Rhubarb Buckle
Adapted from Martha Stewart and Rosebank Farms Cafe via Gourmet Magazine, July 2004 A few notes: I thought the buckle I made last week could have used a little more streusel, so I doubled up this week and topped the buckle with a more generous layer of streusel. I did have a little bit leftover (about a heaping 1/2 cup), which I threw in the freezer. And, I did have some leftover dough as well — I used about 3/4 of the dough recipe for this buckle. I plan on making mini homemade pop tarts with the remaining dough? Thoughts? I’m sure you all have wonderful ideas as well, and if you care to share, I would love to hear. I’m too often guilty of letting dough scraps go to waste. Also, if you prefer more of a cake-bottomed buckle, view this post.
Adapted from Martha Stewart and Rosebank Farms Cafe via Gourmet Magazine, July 2004 A few notes: I thought the buckle I made last week could have used a little more streusel, so I doubled up this week and topped the buckle with a more generous layer of streusel. I did have a little bit leftover (about a heaping 1/2 cup), which I threw in the freezer. And, I did have some leftover dough as well — I used about 3/4 of the dough recipe for this buckle. I plan on making mini homemade pop tarts with the remaining dough? Thoughts? I’m sure you all have wonderful ideas as well, and if you care to share, I would love to hear. I’m too often guilty of letting dough scraps go to waste. Also, if you prefer more of a cake-bottomed buckle, view this post.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 13 ounces rhubarb trimmed and cut 1/2 inch thick on the bias
- 1 stick cold unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream (i used whole milk and 1/2 and 1/2…al
- 1/4 cup light-brown sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- Carbohydrate 46.9451697184887 g
- Cholesterol 37.67125 mg
- Fat 5.14673943361223 g
- Fiber 0.943059691005869 g
- Protein 2.52589026513003 g
- Saturated Fat 2.9862317217566 g
- Serving Size 1 1 square (88g)
- Sodium 2868.0008256695 mg
- Sugar 46.0021100274828 g
- Trans Fat 0.388621142289658 g
- Calories 241 calories
Step-by-step
- Make the crust: Whisk together flour and sugar in a large bowl. Blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-sized butter lumps. Beat together yolks and cream with a fork and stir into flour mixture until combined. Gently knead mixture in bowl with floured hands just until a dough forms. Flatten dough into a 6-inch disk and chill, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in center position. Line a 9-inch square cake pan with parchment paper.
- Stir together rhubarb, 1/2 cup sugar and lemon zest; set aside to macerate. Note: I did this step right before I started rolling out the dough. When I dumped the rhubarb into the pan, it hadn’t soaked up all of the sugar — in other words, the sugar was still very much visible, but it didn’t seem to make a difference that it hadn’t macerated for very long. I dumped rhubarb and all of the remaining sugar straight into the pan.
- Crumb topping: Stir together flour, brown sugar, and salt. Add the butter and mix up with your fingers until clumps form. Set aside.
- Unwrap dough. OK, because the dough recipe yields enough for a 9x13-inch pan, cut off about a quarter of the dough and set it aside. Roll out the bigger portion of the dough between 2 sheets of parchment paper (or wax paper) into a 10x10-inch square, or as close to this shape as possible. Peel off top layer of parchment and invert dough into prepared baking pan. Trim up the dough where it creeps a little bit up the sides of the pan; patch the corner holes (if any exist) with trimmed dough.
- Top this crust layer with rhubarb mixture, and sprinkle with as much crumb topping as you would like — as I noted above, I was left with about a heaping half cup of streusel topping.
- Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 and bake for about 35 minutes more or until golden on top and cooked through. Let cool completely in pan on wire rack, then lift cake from pan using parchment. Remove parchment. Before serving, cut buckle into 2-inch squares.
My Rhubarb Buckle Adventure: A Baker's Tale
Baking has always been my happy place, a quiet sanctuary where I can escape the chaos of daily life and create something beautiful and delicious. This week, that happy place led me down a slightly bumpy, but ultimately rewarding, path with a rhubarb buckle recipe adapted from Martha Stewart and Rosebank Farms Cafe. Now, I'm not one for blindly following recipes; I'm more of a "let's experiment and see what happens" kind of baker. So, when the original recipe suggested a streusel topping that seemed a tad shy, I decided to double it. The result? A glorious, crunchy, intensely flavorful topping that stole the show! I even had enough leftover to stash away for a future baking adventure – perhaps mini pop tarts, any suggestions are welcome!
The dough was another story. The recipe made enough for a much larger pan, leaving me with extra. Instead of letting it go to waste (a cardinal sin in my kitchen!), I'm planning on turning the extra dough into something equally delightful. Making mini pop tarts sounds pretty good to me, but I'm open to your brilliant ideas! This whole experience reminded me that the journey of baking is just as important as the destination. The little unexpected moments—the extra streusel, the leftover dough—these are the moments that add character and personality to the whole process. It's about embracing the imperfections and learning from each bake, turning mistakes into happy accidents and ultimately enjoying the fruits—or in this case, the buckle—of my labour.
The rhubarb itself was wonderfully tart, a perfect counterpoint to the sweet streusel. I did find that the rhubarb didn't soak up all of the sugar immediately which was slightly concerning, but it didn't affect the final outcome, and the flavor was sublime. The buckle itself, once baked and cooled, was the perfect balance of textures: a slightly crumbly crust, a burst of tart rhubarb, and that incredible streusel topping. It was a symphony of flavors and textures that left me utterly satisfied. This recipe isn't just about following instructions, it's about creating a delicious treat and learning something new along the way, and for me that's what baking is all about.
I encourage you all to try this recipe and let your own creativity shine through. Adapt it, change it, make it your own. Share your experiences, your tips, and your creations with me. Because in the end, baking is about sharing our passion, our joy and our delicious creations, which is what brings us all together.
So go ahead, get baking. Let your kitchen be your sanctuary and let the aromas of fresh-baked rhubarb buckle fill your home with warmth and happiness. I'll be over here, planning my mini pop tarts. And who knows, maybe next time, I will try to make this in a slightly larger baking pan so I have less leftovers. But I am not sure yet.
