Rhubarb Coffee Cake

I’m not much of a sweet dessert eater. We rarely eat dessert at my house except for when we have company. Nonetheless there are a few desserts that I crave at least once each summer. When rhubarb is in season it’s always too tempting to resist! Most of the fruits that are in season now are sweet berries. Rhubarb, on the other hand, is refreshingly tart. Although it’s often combined with fruits such as strawberries to temper the flavor, my favorite way to enjoy it is blended into a sour cream coffeecake batter. Although I usually make the coffeecake using only sour cream and eggs as the liquids, I’ve recently begun to substitute half of the sour cream for a strongly brewed rooibos or hibiscus tea. The tea adds a pretty pink hue to the batter and the flavor echoes the tartness of the rhubarb. If you don’t have any herbal teas on hand, just use a full cup of sour cream or even a cup of milk.

To serve the coffeecake as part of your Independence Day Weekend celebrations, top each piece with some vanilla ice cream and a few raspberries and blueberries for a patriotic red, white and blue dessert!

ROOIBOS RHUBARB COFFEE CAKE

Coffee Cake:
½ cup butter (one stick) softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
½ cup sour cream
½ cup strongly brewed rooibos or hibiscus tea
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
3½ cups chopped fresh rhubarb stalks

Streusel Topping:
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground coriander
¼ cup butter, melted

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9” by 13” pan.

In a large bowl, use a beater to cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Stir in the sour cream, tea and vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating well after each addition.

In a small bowl, combine the streusel topping ingredients.

Pour the batter into the prepared 9” x 13” pan. Top with the chopped rhubarb, then sprinkle the streusel on top of the rhubarb.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes then check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the coffee cake. If the toothpick comes out clean, your coffee cake is done. If the batter hasn’t fully set yet, bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes until done.