While most would argue that the sum makes something so much greater than the parts, I’m a bit partial to a particular layer, much like I am with a buckle or streusel-topped muffin. This fairly simple recipe yields a moist and flavorful coffee cake with three basic components: the sweet and spongy cake on the bottom, the tart fruity center, and the thick top layer of chunky, lightly spiced crumbs. I almost can’t describe it in too much detail – my mind gets all fuzzy and my tongue gets tied, and I’m all “mmm” and “wow,” scooping big crumbs from my plate… While I was tempted to just make the crumble again, I knew I wanted to stretch my creative cookery wings and make a coffee cake instead, for everyone to enjoy in the early hours of the mornings we’d be spending together. With a quick walk to her garden, I snipped a few stalks, firm and strong, some mostly green with flecks of pink at the bases, others bright red, pulling away their leaves and stacking them in a bowl to get ready to clean in the kitchen sink. Recently, the fresh, colorful rhubarb she gave me as a gift provided the beautiful base for a sweet crumble, the one we ate warm with vanilla ice cream.Īnd with the crumble completely gone, my family and I have been craving even more sweet treats!

I’ve often been inspired by this tart fruit from my mother’s garden for much of the baking I do in the summer. If you want to make coffee cake with a fresh, vibrant twist, consider adding one of my favorite warm weather fruits: rhubarb!

Crumb together