Cinnamon Streusel Rhubarb Apple Coffee Cake with Rhubarb Compote

Struck by inspiration while wandering the supermarket here, I picked up a package of rhubarb last week without feeling very sure of how I'd use it.  My grandmother sometimes makes a delicious compote with rhubarb that is very simple to throw together, and that is what I thought of when I put it in my cart.  But as it sat in my kitchen over the next few days, the wheels continued to turn as I formulated a plan for it.  Thoughts of a rhubarb crisp passed through my mind, as did rhubarb jam and rhubarb pie.  In the end, though, the thought of a coffee cake was what grabbed me, so I threw this together, humming as I mixed flours, chopped rhubarb and apples, and stirred it all together, taking in the delicious scents of cinnamon and vanilla that wafted out of the mixing bowl.  I had a hard time waiting for this one to bake, and checked every few minutes in the hope that it would be done so I could try some.  When (what seemed like ages later) it was finally done, I ate a slice warm from the oven and nearly melted.  It held together beautifully, and the cinnamon streusel topping was the perfect complement to the tartness of the rhubarb, now softened into delicious sweetness with the chopped apple.  It's a cake I would not hesitate to serve to a non-celiac.  It tastes wonderful on its own, but for a bit of added flavor, serve with a dollop of Rhubarb Compote (see below), or with some of your favorite gluten-free, dairy-free ice cream (my favorite is So Creamy from Trader Joe's). 

Cinnamon Streusel Rhubarb Apple Coffee Cake

½ cup non-dairy buttery spread or margarine
1 ½ cups brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup buckwheat flour
½ cup tapioca starch
½ cup brown rice flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
Dash of salt
¾ - 1 cup non-dairy buttermilk (3/4 – 1 cup soy milk with 2 tsp. lemon juice)
2 cups chopped rhubarb
¾ cup chopped peeled apple

For cinnamon streusel topping:

Small pat of margarine, melted (optional)
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a small bowl or cup, place one cup of soy or other non-dairy milk. Add 2 tsp. lemon juice and let sit for 5 – 10 minutes.

Cream the non-dairy buttery spread in a bowl and add the sugar, mixing very well until the mixture is crumbly. Add the egg and beat into the batter.

In a separate bowl, mix together the buckwheat flour, tapioca starch, brown rice flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Alternate between adding flour and buttermilk to the butter/sugar mixture, mixing well after each addition. Add the chopped rhubarb and chopped apple and mix evenly. Place into a deep 8” x 8” pan.

In another small bowl, combine the melted margarine (if you are using it), the brown sugar, and the cinnamon and mix into a crumbly mixture. Spread evenly over the top of the batter in the pan. Bake at 350 for 45 – 55 minutes or until the top is slightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Serve topped with rhubarb compote, if desired, or plain.

Rhubarb Compote

1 cup rhubarb
1/3 cup chopped peeled apple

Water to cover

3 -5 tbsp. brown sugar

Place the chopped rhubarb and chopped apple into a small pan and add just enough water to cover them. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and allow the water to cook down until the rhubarb and apples have fallen apart and the mixture has become very thick. Add 3 -5 tbsp. brown sugar to your own taste.

Ways to use this compote:

-Eat it by itself

-Use as a topping for pancakes or French toast

-Use to top cakes

-Use to top granola in the morning

Oatmeal Pancakes with Fresh Raspberry Compote

Oh, my goodness, these were good. Inspired by a recipe I found on one of my favorite sites, The Gluten Free Girl's blog, I set out to make these last night with a few tweaks, intrigued by how oatmeal-inspired pancakes could turn out. You see, oatmeal is another one of my favorite foods; I ate it for more than one meal a day sometimes in the days before my diagnosis because it was the only thing that would soothe my stomach. I have missed it dearly, and even though I have had a big bag of gluten-free oats sitting on my counter for months now, I only recently broke it open. I've heard that some people with gluten intolerance have bad reactions to oats if they try to eat them right away, so I wanted to give my body time to recover a bit before I started testing it with oats again. I wasn't overly impressed with the oats that I used when I had them as a bowl of oatmeal, but man, was I blown away by these pancakes. I like my oatmeal with cinnamon, brown sugar, and maple syrup (incredibly healthy, eh?), so I sprinkled some cinnamon and brown sugar onto the pan and poured the batter over it, which allowed it to crisp up into that delectable photo-worthy pancake you see above. I also tried one with peanut butter spread over it (it may be weird, but I love peanut butter on pancakes. Add it to my very extensive list of food quirks) and one with the raspberry compote that you see in the photo, but my personal favorite was the plain cinnamon-brown sugar combination because it really tasted like I was eating a steaming bowl of oatmeal. The raspberry compote was delicious, but I found that it drowned out that delicate flavor that I had been looking for when I made the pancakes. But by all means, use it if that's what your taste buds tell you!

Oatmeal Pancakes (as seen on Gluten Free Girl's website, but with a few modifications)

1/2 cup Pamela's Baking and Pancake Mix (these contain a bit of dairy, so use another mix if needed)
1/3 cup sweet rice flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
3/4 cups dry gluten-free oats, cooked as directed (roughly 2 cups cooked oatmeal)
1/2 cup soy milk
1/2 tsp. cinnamon + 1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. brown sugar
Cooking spray, butter, or oil

Cook the oats as directed. Mix the dry ingredients in one bowl. Add the soy milk to the oatmeal and stir, allowing to cool for a few minutes. Mix the beaten eggs into the oatmeal and then add the flour mixture to it. Add the cooking spray or oil to the pan and sprinkle some cinnamon and brown sugar onto it, and then pour 1/4 cup pancake batter over it. Cook over medium heat until small air bubbles appear on the pancakes (don't touch them before then!) and then flip them over and cook for another 1 - 2 minutes. Remove from heat and serve immediately, topped with maple syrup, brown sugar and cinnamon, or the raspberry compote seen below. I made the entire batch of these, which made about 10 smaller pancakes, and I only ate 2 of them, so I froze them in baggies in pairs and plan to toast them when I'm ready to eat them.

Fresh Raspberry Compote (Also inspired by the Gluten-free Girl's recipe for Blueberry Compote but with a few tweaks)

1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup fresh raspberries, divided
1 cinnamon stick
2 - 3 tbsp. cornstarch, as needed
2 tbsp. water

Combine the orange juice, sugar, and cinnamon stick in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring. Add half the raspberries, reduce heat, and simmer until they have broken down and are falling apart. Add the rest of the raspberries and continue to heat for 1 - 2 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick. Combine 1 - 2 tbsp. cornstarch with 1 - 2 tbsp. water and dribble it into the raspberry mixture a little at a time, stirring, until you have achieved the consistency you want. Once it has thickened to your liking, remove from heat and set aside until you are ready to use it.