Another Great Coffee Cake: Rhubarb Edition

“Want some rhubarb?”

When my friend Emily asked that question I was not expecting the massive stalks of rhubarb that showed up on my doorstep. 

I made rhubarb sauce, which I’ve been stirring into yogurt for breakfast every morning.  I made more and froze it.  Still the pile of rhubarb persisted.

So I decided to make a Rhubarb Coffee Cake.  (I used what I had on hand; you could substitute buttermilk or use all-yogurt instead of half milk, but this is what I found in my refrigerator. You could also use less rhubarb, although that would probably mean less time in the oven.)

The cake turned out to be so tender, so moist, so sweet/salty delicious that I’m about to call Emily and ask if she's got any more rhubarb.

Rhubarb Crumb Coffee Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8 inch square baking pan.

Let a half stick of butter get soft, then stir in a cup of sugar and an egg.  Add a good splash of vanilla, and if you're feeling so inclined, a grating of lemon rind.

Chop enough rhubarb to make 2 1/2 cups.

Mix a teaspoon of baking powder, a half teaspoon of salt and a half teaspoon of baking soda into 2 cups of flour.

Stir a quarter cup of milk into a quarter cup of full-fat yogurt.

Gently mix the dry ingredients and the yogurt mixture into the butter-sugar mixture, alternating, just until it is smooth. Stir in the rhubarb.  Don't worry: the batter will be stiff but it's supposed to be.

Make a crumb topping by melting a half stick of butter, then stirring in a half cup of sugar,  a half cup of flour and a really healthy pinch of salt.  (The salty crumb topping is part of what makes this cake so appealing.) 

Spoon the batter into the greased baking pan and top with the crumble mixture.

Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool on a rack.