2009 June 24 | dinner with Julie

Archive for June 24th, 2009

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler Cake

So here’s the thing. I love strawberry-rhubarb pie; but I’m fairly lazy. It’s not that I don’t love making pies and pastry, but most often I figure I can get the gist of a strawberry-rhubarb pie in a less finicky format, like a crisp, cobbler or cake. Because really, half the reason for making strawberry-rhubarb pie is so that you can put vanilla ice cream on top of it, and this is as adequate a vehicle as any.

Today we decided to step headstrong into the realm of grown-ups and get our roof redone. Spending $5000+ on something you can’t see or touch and that doesn’t really affect your life at all (it’s not like rainwater was dribbling through on our heads) was a hard sell for me, but I was ultimately convinced it was a good idea. This the same week I’m spending much of my time in the dentist’s office, and today, one of the hottest so far this summer, the AC in the car died. And then there was that phone call this morning to let me know I’m being audited. Welcome, adulthood. I’ve been expecting you.

I even baked you a cake. Initially it was to have a little something to feed the roofers when they came down from their work, but in the end it was for me, to be applied liberally to my face as needed as a sort of strawberry-rhubarb salve. I sat with a bowl of it on my cross-legged lap beside W and we watched Scooby-Doo and the Boo Brothers. (Until the scary part, anyway.)

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler Cake

Of course a cobbler is more of a biscuit-topped fruit dessert, but this isn’t far off… as it bakes, the fruit sinks down into the cake batter like a soft, overstuffed pillow. You can use any kind of fruit you like (peaches, plums and ripe pears spiked with cinnamon are next on my list), and omit the sugar scattered over top if the fruit you choose is sweet enough. (Rhubarb tends to need a little help.)

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt
2 cups halved or quartered strawberries (depending on their size)
2-3 cups chopped rhubarb (about 2-3 stalks)
1/3-1/2 cup sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until well combined and starting to get fluffly. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each, then beat in the vanilla.

Add the flour, baking powder and salt and stir by hand or beat on low speed just until combined; the batter will be thick. Spread into a 9″x13″ pan that has been sprayed with nonstick spray, and scatter the fruit over top. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 45-50 minutes, until the cake is golden and the cakey parts springy to the touch.

Makes 1 big cake – feeds lots.