A tangy, impossibly moist, vanilla-flavored cake base ceilinged with hefty crumbs that will make all streusels that came before pale in contrast.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb rhubarb trimmed
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter melted
- 1 3/4 cup cake flour or all-purpose
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 1 egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup cake flour all-purpose
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 tbsp butter softened, cut into 8 pieces
Servings: servings
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. For filling, slice rhubarb 1/2 inch thick and toss with 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch and 1/2 tsp ginger. Set aside.
- To make crumbs, in a large bowl, whisk 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger and 1/8 tsp salt into melted butter until smooth. Then, add 1-3/4 cups flour with a spatula or wooden spoon. It will look and feel like a solid dough. Leave it pressed together in the bottom of the bowl and set aside.
- 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 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking soda, baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Add 6 Tbsp 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 1/2 cup batter and set aside.
- Scrape remaining batter into prepared pan. Spoon rhubarb over batter. Dollop set-aside batter over rhubarb; it does not have to be even.
- Using your fingers, break 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.
Recipe Notes
http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/02/big-crumb-coffee-cake/