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Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Shaina · June 29, 2015 · 8 Comments

A quick and easy recipe for rhubarb coffee cake, great for everyday entertaining or just because.
Rhubarb Coffee Cake #recipe | FoodforMyFamily.com


Today is the first day of summer break for my children. Our alarm went off at 6:15 a.m. I rolled over onto my husband’s pillow as he begrudgingly exited the bed. This is, in fact, my favorite part of the day: occupying the empty hole he has left in our dingy-white-sheeted queen. I pressed my face deeper into his pillow.

At 6:30 a.m. I resentfully roll from the bed.

Throwing on a sweater to act as protection from the rain, I slipped my feet into black flip flops, grabbed my requisite driving glasses, and headed for the door followed by a sweatpants-clad teenager up for her first day of summer break. Hair in a high bun, t-shirt from last year’s color run on her back, we left for swim practice.

Over the course of the next eight hours my life energy has been sucked away by the children I grew with my own body (read: introvert). I just requested a family quiet time. Not only does quiet time involve being quiet, but in my house, it involves becoming invisible. I don’t want to hear you, nor do I desire to see you. This can be a challenge when there are six of us in 1,100 square feet.

Tomorrow I shall drag my body out of bed for similar reasons, combined with a cello lesson, an appointment with the allergist, a play date, a pool party, coaching, and a bonfire in my backyard. Stop with the summer already.
Rhubarb Coffee Cake #recipe | FoodforMyFamily.com
I skulk to the backyard where my youngest is twisting himself round on the swing. As I get closer he turns to me, silently smiles, and then lets the swing unwind, spinning him round. Reaching the end of the lines, he stops the swaying with his sneaker-clad feet and smiles up at me. “Push me, Mama?”

As we sit there, me pushing, him soaring, I stare around my withering gardens. In the heat of the now-summer, I’ve been fighting off pests and weeds and humidity-loving bacteria. And failing. I stare across the open space towards the strawberry bed that is blanketed in clover and see the rhubarb, large and happy after my springtime harvest. I push Magnus on the swing again as he sails back towards me. “Do you want to make a cake?”
Rhubarb Coffee Cake #recipe | FoodforMyFamily.com
This cake is modified from one my mom makes. As a child, I picked fresh rhubarb for it from the plant alongside the garage. I would sit with a small bowl of sugar, gnawing on a fresh stalk while she chopped away at the others. It’s not a pretentious cake. It’s comes together easily and bakes off in whatever pan you can spare with a simple sprinkle of sugar over the top. There are no icings or frostings or crumbles, just cake.

It’s the kind of cake you can make on a whim, on a lazy morning or minutes before dinner guests arrive and the urge strikes to add something sweet to the menu. Oh, and it’s delicious with berries swapped in for the rhubarb, too. Our most recent rendition was half rhubarb from our garden and half gifted strawberries from a friend’s garden.
 

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Yield: 12 squares
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 cup buttermilk (or sub: 1 cup milk + 1 teaspoon lemon juice)
  • 2 cups chopped rhubarb

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 9x13" pan.
  • In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Beat in the egg and vanilla, just until mixed.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and cardamom. Add in half the flour. Mix lightly. Stir in half of the buttermilk. Repeat with the remaining flour and buttermilk, stirring just until mixed. Fold in the rhubarb.
  • Spread the cake batter in the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with the cinnamon sugar. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until center is set.
  • Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly before cutting.
  • © Shaina Olmanson
    Category: Dessert, Breakfast

    Rhubarb Coffee Cake #recipe | FoodforMyFamily.com

    Rhubarb Coffee Cake #recipe | FoodforMyFamily.com

    Filed Under: Breakfast, Cakes, Desserts, Featured, Recipes

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. TidyMom says

      June 29, 2015 at 2:55 pm

      wow, your summer break starts late, when do the kids go back?

      the cake looks fabulous Shaina! wish I had a slice or two 😉

      Reply
    2. Barbara @ Barbara Bakes says

      June 30, 2015 at 6:34 pm

      Sounds like a perfect every day cake.

      Reply
    3. Liz says

      June 30, 2015 at 6:52 pm

      I remember those mornings. A slice of your lovely coffee cake would certainly bring a smile to my face despite the craziness of the day!

      Reply
    4. Denise says

      June 30, 2015 at 8:13 pm

      I have been itching to make a coffee cake, and this one sounds amazing.

      Reply
    5. Gaby says

      July 1, 2015 at 10:38 am

      Breakfast, lunch, snack, or dessert…yes please!!

      Reply
    6. Paula - bell'alimento says

      July 2, 2015 at 10:24 am

      I’m all about that coffee cake! And boo for garden pests I’m dealing with them too!

      Reply
    7. Michele says

      August 13, 2015 at 9:38 am

      I’m so glad there are others with fond memories of rhubarb plants alongside yesterday’s garage… Love the beautiful simplicity of this cake (and I happen to have some rhubarb in my refrigerator that needs a purpose). Here’s to fresh rhubarb cake – and enjoying what’s left of this summer’s waning gardens!

      Reply
    8. myeuchre says

      December 10, 2018 at 5:02 am

      Thank you admin to give me permission here for share this post. I am card game lover and here sharing this address to play for free and Online.

      Reply

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    Hello, I'm Shaina. Food for My Family is where I share recipes, tips, opinions, and my philosophy on food as Ole and I strive to teach our four children how to eat well: seasonally, locally, organically, deliciously, and balanced. [Read more...]
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