Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Last Updated September 7, 2024

Moist vanilla coffee cake with a thick layer of strawberry rhubarb filling and a buttery oat crumble. While this recipe may parade under the name of “coffee cake”, don’t be deceived. It has so much strawberry and rhubarb filling that it could adequately be called a dump cake, or almost a cobbler, especially when cut into while it’s still hot and wonderfully molten.

Rhubarb season is teasingly short. It hardly feels or looks like spring before the rhubarb is shooting up in my mom’s garden. By the time June rolls around, it’s the last call for rhubarb!

With each season being so short, I usually get in just a couple classic rhubarb custard pies and maybe one or two other favorite rhubarb desserts. There’s hardly time to try new recipes by the time you make a few pies!

A few years ago I added these buttery Strawberry Rhubarb Oat Bars to the favorite rhubarb recipe collection, and this year I managed to sneak in yet another one: this Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake. I wondered when I first made this if I should halve the recipe to make an 8x8inch, knowing I would be making the recipe a couple of times to make sure it was ready. I didn’t and made the full 9x13inch, and it disappeared so quickly I was glad I didn’t cut the recipe in half! I made it again, and again it disappeared quickly, even with other rhubarb desserts around!

I managed to snap a few photos of the last rhubarb dessert for this season, along with some of the last peonies. I love seasonal things, don’t you? It’s sad to see them go, but makes them so, so special.

Recipe adapted from Taste of Home

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Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Makes 1 - 9x13inch pan, about 20 servings

Ingredients:

For the Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

• 5 cups / about 800g rhubarb cut into 1” pieces

• 3 cups / about 350g strawberries, halved

• 1 cup / 200g sugar

• 1/3 cup / 40g cornstarch

• 2 Tbsp / 28g lemon juice

For the Coffee Cake

• 3 cups / 360g all-purpose or pastry flour

• 3/4 cup / 150g sugar

• 1 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 3/4 cup / 169g oil

• 1 1/2 cups / 355g buttermilk

• 2 eggs

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Crumble Topping

• 1/2 cup / 113g butter, melted

• 1 cup / 120g all-purpose or pastry flour

• 1 cup / 200g sugar

• 1 cup / 90g oats

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F / 177°C. Lightly grease a 9x13inch / 23x33centimeter rectangle pan.

Make the Strawberry Rhubarb Filling:

1. In a medium pot, combine all filling ingredients over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for about five minutes, stirring frequently, until rhubarb and strawberries are tender and start to break down and mixture is thickened.

2. Remove from heat and set aside.

Make the Coffee Cake

1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

2. Stir in oil until mixture looks like wet sand with some small chunks.

3. Mix in buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla; stir until mostly smooth. A few lumps are ok.

4. Set aside while crumble is prepared.

Make the Crumble Topping

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter.

2. Remove from heat and mix in flour, sugar, and oats until mixture resembles wet sand with some chunks.

Assemble and Bake

1. Pour and spread half of cake mixture into prepared pan. Dollop strawberry rhubarb filling over cake batter, gently spreading to edges, then pour remaining half of cake batter over filling, gently spreading to edges. Top with crumble.

2. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until cake starts to turn golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

3. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Jenny’s Notes:

• Waiting until the coffee cake cools completely will result in easier to slice bars. If you cut into it early, the rhubarb filling will still be molten, but you can embrace the mess and serve it warm, in a bowl with a spoon, and call it a dump cake. :)

Yield 20 servings

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

30 Min

Cook time

1 H & 10 M

Total time

1 H & 40 M

Print

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Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Moist vanilla coffee cake with a thick layer of strawberry rhubarb filling and a buttery oat crumble.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the Strawberry Rhubarb Filling

• 5 cups / about 800g rhubarb cut into 1” pieces
• 3 cups / about 350g strawberries, halved
• 1 cup / 200g sugar
• 1/3 cup / 40g cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp / 28g lemon juice

For the Coffee Cake

• 3 cups / 360g all-purpose or pastry flour
• 3/4 cup / 150g sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup / 169g oil
• 1 1/2 cups / 355g buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

For the Crumble Topping

• 1/2 cup / 113g butter, melted
• 1 cup / 120g all-purpose or pastry flour
• 1 cup / 200g sugar
• 1 cup / 90g oats

Instructions

Make the Strawberry Rhubarb Filling:

1. In a medium pot, combine all filling ingredients over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for about five minutes, stirring frequently, until rhubarb and strawberries are tender and start to break down and mixture is thickened.
2. Remove from heat and set aside.

Make the Coffee Cake

1. Whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
2. Stir in oil until mixture looks like wet sand with some small chunks.
3. Mix in buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla; stir until mostly smooth. A few lumps are ok.
4. Set aside while crumble is prepared.

Make the Crumble Topping

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter.
2. Remove from heat and mix in flour, sugar, and oats until mixture resembles wet sand with some chunks.

Assemble and Bake

1. Pour and spread half of cake mixture into prepared pan. Dollop strawberry rhubarb filling over cake batter, gently spreading to edges, then pour remaining half of cake batter over filling, gently spreading to edges. Top with crumble.
2. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until cake starts to turn golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
3. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Notes

• Waiting until the coffee cake cools completely will result in easier to slice bars. If you cut into it early, the rhubarb filling will still be molten, but you can embrace the mess and serve it warm, in a bowl with a spoon, and call it a dump cake. :)

Nutrition Facts

Calories

358.75

Fat

15.01 g

Sat. Fat

4.2 g

Carbs

43.31 g

Fiber

3.98 g

Net carbs

39.36 g

Sugar

2.52 g

Protein

5.3 g

Cholesterol

30.55 mg

Sodium

209.49 mg

Nutritional info is approximate, based on 1 serving

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2024/5/29/strawberry-rhubarb-coffee-cake

strawberry rhubarb coffee cake, crumble cake, dump cake, rhubarb dessert

dessert

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

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Rhubarb Oat Bars

Last Updated September 7, 2024

Are you taking advantage of this rhubarb season? I hope you are, I know I am, more so than ever, as I’ve missed living in a country where people use, let alone have heard of, rhubarb.

I don’t know about you, but when rhubarb season starts I usually think of pies as the first thing to make. Then, after a few rhubarb and rhubarb custard pies, I might want to make some ahem…I’m not sure what normal people call it, maybe rhubarb soup? I grew up calling it camel hair soup. (We’re so normal you can’t stand it.) After camel hair soup, then maybe some rhubarb hand pies made with puff pastry.

All of those things are delicious, but sometimes with rhubarb season being so short I don’t end up getting beyond the “classics.” This year I’ve been expanding my horizons a bit, and if you’d like to go beyond the rhubarb pies and crisps, here are some buttery rhubarb oat bars to try!

It’s a buttery crust, sticky and gooey strawberry rhubarb filling with a hint of nutmeg, and a buttery oat crumble on top.

Yes please.

I don’t think I need to go on much further, so here’s the recipe! Anyway, I better stop writing before rhubarb season is over, haha.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe adapted from Curly Girl Kitchen

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Rhubarb Oat Bars

Serves about 9-12

Ingredients

For the Crust and Topping

• 1 1/2 cups / 180g flour

• 1 cup / 90g rolled oats

• 1 cup / 226g cold butter, cubed

• 1/2 cup / 100g brown sugar

• 1 tsp baking powder

• 1/2 tsp salt

For the Rhubarb Filling

• 1 lb / 454g (about 3 1/2 cups) rhubarb, cut into approx. 1/2” slices

• 1/2 cup / 100g sugar

• 6 Tbsp / 45g flour

• 1/2 cup / 160g strawberry jam

• 1 Tbsp / 15g lemon juice

• 1 tsp / 5g vanilla extract

• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Directions:

Oven preheated to 350F / 177C. Lightly grease an 8x8in / 20x20cm square baking dish.

Make the Crust and Topping

1. In a food processor, blend all crust/topping ingredients together until the texture is like coarse pebbles. Alternately, you can mix by hand or with a fork or pastry cutter.

2. Take half the mixture and press into the prepared baking dish. Reserve other half for topping.

3. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, Make the Rhubarb Filling

1. In a large bowl, combine all filling ingredients. Mix together well.

2. When the crust is done baking, pour filling over crust.

3. Bake for 30 minutes.

4. When the filling is done baking, crumble the remaining topping over filling and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until top is light golden-brown.

5. Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving. (The refrigerator can help speed up this process.)

Jenny’s Notes:

• If you don’t have rolled oats, instant oats can be used.

• The strawberry jam could be switched out for a different flavor of jam!

• If you can’t wait to dig into your freshly baked bars, you can always go at it with a spoon! It will be more like a crumble when it’s still warm, but hey, is that a bad thing?

Yield 9-12

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

20 Min

Cook time

1 H & 5 M

Total time

1 H & 25 M

Print

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Rhubarb Oat Bars

Buttery, crumbly oat bars with a sweet rhubarb and strawberry filling

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the Crust and Topping

• 1 1/2 cups / 180g flour
• 1 cup / 90g rolled oats
• 1 cup / 226g cold butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup / 100g brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the Rhubarb Filling

• 1 lb / 454g (about 3 1/2 cups) rhubarb, cut into approx. 1/2” slices
• 1/2 cup / 100g sugar
• 6 Tbsp / 45g flour
• 1/2 cup / 160g strawberry jam
• 1 Tbsp / 15g lemon juice
• 1 tsp / 5g vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp baking soda

Instructions

Make the Crust and Topping

1. Oven preheated to 350F / 177C. Lightly grease an 8x8in / 20x20cm square baking dish.
2. In a food processor, blend all crust/topping ingredients together until the texture is like coarse pebbles. Alternately, you can mix by hand or with a fork or pastry cutter.
3. Take half the mixture and press into the prepared baking dish. Reserve other half for topping.
4. Bake for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, Make the Rhubarb Filling

1. In a large bowl, combine all filling ingredients. Mix together well.
2. When the crust is done baking, pour filling over crust.
3. Bake for 30 minutes.
4. When the filling is done baking, crumble the remaining topping over filling and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until top is light golden-brown.
5. Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving. (The refrigerator can help speed up this process.)

Notes

• If you don’t have rolled oats, instant oats can be used.
• The strawberry jam could be switched out for a different flavor of jam!
• If you can’t wait to dig into your freshly baked bars, you can always go at it with a spoon! It will be more like a crumble when it’s still warm, but hey, is that a bad thing?

Nutrition Facts

Calories

463.59

Fat

21.47 g

Sat. Fat

13.15 g

Carbs

64.53 g

Fiber

2.75 g

Net carbs

61.8 g

Sugar

32.96 g

Protein

4.61 g

Cholesterol

54.23 mg

Sodium

393.23 mg

Nutritional Information is approximate.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2022/6/2/rhubarb-oat-bars

rhubarb, oat bars, oaty bars, crumble

dessert

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

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Classic Rhubarb Custard Pie

Last updated July 31, 2024

Nothings says summer like a rhubarb pie. Better yet, a rhubarb CUSTARD pie.

Rhubarb is always one of the first garden plants to grow each spring in Michigan, announcing that after a long, cold winter summer is indeed coming and didn’t get lost along the way after all. Rhubarb likes to grow so extensively in its short season that you don’t know what to do with all of it, until it withers in the approach of hotter weather and leaves you already looking forward to next year’s crop. Unless, of course, you planned ahead and froze some. But frozen rhubarb will never be like fresh, so make all the pie and hand pie, crisp, cake, syrup, and camel hair soup you can! I mean, er, rhubarb sauce…not camel hair soup. Hehe, who’d call it that??

Do you want to know something really sad? I’ve never seen rhubarb in Italy, at least not in Florence. So for my international friends, I’m sorry if your area fails you and doesn’t grow rhubarb so you aren’t able to make this recipe. If there is rhubarb in Florence though, someone please tell me where to find it? So far everyone I’ve asked just said, “…what’s that?” This just goes to show my ignorance. Before moving to Italy I was trying to bake with all of the ingredients that aren’t readily available here, or at least what I figured wouldn’t be readily available. I should have been in a baking frenzy with rhubarb instead of things like Oreos. Because, no rhubarb and Oreos everywhere. There are even Oreo donuts in the grocery store bakery section…I’ve come so close to trying them during various weak moments.

Wherever you are in the world, be sure to bake or eat a rhubarb pie at the next chance. You won’t regret it and might inspire you to move to a part of the world where rhubarb is grown.

This recipe is the old-fashioned classic from my mama. The crust is one of my favorite traditional pie crust recipes, simple and can be made ahead of time if needed. It uses butter instead of shortening, which in my mind is a bit of a compromise between shortening or lard (which most people and bakeries use to make tender and flaky crusts but it’s also horrendous for your health and has no taste if it’s not artificially flavored.) and oil, which my mom has always used because oil can actually be good for you, although it makes for the trickiest to handle and often um, hardier pie crusts. So I use butter, which tastes wonderful and makes the crust easy enough to work with, even if it’s not as healthy as oil.

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase using these links, Jennyblogs may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. This helps to support Jennyblogs. Where possible, links are prioritized to mall businesses and ethically and responsibly made items. For further information see the privacy policy. Grazie!

Recipe from my Mama

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Classic Rhubarb Custard Pie

Makes one 9in / 23cm pie, about 8 servings

Ingredients:

For the Crust

• 1 top and bottom pie crust, homemade or store-bought, find an all butter pie crust recipe here, OR an oil crust recipe here

For the Rhubarb Custard Filling

• 3 eggs

• 3 Tbsp / 45g milk

• 1 1/2 cups / 300g granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup / 30g all-purpose flour

• 3/4 tsp nutmeg

• 4 cups fresh rhubarb, sliced into 1/2in / 1cm chunks

Directions:

Oven 400°F / 205°C. 8 or 9 inch pie dish. 

Make the Crust

1. Prepare pie crust per recipe instructions, refrigerate until needed.

Make the Rhubarb Custard Filling

Preparing the top pie crust strips

Finished lattice top

1. Blend eggs and milk together in a large bowl.

2. Add the flour and nutmeg to the sugar then add to the egg mixture and beat well.

3. Add in the rhubarb and mix to coat well.

4. Pour into prepared pie crust and add top crust.

   For a classic top pie crust, place crust on top, cut off overhang, and crimp together the edges of the top and bottom crust to seal.

   For an interwoven lattice, start in the center of the pie and work outward, then repeat with the other half. Arrange half of the strips evenly spaced over the pie all in one direction, then flip every other strip back over itself, so half are now only covering half of the pie. Take a new strip and place it perpendicularly just in front of the folded strips. Unfold the folded strips so these ones now cover the new strip. The new strip should be under and over every other one. Working on that same half of the pie, fold back every other strip, all the ones that were NOT just folded. Take another new strip and place it evenly apart from the first perpendicular strip. Unfold the folded strips. Repeat folding back strips, placing new strip, and unfolding until you reach the edge of the pie. You may need to trim down the strips as you get closer to the edge. Repeat with other half of the pie.

   Sprinkle sugar on top, if desired.

5. Bake pie in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until crust is golden brown and a knife inserted in center of pie confirms rhubarb is tender.

6. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Jenny’s Notes:

• If you make the crust and pie in the same day, you could make the filling while the crust is resting in the fridge for an hour or so before rolling out.

• Instead of a traditional top pie crust or lattice you could add a streusel/crumble, delicious and definitely the easiest option of the three.

Yield 8

Author Jennyblogs

Prep time

1 H & 10 M

Cook time

1 Hour

Total time

2 H & 10 M

Print

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Rhubarb Custard Pie

Classic rhubarb custard pie recipe handed down from my mama. Homemade pie crust with the uniquely sweet and sour filling you can only get with rhubarb.

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

For the Crust

• 1 top and bottom pie crust, homemade or store-bought, find an all butter pie crust recipe here, OR an oil crust recipe here

For the Rhubarb Custard Filling

• 3 eggs
• 3 Tbsp / 45g milk
• 1 1/2 cups / 300g granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup / 30g all-purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg
• 4 cups fresh rhubarb, sliced into 1/2in / 1cm chunks

Instructions

Make the Crust

1. Prepare pie crust per recipe instructions, refrigerate until needed.

Make the Rhubarb Custard Filling

1. Oven 400°F / 205°C. 8 or 9 inch pie dish.
2. Blend eggs and milk together in a large bowl.
3. Add the flour and nutmeg to the sugar then add to the egg mixture and beat well.
4. Add in the rhubarb and mix to coat well.
5. Pour into prepared pie crust and add top crust.
6. For a classic top pie crust, place crust on top, cut off overhang, and crimp together the edges of the top and bottom crust to seal. For an interwoven lattice, start in the center of the pie and work outward, then repeat with the other half. Arrange half of the strips evenly spaced over the pie all in one direction, then flip every other strip back over itself, so half are now only covering half of the pie. Take a new strip and place it perpendicularly just in front of the folded strips. Unfold the folded strips so these ones now cover the new strip. The new strip should be under and over every other one. Working on that same half of the pie, fold back every other strip, all the ones that were NOT just folded. Take another new strip and place it evenly apart from the first perpendicular strip. Unfold the folded strips. Repeat folding back strips, placing new strip, and unfolding until you reach the edge of the pie. You may need to trim down the strips as you get closer to the edge. Repeat with other half of the pie.
7. Sprinkle sugar on top, if desired.
8. Bake pie in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until crust is golden brown and a knife inserted in center of pie confirms rhubarb is tender.
9. Allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.

Notes

If you make the crust and pie in the same day, you could make the filling while the crust is resting in the fridge for an hour or so before rolling out. Instead of a traditional top pie crust or lattice you could add a streusel/crumble, delicious and definitely the easiest option of the three.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

431.35

Fat

12.79 g

Sat. Fat

7.67 g

Carbs

74.08 g

Fiber

2.32 g

Net carbs

71.76 g

Sugar

38.25 g

Protein

6.18 g

Sodium

397.03 mg

Cholesterol

54.07 mg

Nutritional Information is approximate.

https://jennyblogs.com/blog/2019/6/19/classic-rhubarb-custard-pie

Rhubarb, custard, pie, all butter crust, oil pie crust, old fashioned

Dessert, Pie

American

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @jennyblogsandbakes on instagram and hashtag it #jennyblogs

Rhubarb Custard Pie made with an all oil crust

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