Rhubarb Coffee Cake with Cinnamon-Sugar Topping

This simple coffee cake is perfect to serve for a weekend or holiday breakfast. It's easy to prepare, and it's a crowd pleaser that I think you'll be happy to share with your family and friends. The cake has a lovely balance of sweet and tart that I think you'll find quite interesting. I suggest you make it with fresh, rather than frozen, rhubarb, and while it can be made well in advance of serving, the cake is definitely best when freshly made and still warm from the oven. I hope you'll give it a try. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar, divided use

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups diced fresh rhubarb

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13x 9 x 2-inch baking pan.

2) Cream shortening, brown sugar and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat for 2 minutes.

3) Combine flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl. Add to creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating well after each addition. Stir in rhubarb.

4) Scrape into prepared pan. Level batter with an off-set spatula. Combine cinnamon and remaining granulated sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle over cake batter. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near center of cake comes out clean. Serve warm. Yield: 12-16 servings.