Rhubarb Coffee Cake

My Mom and Dad have a massive rhubarb patch in their back yard. I think it might actually be one gigantic plant, in fact, but it keeps them well-stocked in rhubarb all summer long. This recipe gets made a lot in their house, to use up the rhubarb, but also because it’s really good. My Mom cuts these smaller, into squares (16 from an 8-inch pan), but I tend to think of this as more of a coffee cake, and given the small amount of fat in the recipe, don’t feel terribly guilty serving up larger pieces and thinking of it as cake.

I cook this at a slightly higher heat than the original recipe calls for, and I also tend to find the original a bit too sweet for me, so I’ve switched the topping to brown sugar from white, and cut the amount slightly.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Cake:
1/4 cup margarine
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup rhubarb, chopped
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup coconut

Cream together margarine and sugar, adding egg and vanilla and blending well. Combine dry ingredients and add to wet mixture interspersed with milk, blending well after each amount. Add rhubarb last and spread into an 8-inch square pan. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle on top. Bake at 325’F for 45 – 50 minutes.