Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Cake

 

Um, yum?

This cake is simply fantastic. It has everything I love in a cake. Warm fruit. Moist, tender cake. Crumbly, buttery topping. Just perfect.

I think you have probably realized with my most recent postings that I cannot get enough of strawberries and rhubarb. I promise you, this is my last, but by far, it is the best!

This cake is perfect for a party. It has so many dimensions to it, that you sonly need a small little piece. Even though this is made in an 8×8 pan, I still was able to get plenty of small slices out of it. It is also an easy cake to freeze. You can either freeze it whole, take it out to thaw and cut for your occasion, or cut into small bars and freeze to use a little at at time.

However you choose to eat it or store it, most importantly, enjoy it.

A perfect summer dessert-enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Cake

CRUMBLE TOPPING:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup unbleached, all purpose flour

BARS:

1 1/2 cups rhubarb, sliced into 1/2 inch slices
1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 tblsp brown sugar
1 1/3 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
1 tsp  baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Butter an 8×8 baking pan and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides for easy removal of bars. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine brown sugar, salt and flour. Pour in melted butter and work into a crumbly mixture using your hands. Store bowl in the fridge until ready to use.

In another medium bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries and brown sugar. Mix until coated and juices start to flow. Sprinkle in 1/3 cup of flour and gently mix until coated. Set aside.

In a small bowl, gently toss together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.

In a third medium bowl, beat butter and powdered sugar on medium with a hand mixer. Add eggs one at a time and beat well. Add vanilla. Mix just until smooth. Sprinkle in dry ingredients and mix for 30 seconds with hand mixer. Spread cake batter evenly onto the parchment paper. Layer with the fruit mixture. Take the crumble mix out of the refrigerator and sprinkle generously all over the top of the cake. Place on middle rack in preheated oven and bake for 50-55 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for 20 minutes in the pan. Using the parchment overhang, gently lift bars out of the pan and cool outside of the pan for an hour. Slice and serve with fresh whipped cream. Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container for 1 day, the refrigerator for 1 week and the freezer for up to 3 months if well stored. Enjoy!