Rhubarb Strawberry Coffee Cake

With a large family that loves to do get-togethers and potluck-style meals, and a work place that does potluck meetings every so often, I sometimes feel pressure to make something that everyone loves and wants you to make again next time. So I'm always looking for wanna-be fan-favorite recipes that might make the cut. This recipe made that cut.

My husband's family is a big fan of fresh strawberries picked right from the field and my family grows rhubarb. Any recipe that combines these two is a winner in this household. 
A comment on the page of the online version stated simply "double the filling." As a fan of filling and not as much of the caky texture of coffee cakes, it didn't take much to convince me to double only the filling portion of this recipe.

Tip for using frozen fresh produce: (Not the kind you get in the frozen section in the store. Sorry, not fresh. I'm talking farmer's market or picked from a plant-fresh) When rhubarb and strawberries thaw, they become very watery, and the fruits/vegetables deflate. So when a recipe calls for cups, and I am measuring fruit before it is thawed, I always add a bit extra. 
For the filling, I used a tad less sugar than called for, and would suggest staying close and not trying to multi-task because the cornstarch will easily make the filling stick to the bottom. 

Filling mixture

I think the hardest part of this recipe was cutting in the cold butter using a fork. I don't know of a better way to do so, but let's just say my forearms got a great workout between the batter and topping mixtures!

Butter is cut into the batter mixture

The recipe states to use 2/3 of the batter for the bottom layer. Both times I've made this, I have carefully split the batter, and both times, I have ended up with not enough batter to cover the fruit layer. My solution-spread out the top batter layer as much as possible, then take a knife and swirl the top batter layer with the fruit layer. It doesn't look very appetizing and neat, but it gets covered with the topping, so no one will know the difference :) 

I swirled the top batter layer into the filling layer to spread it further

The topping covers all layers

The one downside with doubling the filling is that it will almost inevitably spill over the edge as it cooks in the oven. To help with this, place a piece of aluminum foil on the rack below the pan to catch the drips. 

Out of the oven

With double the filling, it took a bit longer to cook, but I gauged its doneness by the color of the topping. Both times, the center of the cake was done to perfection. 

You can see all the layers!

The filling is a liquid gooey mess when it comes out of the oven, so if you need to serve it shortly after baking, pop it in the freezer for approximately an hour to firm the filling so it will cut smoothly. 
I have used this recipe as a breakfast item and dessert, so it is multi-functional as well as absolutely delicious!

Rhubarb Strawberry Coffee Cake
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb or frozen rhubarb, thawed
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen sweetened, sliced strawberries, thawed
2 Tbsp lemon juice
CAKE:
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup cold butter
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk1 tsp vanilla extract
TOPPING:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cold butter

1. In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in rhubarb and strawberries. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Cool.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and baking soda. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. In another bowl, beat the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla; stir in crumb mixture just until moistened. Spoon two-thirds of the batter into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Spoon cooled filling over batter. Top with remaining batter. 
3. For topping, combine sugar and flour in a small bowl; cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean and cake is golden brown. Cool.