Baking

Rhubarb Crumb Cake

I have had eyes on this crumb cake for almost 7 years (or maybe more). If you have the memory of an elephant (and have been reading all my posts) then you would probably remember me mentioning that Smitten Kitchen was one of the first blogs I started following. This was much before I started my own blog. Around the time I was introduced to her blog, I stumbled upon her rhubarb crumb cake post. With one third cake and two thirds streusel topping, I knew this was a cake for me.

It took Deb eight months to make the cake after getting her hands on the recipe. It has taken me 7 years. When I first saw the recipe I was still living in India. I am not sure if it is available now, but 7 years back rhubarb wasn’t a fruit you got in India. It did not strike me that I could just use strawberries and still have a big crumb coffee cake, or probably it did but I wanted a rhubarb crumb coffee cake and let the recipe be. So instead of going with another fruit, to get my fix of this big crumb coffee cake I would just open Deb’s site and drool over the pictures.

Even after moving to the US, being in a small town in Arizona I would always miss out on rhubarb season and the chance of baking this cake. When I saw rhubarb in the market in Dallas, I had no doubt that I would finally be making the cake I have dreamt of making for so many years now. And I am so glad I did. This cake did not disappoint.

The crumb is the best part and it does make a lot of the cake. When I was scraping the batter in the pan I was surprised at how little the quantity was and was afraid that it would be just crumb. Fortunately the cake does rise in the oven and I had a good ratio of cake to crumb.

This cake would be perfect for Mother’s Day this weekend. Can’t find rhubarb? Make it with strawberries. I would go ahead to suggest to add strawberries along with your rhubarb too if you wish. Deb suggests blueberry, raspberry, sour cherry or any other tangy fruit filling. In case using a different fruit, you will need to adjust the sugar level accordingly. Rhubarb being more tart needs more sugar.

Talking about Mother’s Day, I thought about doing a round up of a few recipes on the blog that are courtesy my mom.

My love for baking stems from the countless home made cakes my mom baked for us when we were growing up. Her constant experimentation in the kitchen and whipping up dishes we had never heard of but loved eating is why all of three of us (my dad, brother and I) have such a love for food. These are some of her most asked for recipes and I have rounded them up for Mother’s Day for you. They would be perfect for Mother’s Day brunch or for any other occasion or even for a weeknight meal. (Click on the picture or the title for the recipe)

MOM’s HOMEMADE STUFFED BUNS

My mom has been making these homemade stuffed buns for more than 25 years now. I have grown up on them and always looked forward to days when these would be made.

MOM’s MOST LOVED DATE CAKE with toffee sauce

I was never a big fan of this cake- my mom would make it for every party and somehow dates never impressed me. It was only when I had it in Moscow after a long time of avoiding it, I realized why everybody always raved about it. The toffee sauce, the pudding like cake, served warm is comfort in a bowl along side a whole lot of deliciousness.

MOM’s VEGETARIAN FISH PIE

There is no fish in this pie, but mom would present this pie in the form of a fish and hence would call it so. This was a regular feature when we had people over for dinner parties and the menu consisted of continental food. I would always hope that there would be leftovers for us the next day. My mom would make sure that she made extra for us.

MOM’s FAMOUS CHOCOLATE BALLS

How many friends I have made thanks to these balls (chocolate balls!)! They were made every year for both mine and my brother’s birthday parties and were always a hit amongst the children. When I started hostel life, I immediately got into the good books of my seniors thanks to the care package my mom would send which had these addictive chocolate balls. I don’t have a picture of these, since I shared the recipe for these in the beginning and am yet to put picture of the product. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try them. You can find the recipe here.

If you do get to try any of the above recipes or the rhubarb cake recipe I am sharing today, please feel to tag me on Facebook, instagram or twitter in your pictures. Would love to know what you think. Happy Mother’s Day.

Rhubarb Crumb Cake

Recipe Type: Cake

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

For the rhubarb filling:
1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed
1/4 cup (50 gms) sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground ginger
For the crumbs:
1/3 cup (65 gms) dark brown sugar
1/3 cup (65 gms) granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
pinch salt
113 gms (1/2 cup) butter, melted
225 gms (1 3/4 cup) cake flour
For the cake:
1/3 cup (80 grams) sour cream
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (130 grams) cake flour
1/2 cup (100 grams) sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
6 tbsp (85 grams) softened butter, cut into 8 pieces.

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. I used an 8 inch round pan and it worked fine.
Slice the rhubarb 1/2 inch thick and toss with the sugar, corn starch and ground ginger.
For the crumbs, in a bowl whisk the sugars, spices and salt. Add the melted butter and mix till smooth.
Add in the flour with a spatula or wooden spoon. Mix to make a solid dough. Leave it pressed together in the bottom of the bowl.
For the cake, in a bowl whisk the sour cream, egg, yolk and vanilla together.
Mix the flour, sugar, baking soda, powder and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer.
Add the butter and a spoonful of sour cream mixture and mix on medium speed until flour is moistened. Increase the speed and beat for another 30 seconds, scraping down sides.
Add the remaining sour cream mixture in two batches, beating 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of bowl with a spatula.
Scoop out 1/2 cup batter and set aside.
Pour the remaining batter into prepared pan. Add the rhubarb. Dollop the set-aside batter over rhubarb.
Using your fingers, break the topping mixture into big crumbs, about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in size, keeping the size mostly uniform. 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.