Lunar Strawberry/Rhubarb Cake

So, you have a rhubarb plant and you don't know what to make with it? Try this sinfully delicious cake! You can make it with fresh or frozen rhubarb or strawberries or any combination of the two. I've tried many combinations and it is always great.

Lunar Rhubarb/Strawberry Cake Recipe



Mix:      1/2 cup softened butter

              1 cup white sugar

Beat in:  1 egg

              1 tsp. vanilla

In a second bowl combine:

               2 cups flour

               1 tsp. baking soda

               1/2 tsp. salt

Add the dry ingredients to the first mixture alternately with:

               1 cup buttermilk (or 1 Tbsp lemon juice and enough milk to make 1 cup)

Now toss 2 1/2 cups of fruit (diced rhubarb or cut strawberries or a combination of both) in:

                1/2 cup sugar

                1 Tbsp. flour

Mix the fruit gently into the batter. Spoon into a greased 9"x13" cake pan.

Use a pastry blender to combine:

                2 tsp cinnamon

                1/2 cup brown sugar

                1/4 cup butter

Scatter this with your fingertips over cake.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm and watch it disappear!

By the way, I think this came from the newspaper. The recipe explained that it is called "Lunar" cake because of the craters that the pieces of rhubarb form in it.

Orange Oatmeal Cake

When we moved to our new house, my aunt gave me a cook booklet called "Company's Coming coffee cake classics".  It has lots of enticing coffee cakes in it. I randomly opened it earlier this month to the first one for which I had all the ingredients and came to page 26 - Orange Oatmeal Cake.

It turned out nicely, but it's a good thing I checked on it early. I guess the convection was really working in my oven that day since I baked it 30 minutes, instead of 40 and it was done! The orange flavor was mild but tasty. The topping was separate and a bit fiddly and I think the walnuts would have been better in the cake than on it so I doubt I'll make this one again. I'll keep trying other recipes from this book, though.  They all look good!