Take a Megabite

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Cake

I’m just so glad strawberries and rhubarb are bffs. I’d be sad if they had a falling out.

It was hot yesterday. Hot and gross and my hair was wavy against it’s will. My fridge let out a gusty wind of cold air every time I opened it, just to show off the fact that it was nice and chilly in there and I was roasting out here. I wore a hat to cover my head and I baked this cake anyway.

The best pie my mom has ever made involved both rhubarb and strawberries. They are a duo that can do no wrong. That tasty pie memory gave me great confidence in this cake, since until now I’d never made anything with rhubarb!

I find crumb-topped anything very comforting, and since I recently came into some rhubarb, I knew I needed to do something with it … something involving strawberries.

And my hot kitchen was worth it! Even my bad hair! This cake is a crumb topped sweet + tart dream.

Just a few more of my favorite crumb-topped recipes for you:
Blueberry Streusel Pancakes + Mini Dutch Apple Galettes + Peach Crumble.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Cake {serves 8}
Recipe from Sugar Plum

Ingredients:

cake -

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 t baking powder
• 1/4 t salt
• 6 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large egg yolks
• 1 t vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 cup sliced strawberries
• 2/3 cup chopped rhubarb

crumb topping -

• 5 T unsalted butter, chilled
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 9 inch round cake pan, tart pan, or springform pan. (If using a cake pan cut out a circle of parchment paper for the bottom and grease that.)
2. In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In another bowl beat the butter and granulated sugar until light and creamy. Add egg yolks and vanilla and beat until mixed completely. Gradually beat in flour, alternating with milk until combined. Spread cake batter evenly in prepared pan.
3. Top batter with strawberries and rhubarb. Bake for 20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, prepare the crumb topping by combining brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour and 5 tablespoons of butter. Knead together using fingertips or a fork until mixture starts to clump together. Set in the freezer until ready to use.
5. When cake has baked 20 minutes, top evenly with crumb mixture. (I only used about 1/2 of the crumb mixture because I used a tart pan and the crumb would’ve fallen everywhere. I froze the left overs!) Continue baking for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with a couple moist crumbs attached. Cool for 30 minutes before running a knife around the edges and carefully invert. Invert again onto a platter. Be careful! This cake is very delicate. If using a springform pan simply remove the sides and cool until ready to remove the bottom.

Note: I made this cake in a tart pan because I knew it would be a shorty. It was a bit tricky to get out of the pan though AND I couldn’t use all of the crumb topping because I used such a short pan. So you might want to use a springform pan or maybe a cake pan or even a pie pan! If you use a pie pan you won’t even need to bother with inverting. Just sayin’!

Take a bite that pairs both tart and sweet.
It’s all about coordination, not being matchy.

Blueberry Streusel Pancakes

These are basically the lovechild of a certain blueberry pancake and streusel topped coffeecake. They should’ve met years ago. Would you agree?

So my parents came into town this weekend and it was up to my mom and I what we’d have for breakfast. We both happen to love pancakes and all things streusel and I happened to have blueberries, so here you go!

It’s a dreamy concoction really. You might find yourself describing this breakfast with words like: heavenly, dreamy and OMG-SO-GOOD.

I recommend making these immediately. Substitute another berry if you don’t have blueberries. Shnozberries would probably work perfectly!

Blueberry Streusel Pancakes
Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients:

pancakes -

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup buttermilk*
• 1 T brown sugar
• 2 T vegetable oil
• 1 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 3/4-1 cup blueberry (fresh or frozen)
• sprinkle of cinnamon
• 1 T butter (for the pan)

streusel -

• 1 T unsalted butter
• 1 T flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• sprinkle of cinnamon

* If you don’t have buttermilk place a tablespoon of lemon juice in the bottom of a 1 cup measuring cup and fill to the top with milk. Stir together and allow to sit out for 5 minutes, and next thing you know, it’s buttermilk.

Directions:

1. Make pancakes! In a medium bowl, beat egg with hand mixer or whisk vigorously until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients besides blueberries (flour, buttermilk, sugar, vegetable oil, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) until smooth. Stir in blueberries.
   
2. Melt a tablespoon of butter griddle or skillet over a medium heat. For each pancake pour scant 1/4 cup of batter onto hot griddle. Cook pancakes until bubbly on top and puffed and dry around the edges. Turn and cook other side until golden brown. Place pancakes on a baking sheet in a warm oven (150-200 degrees F) until they are all cooked.
3. Make streusel. Using a fork or your hands rub the cold butter into the flour. Add sugar and cinnamon and rub all together until resembles coarse crumbs.
4. Sprinkle streusel evenly over all of the pancakes and turn the oven up to 350 degrees F for about 5 minutes or until streusel is crispy to the touch and smells fabulous.
5. Promptly stack the pancakes. Drizzle with maple syrup and eat a breakfast you will want to serve for lunch, dinner and dessert.

P.S. My grocery store currently has these:

Heart-Shaped Tortilla Chips

I’m pretty excited about it.