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Rhubarb Coffee Cake and Crumble

Desserts with a Tangy and Sweet Taste

Jun 8, 2009 Marcia Passos Duffy

If you love the sweet/tangy combination that rhubarb adds to dessert recipes, you'll want to try these two rhubarb mainstay treats: coffee cake and crumble.

Rhubarb is thought of (and used in recipes) as a fruit, but it’s actually a vegetable related to the sorrel family. It’s an old plant, and has been cultivated for over 5000 years ago in China and used for medicinal purposes.

Rhubarb's Journey West

Rhubarb made its way West through Turkey and Russia and was first planted in England in 1777. In the U.S. it made its debut in Maine by an unnamed gardener who got seed or root stock from Europe sometime between 1790-1800. It was then introduced to growers in Massachusetts where its popularity spread and by 1822 it was sold in produce markets; its super-tart taste made it popular in jams, jellies and sauces, as well as a popular recipe called Rhubarb Crumble.

Warning: Eat Only the Stalks

The rhubarb stalk can be cooked, or eaten raw with some people dipping raw stalks in sugar to remove some of the tartness. Only the stalks can be eaten because the leaves are poisonous (they contain potassium oxalate, which can be fatal to people who are sensitive to oxalic acids).

Traditional Rhubarb Crumble

Rhubarb crumble is a traditional British dessert. It is delicious topped with vanilla ice cream or real whipped cream.

Ingredients

1 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. rolled oats
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger or powdered ginger
1 c. whole wheat flour
1/2 c. butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 c. uncooked cut up rhubarb
1 c. white sugar
2 tbsp. corn starch
1 c. water
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix brown sugar, oats, flour, fresh ginger, butter and cinnamon until crumbly. Press 1/2 of mixture into a 9 inch square pan. Cover crumb mixture with cut up rhubarb.
Mix white sugar, cornstarch and water. Cook until clear and thick, stirring constantly. Add vanilla and stir. Pour over rhubarb. Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture over the top. Bake for 1 hour at 375 degree F.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

This recipe is a perfect combination of sweetness from the cake, and bursts of tart/tangy taste from the rhubarb pieces. Great with a glass of milk for a snack or even for breakfast.

2 c. flour
1 ½ c. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 tbspn baking soda
1 tbspn cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ cup melted butter or margarine
2 medium eggs, beaten
½ c. milk
3 c. rhubarb, not peeled, cut into ½ inch pieces

Topping:

½ c. flour
½ c. brown sugar
½ stick butter (or margarine) melted

In a large bowl add flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and allspice. Pour in melted butter, beaten eggs and milk. Mix well. Add rhubarb and pour into greased 13 x 9 pan.
Mix together ingredients for topping and add on top of the rhubarb mixture already in the pan. Bake at 350 degree F. for 40-45 minutes. Cool and serve.

The copyright of the article Rhubarb Coffee Cake and Crumble in Recipes is owned by Marcia Passos Duffy. Permission to republish Rhubarb Coffee Cake and Crumble in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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