I have to admit that I’ve never actually cooked with rhubarb before, and got the idea of making this rhubarb strawberry crumble cake after a friend gave me a generous bunch of fresh rhubarb stalks and challenged me to make something with it. Since strawberries and rhubarb are a match made in dessert heaven and a flavor combination that brings back delicious memories from when I was a child growing up in Canada, it made perfect sense to bake a cake where luscious rhubarb and strawberry fruit juices could bubble bubble away on a tender vanilla cake base and blend with a soft buttery crumble. I used the same crumble topping as my whiskey-sour blueberry pie and it turned out beautifully!

Serve it on its own as a dessert, with ice cream or softly whipped cream on the side, or as an indulgent tea or breakfast cake.

Summery, delicious, and so simple!

If you don’t have a springform pan, you can make this in a make this in a regular square, round, or rectangular baking tin of similar dimensions.

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Cake

For the Crumble and fruit

• 1¼ cups (155 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder 
• ¼ teaspoon salt 
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
• ½ cup (100 grams) light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted
• 200 grams fresh rhubarb, trimmed and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
• 200 grams fresh strawberries, stems removed, and sliced

For the cake

• 1 and 1/3 (167 grams) cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 extra large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/3rd cup (80 ml) butter milk o whole milk

Instructions:

Preheat your oven to 180 Celsius (350 F)

Start by making the crumble. Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon and brown sugar. Add the melted butter and stir to combine. Set aside while you get on with the cake batter.

Butter the sides and bottom of a 9 or 10 inch springform cake pan, and line the bottom with a disk of buttered parchment paper.

Combine the flour, baking, powder and salt.

in another bowl, mix the butter, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is pale and creamy.

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Decrease the speed to low and add half the half the flour mixture. Scrape the bowl down and add the remaining flour, mixing well to combine.

Pour into your prepared springform pan.

Scatter the rhubarb on top, followed by the strawberries.

Add the crumble, breaking it up to ensuring that it is evenly distributed over the surface of the cake.

Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until the the cake is cooked through, fruit juices are bubbling and the crumble is golden brown.

Let cool for a few minutes, release the sides of the springform and serve warm or at room temperature.