Rhubarb Ripple Coffee Cake
Elegant and easy, this crumb-topped, moist, dense coffeecake does triple duty as a breakfast sweet, coffeecake snack, or springtime dessert; for something a bit more elaborate, warm the cake before serving and top it with vanilla ice cream. I like the way the rose-colored filling is hidden inside, only appearing at the first cut, when it oozes just a bit from either edge of the cake slice.
Elegant and easy, this crumb-topped, moist, dense coffeecake does triple duty as a breakfast sweet, coffeecake snack, or springtime dessert; for something a bit more elaborate, warm the cake before serving and top it with vanilla ice cream. I like the way the rose-colored filling is hidden inside, only appearing at the first cut, when it oozes just a bit from either edge of the cake slice.
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- confectioners' sugar for dusting
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 beaten egg
- 1 1/3 cups rhubarb puree or sauce, see rhubarb puree recipe
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon orange zest finely minced, or 1/4 teaspoon orange oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt heaping
- 3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk *
- basic rhubarb puree:
- 3 1/2 cups rhubarb cut in 1-inch dice
- 3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- Carbohydrate 24.7584100231556 g
- Cholesterol 69.3334722482589 mg
- Fat 20.1014387600786 g
- Fiber 1.39470555065849 g
- Protein 4.1087234754831 g
- Saturated Fat 12.4589115617993 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (132g)
- Sodium 7367.23183988273 mg
- Sugar 23.3637044724971 g
- Trans Fat 1.50179148689184 g
- Calories 294 calories
Step-by-step
- Prepare the rhubarb puree, and let it cool.
- Spray a 9-inch removable-bottom tart or quiche pan, or 9-inch springform pan, with vegetable oil spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Using a mixer, your hands, a fork or a pastry blender, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly and mealy. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping.
- To the remaining flour/sugar mixture, add the baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, orange zest or oil, and salt. Stir in the egg, vanilla extract and buttermilk or sour milk.
- Spread two-thirds of the batter over the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan. Spread the rhubarb on top of the batter, and spoon or dollop the remaining batter over the rhubarb. Sprinkle with the reserved sugar/flour mixture.
- Bake the cake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the top crust is golden brown around the edges, and slightly brown in the center. Cool thoroughly. Dust with confectioners' sugar just before serving.
- Place the rhubarb in a glass dish or other microwave-safe 2-quart dish. Toss it with the sugar and cornstarch. Cover the dish and microwave on HIGH power for 5 minutes. Stir the fruit, cover it again, and microwave on HIGH power for an additional 5 minutes, or until the fruit is completely softened. Stir till you have a fairly smooth puree.
- Place the rhubarb in a 1 1/2-quart, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Toss with sugar and cornstarch. Cook on low heat, covered, for about 5 minutes. Remove the cover, and cook on medium-low heat to cook down the fruit, stirring occasionally, about 10 to 15 minutes, until the fruit is very soft, and the sauce is smooth and thickened.
Allow the rhubarb puree to cool completely before incorporating it into the assembly process, as hot fruit will melt the surrounding fats and compromise the crumb structure of the batter. Because rhubarb varies significantly in moisture content, cooking the stalks down until they reach a thick, jammy consistency prevents the filling from bleeding excessively into the surrounding crumb during baking. When cutting the butter into the flour and sugar mixture, stop precisely when the texture resembles coarse meal, reserving half a cup before adding the leavening agents and dairy. This reserved portion functions as the structural topping, creating a distinct textural contrast against the dense, moist crumb cake underneath.
Bake the cake in a 350 degree F oven for 40 to 45 minutes, monitoring the edges for a deep golden brown while the center remains slightly firm to the touch. Neglecting to cool the cake thoroughly before slicing will cause the warm fruit layer to disintegrate rather than holding its distinct rose-colored line through the middle of each portion.
