour with Cake Flour. Cake flour is silky and light, and I found it made the cake batter less dense.
I also make extra crumble topping because, well, crumble topping is a good thing. You really can’t have too much crumble topping.
The blueberries are almost doubled because I like a little cake with my blueberries. There is nothing like cutting a slice and seeing the abundant bright violet blue of steamy blueberries (I’m sorry, did you think I waited to slice this up?).
I also switched out the extract to have either Almond or Vanilla because in our house…Almond Extract has a special place. Something about the smell, it’s a certain magic. (Yes, I swoon over extract). You can adjust the hot water to make the drizzle either thicker or looser depending on your taste.

This Blueberry Buckle is basically made in three bowls. The topping bowl, the cake batter bowl, and the drizzle bowl. It is made very quickly and is not stressful, I promise.

I used a smaller baking pan to make the serving size taller, and with the addition of the cake flour the overall result looked like one of those muffins you get at the good coffee shops…just bigger.

I tend to share everything I bake, so this got divided up and given away…which was a good thing, because it was really really good. It is quintessentially the perfect sidekick to my kick-off-the-day-large-cup of coffee.

Thank you for coming to the table!

Chrissy

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I Messed With Betty’s Buckle

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This is based on Betty Crocker’s Original Blueberry Buckle recipe. SO good, with some changes in the flour, berries, and spices.

Author: chrissy@mythankfultable.com

Ingredients

Scale

Crumble Topping 1⁄2 C Sugar

2/3 C Flour
2 Tsp Cinnamon
1⁄4 C Softened butter

Cake:
1 C All-Purpose Flour
1 C Cake Flour
1⁄4 C Oil
3⁄4 C Milk
1 Egg

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 1/2- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract

2 1⁄2 Tsp baking powder

3 -4 Cups Blueberries ( I used fresh- I believe frozen would work just as well)

Warm Vanilla Drizzle
1⁄2 C Powder Sugar
1⁄2 Tsp Vanilla or Almond Extract 1 Tsp Hot Water

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare an 9 x 9 inch pan with cooking spray.
Prepare Crumble Topping. Mix dry ingredients and cut in butter until consistency is crumbly.
Mix Cake ingredients until combined well and stir in blueberries. I typically like my blueberries with a side of cake- so you can tailor the quantity to your liking. 3 cups will be ample, 4 cups will be just shy of overboard…but that’s how I like it.
Spread batter into pan,
Top with Crumble Topping
Bake for 40 -50 minutes.
Prepare Warm Vanilla Drizzle
When cake is slightly cooled – time to slowly drizzle the drizzle!