strawberry-rhubarb coffee cake

Got rhubarb? Make a pie, right? Wrong. If you're going to make one strawberry-rhubarb thing before you run out of time, I think this should be it.  Throw away those grandiose ideas of pie.  Pie crust is so tricky.  And even if you buy pre-made crust like I often (read: always) do for quiches or even if you're a pro at making pie crusts, make this coffee cake instead.  Everyone expects a strawberry-rhubarb pie.  And while I would never, ever turn down a slice (or three), I do think that this strawberry-rhubarb coffee cake is an incredibly delicious and unexpected dessert or breakfast (bonus!).

The recipe is from Martha Stewart's Annual Recipes 2003 cookbook.  This book has yet to let me down.  That Martha, always getting it right.  How does she do it? The awesome thing about her is that I know that her recipes are going to be fantastic.  I don't have to worry.  Also, the recipes I've made from the cookbook have been surprisingly simple.  I always think of Martha as doing these crazy things that us mere mortals could never do, but so far (knock on wood/refer to previous post), I've found them pretty easy!

Now, I made this recipe with frozen strawberries.  I'm sure that's not how Martha intended and I do think mine came out a bit more liquid-y than hers.  It still tasted phenomenal though, and that's all that really matters.

strawberry-rhubarb coffee cake

from Martha Stewart Living Annual Recipes 2003

1 1/4 cups chilled unsalted butter (2 1/2 sticks), plus more, softened, for pan

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

1/3 cup cornstarch

2 3/4 cups sugar

1 pound strawberries, hulled and sliced (about 2-3 cups)

1 1/2 pounds rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups)

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Brush a 9 x 12 x 3 inch baking pan with butter and set aside.  Make fruit sauce: Combine lemon juice, cornstarch, and 1 cup sugar in a medium sauce pan.  Add strawberries and rhubarb; cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat, until rhubarb is soft and liquid has thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.  Transfer to a medium bowl; let cool. 

Make crumb topping: Combine 3/4 cup sugar and 3/4 cup flour in a medium bowl.  Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over low heat.  Drizzle butter over flour mixture; using your hands, mix until crumbly.  Set aside.

Make cake batter: Whisk together remaining 3 cups flour and 1 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry knife or two forks, cut remaining 1 cup butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.  In a separate bowl, mix eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla.  Pour into flour mixture; stir to combine.

Spread half the cake batter evenly into the prepared pan. Top with half the fruit sauce. Carefully spread the remaining batter over the fruit, and top with the remaining fruit sauce.  Sprinkle with the crumb topping.

Bake until cake is golden brown, about 1 hour. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool slightly.  Serve warm or at room temperature, cut into squares.