Strawberry-Rhubarb Coffee Cake

after i made the strawberry-rhubarb martinis, i had leftover strawberries and leftover rhubarb. what better to do with them than make a coffee cake?

this moist cake with a wonderfully thick crumb topping is perfect for breakfast with iced coffee. the cake is layered with a basic vanilla cake bottom, a mixture of fresh strawberries and rhubarb and a butter and brown sugar crumb topping.

truly a wonderful breakfast. i always say, eat the carbs and sweets in the morning instead of last thing. that way, you have all day to burn off the calories!

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Strawberry-Rhubarb Coffee Cake

topping:
3/4 stick butter, melted
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

filling:
1 cup rhubarb, chopped
1 cup strawberries, hulled and halved
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

cake:
1 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

preheat oven to 350 degrees F. line 9" square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2" overhang.

whisk together melted butter and brown sugar for topping. add flour and mix together with your hands until crumbly being sure to keep large crumbs. set bowl in fridge until ready to use.

in the bowl of a mixer, beat butter and sugar together for cake until light and fluffy. add eggs, one at a time and vanilla extract. beat until well mixed. slowly add flour until just incorporated. pour batter into pan.

in a medium bowl, toss together rhubarb, strawberries, and flour until well coated. pour mixture over batter and spread out evenly. top with cold topping crumbles and bake for 45 minutes. cover with aluminum foil if topping seems to be getting too brown and cook for an additional 20-30 minutes until toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

let cool completely on wire rack. remove from pan using parchment paper overhang to lift it out. slice and serve.