Rhubarb Day | Streusel Cake and Scones
My husband likes to see how big a rhubarb plant he can grow each year! I usually laugh at his antics, but these recipes are no laughing matter. I decided to pull a bag of sliced rhubarb out of the freezer yesterday and try a couple new recipes and they both turned out really good! Two for two.
The rhubarb streusel cake has a yeast base, similar to my grandma's kuchen. The rhubarb soaks in lemon juice and maple syrup for a bit, the crumble on top uses coconut oil instead of butter.
Rhubarb Streusel Cake
Fills a 9x9 pan, probably serves 8-10 people
Cake Base:
1 cup soymilk or other non-dairy milk
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
sprinkle of cinnamon
2 tsp instant dry yeast
3-4 cups flour [I used 1/2 cup whole wheat and the rest all purpose]
First, warm the milk, maple syrup and coconut oil in a small saucepan on low heat. Once the coconut oil has melted, pour the mixture into a larger bowl. Be sure the liquid isn't too hot before sprinkling the yeast on top. Let it sit for 15 minutes while the yeast does its job. After the yeast has bubbled significantly, add vanilla, cinnamon and salt.
Add one cup of flour at a time, mixing thoroughly. Once you get to three cups of flour, you'll have to knead the dough by hand and feel how much flour is still needed to get to a nice soft dough. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover it with a towel while it rises for two hours. Be sure it's sitting in a nice warm place.
3-4 cups sliced rhubarb, fresh or thawed
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp maple syrup
Mix together and let the rhubarb soak in the juices.
Streusel:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, room temperature
1 Tbsp soymilk
1/4 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
Add all ingredients together and use your hands to squeeze the mixture together until it is nice and crumbly.
Put it all together....
When the dough has doubled in size [about two hours later], preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a 9x9 or 8x11 pan with parchment paper. Press the dough into the pan from center to edges until it is a uniform thickness. Let it sit like this for 10-20 minutes for a final rise. Then spoon your rhubarb onto the dough and sprinkle the streusel on top. Bake for 35-45 minutes, depending on the thickness of the dough. Watch for the middle of the cake to be baked through without edges getting too dark.
Let it cool and enjoy! It tastes really good with yogurt! And you can re-warm leftovers a day later...
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NOW, for the story of the scones.
I used to make scones all the time. One day, I found this scone pan somewhere. Then I didn't make scones for years. Funny how that happens. I found it in the back of a cupboard and realized between the frozen rhubarb and the pan, something special needed to happen. That was a good choice.
makes eight triangular scones
2 cups flour [I used 1/2 cup whole wheat and the rest all purpose]
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup soymilk, or other nondairy milk
1/2 cup coconut oil, room temperature
1/3 cup sugar + more to sprinkle on top
1 egg [make a flax egg* to keep these vegan]
1/2 cup sliced rhubarb, fresh or thawed
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper [or slightly grease your scone pan]. Start by smashing the coconut oil in a bowl with a fork. Then add the sugar, milk, and egg and mix until combined. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients. Add half of the dry to the wet and mix carefully. Then coat the rhubarb by placing it in the remaining dry mixture. Take this and add to the rest, mixing it all together.
If you don't have a scone pan, make a nice dough round about 1 inch in height and cut into 8 wedges with a floured knife. Place on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 20 minutes. Cool and serve.
*How to make a flax egg:
Mix 1 tbsp of ground flaxseed with 2 tbsp of cold water. Let it sit for 8-10 minutes to form a sticky paste.
You know where to find the rest of my recipes, right? There are just a few over here...
