Memorial Day weekend. It seems as if we are the only ones left in town. I say that not in a bad way. We took the opportunity to steal a few days away last week to avoid the crowds. This weekend is time to relax and reflect, and make rhubarb coffee cake.
Last night my friend Kelly called to talk recipes with me. She mentioned that the most recent issue of Taste of Home magazine features rhubarb recipes. I was already a step ahead. I found some lovely bright red rhubarb at the market yesterday and bought a few stalks. I adapted this recipe for Royal Rhubarb Coffee Cake based on reviewer's comments.
Last night I made the streusel topping, combined the dry ingredients, diced the rhubarb, and put the butter and sugar in the mixer bowl, ready to go. It takes 50 minutes to bake, so I wanted to get it in the oven early. It went together quickly this morning, with time to cool before breakfast.
I really like rhubarb so I left it as-is. If you are not a fan you could substitute other fruits or combine the rhubarb with strawberries. I liked the tang of the rhubarb by itself.
The real star of this show however, is the melty caramelized mess that the topping becomes when baked. The edges around the pan were crispy but the part in the middle was gooey, so gooey good with the rhubarb. 
Ingredients
- For the batter:
- ⅓ cup butter (softened)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk
- 3-¼ cups chopped fresh rhubarb (thaw and drain if using frozen rhubarb)
- For the topping:
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup butter (cut into tiny pieces or grated)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Powdered sugared for dusting
Instructions
- <span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1">In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light yellow and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with milk. Beat well until all ingredients are combined.</span>
- <span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1">Pour into a well-greased 13-in. x 9-in. glass baking dish. Layer the rhubarb on top to within ½ inch of the edges of the pan. Combine topping ingredients and use a fork to combine. Sprinkle over top of the bat err and fruit.</span>
- Bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 15 servings.