Secret Recipe Club: Rhubarb Crunch Cake

For this month’s Secret Recipe Club assignment, I was given the blog Farmgirl Gourmet, written by Heather.  I was VERY excited to be assigned Heather’s blog this month, as I love her website!  She has so many wonderful recipes, it was hard for me to decide. (It is especially hard to decide when you’re 6 months pregnant and EVERYTHING looks good to you though!)  In the end I decided upon this rhubarb cake because we’re reaching the end of rhubarb season and I had yet to make anything with it. 

Heather shared a wonderful story about her grandmother’s neighbor, Ruby, with this recipe too.  It is always the dishes that elicit fond memories of people and places you love that are the best tasting. 

Rhubarb Crunch Cake, adapted from Farmgirl Gourmet

For the cake:

• 3 cups fresh rhubarb, cut small
• 2 cups fresh strawberries, chopped
• 1-3 oz package of strawberry gelatin
• 1 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the topping:

• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 tbsp white sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (your choice, I used pecans)

Preheat the oven to 350.  Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside. (I used two 9 inch baking pans so that I could give one away.)

In a large bowl, mix together the rhubarb, strawberries and strawberry gelatin.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter and cream until light and fluffy.  Add the sugar and cream until combined.  Add the eggs, vanilla and milk and mix to incorporate well.  Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix until just combined.

In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the topping and set aside.

Spread half of the cake batter in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.  Top with half of the rhubarb mixture and then repeat with remaining batter and rhubarb.  Sprinkle the top with the topping mixture.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. *Note: I had to bake these much longer than the 35 minutes recommended in the original recipe.  The outside of the cake will set faster than the center, so just tent with foil if you notice the edges getting too dark.