The thing I like about coffee cake is that it isn’t just for breakfast or brunch, it’s also nice to whip up for a homey weeknight dessert. Our whole family adores the strawberry rhubarb combination in this coffee cake, with our homegrown rhubarb and fresh strawberries from Wegmeyer Farms, and the crispy topping and the holes in the top crust, which fill up with ice cream or whipped cream like floating puddles of milky goodness. It’s a dream of a cake that’s easy to make and perfect for a family meal.
Recipe Notes
If you don’t have buttermilk, you can make an easy substitute. Just stir together 1 tablespoon lemon juice with enough milk to make 1 cup, then allow it to rest at room temperature for about 10 to 15 minutes before using.
📖 Recipe
Whole Wheat Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake
Equipment
- 2 (9-inch) round or 1 (9×13-inch) cake pans, lightly greased
- stand mixer with paddle attachment, or hand mixer with large bowl
- medium mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- ½ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup diced fresh rhubarb
- 1 cup chopped fresh strawberries
Topping
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 350° F/175° C.
- In the medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Stir the vanilla extract in with the buttermilk. Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients and mix, then half the buttermilk, and mix. Repeat, and finish with the last of the dry ingredients. Fold the rhubarb and strawberries into the batter,
- Spread the batter evenly among the 2 pans and sprinkle on the topping. Bake in the preheated oven until the top is golden brown and a tester comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes (30 to 35 minutes for a 9×13 cake.) Allow to cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.
Leslie Sanders says
Can you use frozen strawberries and frozen rhubarbs?
Andrea says
Hi Leslie. Yes, you can use frozen strawberries and rhubarb. I thaw it out first, and if there is too much liquid from the thawed fruit, I strain off some of it.