Cook this: Oda’s rhubarb crumble cake from Only in Saskatchewan

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Our cookbook of the week is Only in Saskatchewan by Naomi Hansen. Tomorrow, we’ll feature an interview with the author.

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To try another recipe from the book, check out: Baba’s Homestyle Perogies’ potato and cheddar perogies; and Crave’s mustard potato salad.

Cold-hardy rhubarb is a fixture in Saskatchewan gardens and a staple ingredient year-round, says Saskatoon writer Naomi Hansen.

Whether you have some frozen rhubarb stashed away in your freezer from last year or some early spring stalks, put it to good use in this crumble cake from Oda Coffee + Wine Bar on the shores of Little Manitou Lake.

(With the buoyancy of the Dead Sea in Israel and Jordan, and a mineral concentration comparable to the spa town Karlovy Vary in Czechia, the saltwater lake is a unique Saskatchewan attraction.)

Hansen always has a bag of rhubarb in her freezer to use in desserts throughout the year. Growing up, her mom often used the vegetable to make punch for family get-togethers or would add it to muffins.

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“Rhubarb is super popular here. It’s a perennial, so it doesn’t mind cold weather obviously, which is great for Saskatchewan,” says Hansen, laughing.

Since you bake the cake in a 9- × 13-inch (23- x 33-cm) pan, it’s ideal for serving at large gatherings, she adds. It’s a straightforward, back-pocket recipe that you can whip up quickly, and it’s “absolutely perfect” for coffee time.

“The cake itself is so moist. I don’t like the word so much,” Hansen laughs, “but it is. It really is just this almost fluffy cake. And then it’s got this really nice, brown sugar cinnamon crunch on the top.”

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ODA’S RHUBARB CRUMBLE CAKE

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Cake topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup salted butter, softened
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Rhubarb crumble cake:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup 1 per cent or 2 per cent milk
2 cups fresh or frozen, chopped (1-inch pieces) rhubarb

Optional garnish:
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving
Ground cinnamon

Cake topping:

Step 1

Place the flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat on low speed until fine crumbs form, 1–2 minutes. Set the topping aside while you prepare the cake.

Article content

Rhubarb crumble cake:

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9- × 13-inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray, and then lightly flour the bottom and sides of the pan, shaking gently to coat it.

Step 2

Place the sugar and butter in a medium bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat again until well combined.

Step 3

Place the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and stir together to combine.

Step 4

Add half the flour mixture and half the milk to the sugar and butter bowl, cream on low speed, and then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining flour mixture and milk, and cream again on low speed until the cake batter is smooth, 1–2 minutes.

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Step 5

Using a spatula, gently fold the rhubarb into the batter until fully incorporated.

Step 6

Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and, using a spatula, spread it around the pan evenly. Sprinkle the prepared topping evenly overtop of the cake batter.

Step 7

Bake the cake on the centre rack of the oven until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean, 45–50 minutes.

Step 8

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes. Cut the cake into 12 pieces, and serve immediately with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top (if using).

Makes: 1 (9- × 13-inch) cake

Recipe and image excerpted from Only in Saskatchewan by Naomi Hansen. Recipe copyright © 2022 by Oda Coffee + Wine Bar. Text copyright © 2022 by Naomi Hansen. Photo copyright 2022 © by Garrett Kendal.

Article content

Our cookbook of the week is Only in Saskatchewan by Naomi Hansen. Tomorrow, we’ll feature an interview with the author.

Article content

To try another recipe from the book, check out: Baba’s Homestyle Perogies’ potato and cheddar perogies; and Crave’s mustard potato salad.

Cold-hardy rhubarb is a fixture in Saskatchewan gardens and a staple ingredient year-round, says Saskatoon writer Naomi Hansen.

Whether you have some frozen rhubarb stashed away in your freezer from last year or some early spring stalks, put it to good use in this crumble cake from Oda Coffee + Wine Bar on the shores of Little Manitou Lake.

(With the buoyancy of the Dead Sea in Israel and Jordan, and a mineral concentration comparable to the spa town Karlovy Vary in Czechia, the saltwater lake is a unique Saskatchewan attraction.)

Hansen always has a bag of rhubarb in her freezer to use in desserts throughout the year. Growing up, her mom often used the vegetable to make punch for family get-togethers or would add it to muffins.

Article content

“Rhubarb is super popular here. It’s a perennial, so it doesn’t mind cold weather obviously, which is great for Saskatchewan,” says Hansen, laughing.

Since you bake the cake in a 9- × 13-inch (23- x 33-cm) pan, it’s ideal for serving at large gatherings, she adds. It’s a straightforward, back-pocket recipe that you can whip up quickly, and it’s “absolutely perfect” for coffee time.

“The cake itself is so moist. I don’t like the word so much,” Hansen laughs, “but it is. It really is just this almost fluffy cake. And then it’s got this really nice, brown sugar cinnamon crunch on the top.”

Article content

ODA’S RHUBARB CRUMBLE CAKE

Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Cake topping:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup salted butter, softened
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Rhubarb crumble cake:
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup salted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup 1 per cent or 2 per cent milk
2 cups fresh or frozen, chopped (1-inch pieces) rhubarb

Optional garnish:
Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving
Ground cinnamon

Cake topping:

Step 1

Place the flour, sugar, butter and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat on low speed until fine crumbs form, 1–2 minutes. Set the topping aside while you prepare the cake.

Article content

Rhubarb crumble cake:

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9- × 13-inch baking pan with butter or cooking spray, and then lightly flour the bottom and sides of the pan, shaking gently to coat it.

Step 2

Place the sugar and butter in a medium bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla, and beat again until well combined.

Step 3

Place the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and stir together to combine.

Step 4

Add half the flour mixture and half the milk to the sugar and butter bowl, cream on low speed, and then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the remaining flour mixture and milk, and cream again on low speed until the cake batter is smooth, 1–2 minutes.

Article content

Step 5

Using a spatula, gently fold the rhubarb into the batter until fully incorporated.

Step 6

Transfer the batter to the prepared baking pan and, using a spatula, spread it around the pan evenly. Sprinkle the prepared topping evenly overtop of the cake batter.

Step 7

Bake the cake on the centre rack of the oven until a cake tester inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean, 45–50 minutes.

Step 8

Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 10–15 minutes. Cut the cake into 12 pieces, and serve immediately with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, and a sprinkle of cinnamon on top (if using).

Makes: 1 (9- × 13-inch) cake

Recipe and image excerpted from Only in Saskatchewan by Naomi Hansen. Recipe copyright © 2022 by Oda Coffee + Wine Bar. Text copyright © 2022 by Naomi Hansen. Photo copyright 2022 © by Garrett Kendal.