Last year, I made this Raspberry Lemon Poppy Seed Snacking Cake, which is a whole lot of title for a small piece of cake that you’re supposed to snack on. Either way, it was a delicious treat that I still highly recommend. If you haven’t made it yet, you should definitely get on it. This year, I wanted to recreate that same idea, a cake sliced into small pieces that you can eat in two bites throughout the day. This Strawberry Rhubarb Streusel Shortcake is what you get when you combine classic strawberry shortcake with a streusel topped coffee cake and a fruit cobbler, all rolled into one incredible dessert, which could also double as a rich breakfast treat. And yes, if anyone asks, cake for breakfast is always perfectly acceptable. Always.
Let’s start by making the quick and simple strawberry rhubarb jam that goes in the center of our cake! Cut the rhubarb into a 1-inch dice and place in a medium saucepan. Hull the strawberries and slice into a bowl. Using a potato masher or fork, roughly mash the berries until chunky. Throw into the pot with the rhubarb, along with the lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Cover and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes.
**Tip: I got abnormally excited when I saw fresh rhubarb at the grocery store last week and knew I had to make something with it. If you can’t find fresh rhubarb or strawberries, however, you can use a bag frozen bag of each. Just make sure you thaw them and drain off the liquid very well. You don’t want the jam to be too wet. You could also just use a jar or two of good quality store-bought preserves or jam!**
In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch and stir into the saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use.
**Tip: At this stage, just make sure you continue to stir the entire time so that the jam doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.**
To make the cake, in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. I call this cake a “streusel shortcake” because the batter is more like a wetter biscuit or scone dough, rather than a traditional cake batter. You don’t have to cream the butter and sugar. Instead, you make it as you would biscuits, which gives the cake a great crumb.
Add the butter and cut in with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with large bits of butter throughout. Beat buttermilk, eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl and then add to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
**Tip: Much like biscuits or scones, you want to make sure the butter is very cold before you cut it into the dry ingredients. This will help with the cakes texture and allow it to rise nicely when it bakes!**
Spread half of the batter, into a 9x13inch baking pan, into an even layer. Pour the jam over the top and carefully spread over the top to cover completely.
**Tip: I like to line the baking pan with parchment paper, so that it hangs off on either side to make it easier to pull out the entire cake later, which in turn makes it easier to slice.**
Dollop the remaining batter over the top with a large spoon. Do not spread the batter, just leave the dollops as they are. This will help the jam peek through the top later on, giving the top of the cake a nice look to it.
For the streusel, in a large bowl, combine the butter, flour and sugar with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs the size of peas. Sprinkle over the top of the cake to cover it. This is what gives it that coffee cake look and taste.
Bake until golden brown and the center no longer jiggles, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
To make the slicing easier, once the cake cools to room temperature, you can place it in the fridge or freezer to chill until firm. Then use the parchment paper to pull out the entire slab out of the pan. Using a sharp serrated knife, cut into 16 or 20 squares.
This is rather a rich cake so I recommend making the slices a bit smaller. I cut them into 20 pieces and it was the perfect size. Just the right amount of sweetness.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge, covered with plastic wrap or transferred to an airtight container, for up to 4 days. Just allow the cake to come to room temperature before eating…or eat it cold. It’s just as good cold!
Make sure you keep this cake in mind the next time you see fresh rhubarb and strawberries at your local grocery store or farmer’s market. It’s worth all of the steps. I promise. It’s a nice change up from your regular ol’ strawberry rhubarb pie. Although you could easily swap them for peaches, blueberries or raspberries!
- 1½ pounds fresh rhubarb
- 1 quart fresh strawberries
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- pinch of salt
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and diced
- 1½ cups buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13inch baking pan with parchment paper, so that it hangs off on either side to make it easier to pull out later. Lightly grease with cooking spray and set aside.
- To make the jam, cut the rhubarb into a 1-inch dice and place in a medium saucepan. Hull the strawberries and slice into a bowl. Using a potato masher or fork, roughly mash the berries until chunky. Throw into the pot with the rhubarb, along with the lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Cover and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch and stir into the saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use.
- To make the cake, in a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the butter and cut in with your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with large bits of butter throughout. Beat buttermilk, eggs and vanilla in a separate bowl and then add to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
- Spread half of the batter into the prepared pan into an even layer. Carefully spread the jam over the top. Dollop the remaining batter over the top with a large spoon.
- For the streusel, in a large bowl, combine the butter, flour and sugar with your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs the size of peas. Sprinkle over the top of the cake and bake until golden brown and the center no longer jiggles, about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely. Chill for about 30 minutes to make it easier to slice. Cut into squares and serve. Leftovers can be stored in the fridge, covered, for up to 4 days. Enjoy!
Sounds wonderful! I was wondering….Over the summer I made strawberry rhubarb jam, could I use that instead of making a new batch?
You definitely can! That would work great!!
Looks so delicious and perfect with a cup of coffee!