My Grandma's Strawberry-Rhubarb Cake

Don't get me wrong, there are TONS are dessert recipes that I love and adore. However, I am not kidding in the slightest when I say that this is my FAVORITE dessert EVER. Honestly, if I could only eat one dessert for the rest of my life, this would be it. Hands down, the best. Today is just a Grammy recipe day, since my late lunch/early supper is also one of her recipes.

I have been eating this Strawberry-Rhubarb cake as far back in my life as I remember. My grandmother has made it over and over again. Since I moved away to college (granted only a little over an hour away), every time I come home to visit she asks me what I want for lunch and so on. This is even more so true now that I am away at grad school in Ohio. It never fails that I either always ask for this cake or she just makes it on her own without me asking because she knows that it is my favorite. The only dessert that I usually ever ask for besides this is caramel cake with caramel frosting, but that is only for my birthday. :)

This cake is tried and true and I honestly have never ever met anyone who did not like it. My friend and fellow blogger Tessa and I made it a few years back in Omaha (when I still lived in the state). She and her hubby Derek both really enjoyed it. Then there is the boyfriend and picky chef Adam. My grandma made this for me when we went home over spring break this year. Adam tried one bite and fell in love with the cake, maybe more with the cake than with me. Kidding :)

**I will be honest and tell you that this is NOT healthy at all, but it is soooo good**

Now for your promise to me...You must promise me that you will only make this cake if you try it my way (and my grandmother's) first. Yes, you could eat it plain. Yes, you could put whipped cream on it. No, you will not do this right away because...do us both a favor and try it this way first: *Microwave a piece so it's slightly warm and put a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream with it.*

The combo of cold and warm is perfect here. I hope that you love this as much as my grandmother, Adam, and I do. :)


Ingredients:
-5 cups chopped rhubarb
-1 dry yellow cake mix
-1 cup sugar
-1 stick butter or oleo
-1 packet (3oz) dry strawberry jello mix
-1 1/2 cups water

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cake

*Spread chopped rhubarb in the bottom of 9x12 pan.
*Sprinkle on dry jello mix, followed by sugar,
*Sprinkle on dry cake mix evenly
*Melt butter in with water in microwave until mixed thoroughly
*Poor butter/water mixture over top of rhubarb/dry mixture
*Bake for 45 minutes at 350

Remember your promise to try it our way first ;)

Buttermilk Cake with Fresh Rasberries

Wow, it has been forever since I have posted a new recipe. Don't worry, it isn't that I have been on a cooking hiatus for months and months. Just more so that graduate school has been so busy that I never find time to sit down and post a new recipe. The last thing that I think about when I actually do have time to just sit down is doing exactly that...sitting and watching a movie or spending time with Adam.

I have made this cake twice now, both times with raspberries. The second time I used frozen because that is all that I could find within a 30 mile radius of my tiny home town over Christmas break. It is much better with fresh fruit, just take my word on that part. I originally found this recipe here, on Two Peas and Their Pod. Maria has so many excellent recipes that I will probably never get around to trying all of them for myself. You can make this cake with pretty much any fresh fruit that you want. Enjoy!

Buttermilk Cake with Fresh Raspberries:

-1 cup all-purpose flour

-1/2 teaspoon baking powder

-1/2 teaspoon baking soda

-1/4 teaspoon salt

-1/2 stick unsalted butter, softened

-2/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, divided

-1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

-1 large egg

-1/2 cup well-shaken buttermilk

-1 1/4 cups fresh fruit (raspberries)

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 400°F with rack in middle. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.

-Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

-Beat butter and 2/3 cup sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes, then beat in vanilla.

-Add egg and beat well.

-At low speed, mix in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with buttermilk

-Spoon batter into cake pan, smoothing top.

-Cover with fresh fruit and then sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt over the fruit.

-Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.

-Cool in pan and serve with Cool-Whip