Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Cake

We bought a house at the end of last summer, soon after we were married. I love our home, but I had no idea how many projects would pop up. For the past two weeks we have been putting in a sprinkler system. Ok, I really shouldn't say we, Josh has been putting in the sprinkler system. I am lucky to have such a hard working husband, he is very handy:)

Well, it is almost done. Yahoo! The hydroseed is going in on Tuesday and hopefully our grass will be up in no time. Next on the list, our garden. We've planted some tomatoes and flowers, but we have more to do!

We did discover four huge rhubarb plants in our yard. The previous owners must of planted them and I am SO glad they did. I have fallen head over heels for rhubarb. I know I've tasted it before but I don't remember being too fond of it. I didn't want the rhubarb to go to waste, so I decided to try out some new recipes.

I tried a Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Cake that I saw on Sugar Plum's blog. I figured this would be a safe one to start with. The cake part was very basic. I scattered the sliced strawberries and rhubarb over the batter. I loved their bright red color. I also added a crumb topping, after it baked for awhile.

I wasn't really sold on the rhubarb idea, so I had Josh taste it. He LOVED it so of course I had to have a bite and WOW! I was surprised at how good it was. I loved the tartness of the rhubarb paired with the sweet strawberries and sugary, crunchy crumb topping. This cake is a winner! We took it to a BBQ and our friends are now big rhubarb fans!

I still have a lot of rhubarb to use up. If you have any favorites, please share! What can I say? I have a new crush:)

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Cake

Adapted from Sugar Plum

(Printable Recipe)

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (I added this)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup milk (I used skim)

1 cup sliced strawberries

2/3 cup finely chopped rhubarb

Crumb Topping:

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used 1/4 cup flour)

1/3 cup old fashioned oats (I added these)

1 teaspoon cinnamon (I added this) 5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (I only used 4 tablespoons)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 1 (9-inch) round cake pan.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together 1 cup flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In a large mixing bowl, beat together 6 tablespoons butter and granulated sugar until creamy, about 1 minute; beat in yolks and vanilla until combined. Gradually beat in flour mixture, alternating with milk until combined, about 1-2 minutes. Spread cake batter evenly into prepared pan. Top batter with strawberries and rhubarb. Bake for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the crumb topping: Combine brown sugar, flour, oats, and 4 tablespoons butter; knead together using fingertips or a fork until well combined and mixture starts to clump together. Keep in freezer until ready for use. When cake has baked 20 minutes, top evenly with crumb mixture. Continue baking for an additional 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into cakes comes out with moist crumbs attached. Cool for 30 minutes before running a knife around outside edges. Remove cake from pan and cool on a rack.