Rhubarb “Big Crumb” Coffeecake

Name: Rhubarb “Big Crumb” Coffeecake
Total time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients: Butter, for greasing pan; 1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed; 1/4 cup sugar; 2 teaspoons cornstarch; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/3 cup dark brown sugar; 1/3 cup granulated sugar; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup melted butter; 1 3/4 cups cake flour; 1/3 cup sour cream; 1 large egg; 1 large egg yolk; 2 teaspoons vanilla extract; 1 cup cake flour; 1/2 cup sugar; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 6 tablespoons softened butter, cut into 8 pieces

By Melissa Clark

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes, plus cooling
Rating: 4(449)
Comments: Read comments

Rhubarb is an alarmingly sour vegetable passed off as a fruit, but requiring a huge mound of sugar to effect the transformation. Crumb cake is a huge mound of sugar disguised as a cake, but demanding a bracing counterpoint to allay its cloying sweetness. In this cake, the two strike a perfect balance. The extra-large crumbs are made by pinching off marbles of brown sugar dough by hand. It takes a bit more time than pulsing the ingredients in a food processor, but the result is worth the extra effort.

Featured in: A GOOD APPETITE; Sweet and Sour Sit Down to Dessert

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

Butter, for greasing pan

For the Rhubarb Filling

½pound rhubarb, trimmed
¼cup sugar
2teaspoons cornstarch
½teaspoon ground ginger

For the Crumbs

⅓cup dark brown sugar
⅓cup granulated sugar
1teaspoon ground cinnamon
½teaspoon ground ginger
⅛teaspoon salt
½cup melted butter
1¾cups cake flour

For the Cake

⅓cup sour cream
1large egg
1large egg yolk
2teaspoons vanilla extract
1cup cake flour
½cup sugar
½teaspoon baking soda
½teaspoon baking powder
¼teaspoon salt
6tablespoons softened butter, cut into 8 pieces

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. For filling, slice rhubarb ½ inch thick and toss with sugar, cornstarch and ginger. Set aside.
Step 2
To make crumbs, in a large bowl, whisk together sugars, spices, salt and butter until smooth. Stir in flour with a spatula. It will look like a solid dough.
Step 3
To prepare cake, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix 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 in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of bowl with a spatula. Scoop out about ½ cup batter and set aside.
Step 4
Scrape remaining batter into prepared pan. Spoon rhubarb over batter. Dollop set-aside batter over rhubarb; it does not have to be even.
Step 5
Using your fingers, break topping mixture into big crumbs, about ½ inch to ¾ 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.

Ratings

4 out of 5

449 user ratings

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Comments

Amy Dixon7 years ago

Rhubarb, crumb and cake: The cake is excellent. I substituted plain, nonfat Greek yogurt for the sour cream and used Irish butter. The crumb topping was just okay; but it is not what I prefer in a coffee cake. Instead of being a sparkling, crunchy-sugary topping, the crumb tasted dense and drab from flour. With respect to rhubarb, a little more would be nice. So I'll definitely make the cake again, but with a different crumb topping and perhaps 3/4 lb rhubarb.

melanie3 years ago

I’ve made this five times and when I use Swans Cake Flour the crumb is perfection. Twice I only had King Arthur Cake Flour and the crumb was hard and floury. Use Swans- it’s incredible.

Andrea4 years ago

Wow I found this recipe a bit overly complicated. So many bowls! And proportions seem off. Very little cake batter and mounds of crumb. I literally couldn't fit it all on top of the cake. My crumb also turned out sandy and did not form into a dough. Will halve the flour and add oats next time. Will also double the batter because I like more cake and less sugar topping.

Lois1 month ago

Super duper! I upped the ginger by 50% (may do cardamom instead next time). Also doubled the rhubarb bc I love it - definitely a soggy bottom from all that fruit but no regrets in terms of flavor. The crumb is just so good!

elle see1 year ago

I’ve made this twice. The first time I combined all the dry ingredients for the topping before adding the melted butter, and I used Sean’s Down cake flour. Topping came out great. The second time I followed the crumb directions exactly and got sandy, floury results for crumbs. To fix it, I added butter until the sand turned into moist crumbs. Cake came out ok. Next time I’ll mix all dry ingredients first but halve the cake flour.

Maria1 year ago

Ah-mazing! This is how I want my crumb cake to be: lots of spicey, buttery flavor, delicious crunchy crumb top, pound cake like in the middle and wonderful rhubarb at the bottom. I added another 4 oz of rhubarb (I thought it wouldn't hurt) and used Greek Yogurt because that is what I have. I also toned down the ginger because I thought it would be too much (not at all!). Love this recipe. Will keep making them as long as I find rhubarb in the farmer's market!

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