Rhubarb Snack Cake

Rhubarb was one of those fruits / vegetables that took me a long time to come on board with.  When I was a kid, it was mostly that I was terrified of dying from eating poisonous rhubarb leaves - although I was pretty excited about the opportunity to eat what looks like red celery.  Cool!  I worked my way into it as an adult when I spent a week in Anchorage a few years ago right when rhubarb was in peak season.  That was my introduction to rhubarb-based desserts (how many people say that about Anchorage?).  Over the years, I've made a few of my own, but I've yet to find a go-to rhubarb recipe that I can't get enough of.  The closest I've come was a friend's rhubarb sour cream cake that I neglected to get the recipe for when I had the chance.

Rhubarb, also called pie-plant.

Matt has never had rhubarb - or so he claims.  I told him it was like red celery.  He doesn't buy it.  So when I was inspired to make something with rhubarb (partly since the garden next door has some pretty delicious looking rhubarb in it and I'm jealous), I wanted to make something that would showcase the rhubarb for him so he could see if he likes it, as well as something that wouldn't be overly rhubarb-y for a rhubarb newbie.  Although he's already informed me that if he doesn't like it, it's on me to finish it.  (I think I can handle that.) 

Chopped up and macerating in sugar and lemon juice.

Did you know that rhubarb is both a fruit and a vegetable?  Apparently it's technically a vegetable, although a New York court decided in the 1940s that since it was commonly used as a fruit, it could be considered a fruit when determining tariffs, duties, and regulations.  I guess fruit tariffs were cheaper.  Who knew?  Anyway, while the Chinese have used rhubarb medicinally for about 5,000 years - it's roots have laxative properties - it wasn't until sugar became a household item in the 17th century that the plant started being used for culinary purposes in Europe.  In fact, a rhubarb stalk dipped in sugar is still considered a treat in Scandinavian countries.  I'm not sure I like rhubarb that much.

And then you spread it right over the batter!

This recipe comes from Smitten Kitchen, which adapted it quite a bit from Martha Stewart Living.  I kept pretty close to Smitten Kitchen's recipe, except I substituted whole wheat flour for the part of the flour in the cake and all of the flour in the crumbles, and omitted the lemon zest since I didn't have a lemon on hand, and cut down the level of salt.  I also didn't line the pan with parchment, like she suggests, but haven't had any problems getting it out of the pan neatly, so that just seems like extra work for me.  It's pretty easy to put together; basically it's a standard coffee cake that could easily be adapted to use whatever fruit you have on hand.  It's not overly sweet, but is nice and moist from the sour cream and the fruit juice that gets soaked up into the cake. 

Yum!

Matt and I tried it when it was still warm from the oven.  It certainly satisfies my craving for something with rhubarb, and I like it's not too sweet and the tartness of the rhubarb shines through.  Matt said it was "fine" which is what he says when he doesn't like things, and that the rhubarb was too tart.  When I asked him if he'd eat more of it, he gave me a noncommittal kind of shrug.  So I think it might be up to me to finish.  I bet it freezes well. 

I ate some for breakfast.  It was delicious.

Rhubarb Snack Cake

From Smitten Kitchen

1 1/4 lb. rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/3 c sugar, divided in half
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 c butter, softened
1/2 tsp lemon zest
2 eggs
1 1/3 c flour (I used part regular and part whole wheat)
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt (I used about 1/8 tsp instead.  3/4 just seems like sooo much.)
1/4 tsp ginger
1/3 c sour cream

Crumbles:
1 c flour  (I used whole wheat)
1/4 c brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
4 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350.  Grease 13x9 pan, then line with parchment.  Stir together rhubarb, lemon juice, and 2/3 cup sugar and set aside.  Beat butter, remaining sugar, and zest until light and fluffy.  Add eggs one at a time, scraping down sides after each.  Whisk together flour, powder, salt, and ginger.  Add 1/3 of flour mixture to butter mixture, mixing just til combined.  Continue, alternating with the sour cream, mixing between each addition just until combined.  Dollop batter over pan, then spread into an even layer.  Pour rhubarb on top, spread into a single layer. 

Stir together crumb mixture, scatter over rhubarb layer.  Bake 45-55 minutes, or until lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean.