Big Crumb Coffee Cake with Rhubarb

By: Adapted from www.smittenkitchen.com

A delightful description of this cake from Smitten Kitchen’s Deb Perelman: “A tangy, impossibly moist, vanilla-flavored cake base ceilinged with hefty crumbs that will make all streusels that came before pale in contrast.” Not rhubarb season? This cake would be amazing with a blueberry, raspberry, sour cherry or any other tangy fruit filling you can think of. Simply adjust the sugar level accordingly.

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Serving: 12 to 16 pieces

Ingredients

• Filling

  • • 1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed and sliced 1/2-inch thick
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 2 teaspoons cornstarch
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

  Crumbs

  • • 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
    • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
    • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
    • 1/2 cup (4 ounces) butter, melted
    • 1 3/4 cups cake flour

  Cake

  • 1/3 cup sour cream
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup cake flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 6 tablespoons softened butter, cut into 8 pieces.

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-inch-square or 9-inch round cake pan.
2. Make the filling: Toss rhubarb with sugar, cornstarch and ginger, and set aside.
3. Make the crumbs: In a large bowl, whisk sugars, spices and salt into melted butter until smooth. Then, add flour with a spatula or wooden spoon. The mixture will be very stiff, like a dough. Press it into the bottom of the bowl and set is aside.
4. Make the cake: In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. With an electric mixer on low speed, combine together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add butter and a spoonful of sour cream mixture and mix on medium speed until flour is moistened. Increase speed and beat for 30 seconds. Add remaining sour cream mixture and beat in thoroughly, then scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Scoop out about 1/2 cup batter and set it aside.
5. Assemble cake: Scrape remaining batter into prepared pan. Spoon rhubarb over batter. Dollop set-aside batter over rhubarb; it does not have to be even.
6. Use your fingers to break the topping mixture into big crumbs, about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in size. They do not have to be uniform, but make sure most are around that size. 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.