Thursday, June 23, 2011

Quick Fruit-Filled Coffee Cake


Blueberry coffee cake? Who turns that down?

I think I mentioned my stem to blossom-end philosophy last year during Tigress' Can Jam. I love using up everything I can, and that means that when I make juice or jelly or do something that leaves me with fruit pulp I invariably find a way to use it. This cake was born of that compulsion. It's incredibly quick and easy, and not too sweet; a great every day cake. One that you can leave out for a few days--it stays moist and if heated up for just a few minutes and you have a tasty treat.

I used rhubarb pulp from making rhubarb juice for the cake pictured below. It's color is a tad dull, but tasted great. The blueberry was leftover from syrup making. I really couldn't leave that goodness to waste. Spread over a thick batter and covered up with crunchy crumbles, and no one's the wiser. Saved from the compost!

Combine:

1 1/2 c. AP flour
1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt

Mix in a separate bowl:

1 cup of buttermilk
2 large eggs

Add the dry to the wet until just smooth. Don't over mix. Pour into a greased 10-inch spring form pan, and smooth the top. Spread about two cups (give or take) of fruit pulp over the batter. Cover with streusel topping. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Streusel topping:

4 tablespoons of butter (oil works too)
1/4 cup of slivered almonds
1/2 cup of whole rolled oats
1/2 cup of sugar

Note: I do not sweeten the fruit, but you may want to depending on your tastes or the tartness of your fruit. The blueberries didn't need any extra sweetener, but for the rhubarb I sprinkled sugar on the layer of fruit before adding the streusel.

I love that this recipe only uses a few ingredients. If you don't have buttermilk, go ahead and use yogurt!

If you want to step it up and get fancy, head on over to these two amazing takes on a recipe for Rhubarb Kuchen:

Cakewalk: Rhubarb Kuchen
Tigress in a Jam: Rhubarb Krack


Dull, but tasty, rhubarb.

11 comments:

  1. Oh my! Delicious-I am always thrilled with anything with rhubarb but that blueberry version gets extra points for beauty.

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  2. Mmm! Glad you posted this! It is in the oven with my rhubarb pulp from making rhubeena. Still have lots left so moving onto a strawberry rhubarb quick bread. Lucy's teachers will be happy in the am. Solving my rhubarb pulp and egg glut all at once =) Happy friday!

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  3. This is really brilliant! I had to waste the pulp too!

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  4. I can't believe how much pulp ended up in my compost over the years. No more! Thanks.

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  5. Adventures - Yeah, the blue was pretty. And pretty good too!

    Meg - Strawberry Rhubarb quick bread sounds fabu! I'm going to pick strawbs tomorrow...Those teachers are such lucky folks! And listen, I cannot wait for an egg glut! My girls will be laying soon.

    Jan - Thanks for taking the time to comment! And the brilliant part is nice too!

    Pat - See that? Your compost is going to hate me. : )

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  6. I totally love quick cakes like this, and I put off reading this until today: I have blackberry seedy pulp... maybe I'll make a miniature version, and save some for flavoring kombucha - that's what I usually do with leftover fruit pulp. Just thinking maybe I could make a tiny version baked in jam jars? I'll let you know =)

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  7. This looks SOO delicious. As I skimmed the ingredients, stumbling over buttermilk (who keeps buttermilk on hand?), I chuckled aloud when you had the yogurt suggestion. I have yogurt.

    Now there's no excuse not to try this.

    Aloha ;)

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  8. Denise - You see?

    R - I love your version. Still jealous of those blackberries. And I love what you do with your fruit pulp normally!

    Mamachromatic - Hee hee! I know...I'm a buttermilk freak. Enjoy!

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  9. after becoming addicted to my version of cakewalk's kuchen I am down for anything krack-like. fruit crack that is. and I'm all about the buttermilk, AND I'm about to get a glut of blueberries! thanks julia!

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  10. Tigress - You are welcome, but I do believe this will pale considerably in the krackish glow of your rhubarb amazingness!

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