Rhubarb Crumble Cake

If you are from a small town in Canada, there is a good chance you grew up with a garden in your back yard. 
There is also a good chance that this garden had a rhubarb plant or two.
And if you didn't, I'm sure you knew at least 5 people who did have sone in their back yard.


Last year when I planted my garden I also planted some rhubarb, and as well as it is doing this year, it needs at least another year to really get going and give me what I want.

What I want? 
I want a whole lot of rhubarb.

I have no idea when I started to fall in love with rhubarb.  I have never and will never pick a stalk and just eat it.  No, for me rhubarb is all about being cooked, whether it is cooked into jam, pie or crisp, I have always liked it.
But I have a confession to make.
It is not so much about eating the food it makes, I am more in love with actually making it than anything else.

So this year, as I looked sadly on my small rhubarb plant and realized I will not get much more than 1 Crisp out of it, I found someone to help me with my burning desire to make Strawberry Rhubarb Jam and Rhubarb Crisp.  Unknown to me, my sister had 3 mature rhubarb plants growing in her back yard - why she did not tell me this last year, I have no idea.

This past Saturday, I took Little Boy and headed up to do some harvesting.

Did I say there were 3 plants?
There were 3 overgrown Rhubarb plants!
Do you know how much rhubarb that will give a girl?  Pretty much a black garbage bag full of rhubarb stalks.

I put out a tweet asking for some suggestions other than jam and pie, and a twitter friend of mine replied that she has her Great Grandmother's family favourite recipe for Rhubarb Crumble Cake - do I want the recipe?
Hell yeah I do!

So this is what I made.
I know why this is a family favourite.  It is absolutely delicious. 
It lets the rhubarb shine through and is not overly sweet which I find in some rhubarb recipes.

If you are a fan of rhubarb like me, trust me, you will love this one.
And if you don't have any growing in your back yard - let me know, I just might share with you.

Rhubarb Crumble Cake
Bottom:
2 cups flour
½ cup butter, at room temperature
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg, beaten

Top:
4 cups fresh rhubarb, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 ½ cups sugar
½ cup melted butter
½ cup flour
2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons white sugar

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Bottom:

Place all the ingredients into a stand mixer and mix using the paddle attachment.  Scrap down once or twice to make sure the butter gets incorporated.  Take out ¾ cup of this mixture and set aside for the topping.

Press the rest into a greased 8x11 pan.

Top:

Mix everything together in a large bowl, pour over bottom, cover with reserved crumble topping.  Mix together cinnamon and sugar, and sprinkle on top, using more or less to your liking.

Bake at 350 F for 1 hour.

Enjoy.

Source: MamaMonkey on twitter.