Hurray, it’s fresh rhubarb season again! And we happen to be dedicated fans of this very delicious vegetable. Yup, rhubarb is a veggie and a very undemanding perennial veggie to boot. Apparently, rhubarb originated in Asia and although the stalks resemble celery, they are wildly different from celery. Celery is part of the parsnip family and the leaves are not only edible but cherished for their intense flavor. (I actually pick celery based on the bunch that contains the most leaves. If possible, I use the leaves in every soup I build that calls for celery.) While rhubarb belongs to the buckwheat family. And you should only eat the stems of the rhubarb plant. Both the stalks and the leaves contain oxalic acids which are toxic. However, the stalks contain much less of the toxin and therefore are considered safe to eat. But, it is recommended that you harvest rhubarb stalks before the 24^th of June. Apparently, after that, the stalks also contain too much oxalic acid to be considered safe to eat. (This has never been a problem for me. I harvest my rhubarb way before that time, because I can’t wait to make it into a dessert – like, for example, this rhubarb coffee cake.)

I have been making a rhubarb coffee cake very similar to this one since the late 90’s. (Before that I had never been fond of coffee cakes. Usually too bland for my taste.) But, as my baking skills have improved, I reviewed my old recipe and decided to change things up a bit to make the cake even tastier. So, this is what I came up with.

I served this cake to members of the jazz group Seabreeze, who had not met indoors since the beginning of the covid crisis. They had met three times out-of-doors, but for one reason or another, had not been allowed to complete a full rehearsal. But since all the members and Mr. C. and I are fully vaccinated, the group met in our living room yesterday. Although Mr. C. practices classical pieces most days, it was wonderful hearing jazz performed in our home again. I just sat and listened. And of course, I had to serve them a treat. They are all such wonderful and talented guys, that it was actually my treat to fix something special for them. And they loved the cake. As did I.

So, if you are lucky enough to have some rhubarb on hand, consider building this moist and delicious coffee cake. And no, you don’t have to serve it dolloped with whipped cream. But I’m telling you true, it doesn’t detract from the pleasure either.

As always, enjoy your time in the kitchen. Take pleasure in whatever you fix that makes your family or your guests happy. And even the times when you try a new recipe and it doesn’t come out as delicious as you expected, keep going. Not every recipe is going to result in perfection. But you can learn from those recipes. And at least for me, learning is half the fun.

Peace and love to all.  

For the cake:

½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temp.

1 c. granulated sugar

½ c. brown sugar, packed

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. kosher salt

1 c. buttermilk

4 slightly rounded c. diced fresh rhubarb

½ c. chopped walnuts

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

Whisk the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl. Add to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk just until thoroughly combined. Stir in rhubarb and chopped walnuts. Pour into a lightly buttered 13×9-inch baking dish. (Glass preferred.) (Don’t bother to wash the mixing bowl. You can use it to assemble the topping.) While the cake enjoys it’s first 25 minutes in the oven, prepare the topping.

Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 25 minutes before adding the topping. After 25 minutes, remove from oven, reduce the heat to 325-degrees, evenly sprinkle on the topping, return to oven, and continue baking for another 23-25 minutes or until the topping is a nice light brown and a pick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Do not over-bake. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Serve room temperature or slightly warmed in the microwave. Cointreau Whipped Cream is perfect with this coffee cake. See recipe below.

Topping:

1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour

½ c. brown sugar, packed

1 T. baking powder

¼ tsp. kosher salt

6 T. (¾ stick) unsalted butter, room temp.

¼ c. finely chopped walnuts

In a small bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (I use my fingers for this not-so-delicate operation.) Mix in the finely chopped walnuts. Set aside until needed.

Cointreau Whipped Cream

2 c. (1 pint) heavy cream

¼ c. powdered sugar

½ tsp. vanilla paste or extract

2-3 tsp. Cointreau (or other orange flavored liqueur)

Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Whip in the powdered sugar, vanilla, and Cointreau. Dollop on pieces of cake just before serving.