One need not be scared with the word Kuchen. Kuchen in German means cake. It means coffee cake and the recipe is as under.
1 1/4 cups sifted flour
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup lard
1 egg yolk, slightly beaten
2 tbsp. milk
1 3-oz. pkg raspberry Jell-O
6 cups sliced rhubarb, 1/2-in. slices
Sieve together sugar, flour, salt and baking powder and put them in a bowl to mix. Add in butter and lard and mix it with a pastry blender to get a rough texture. Mix egg yolk and milk and add to the flour mixture. Mix well. Now press it to a 11/2 inches upside of an ungreased glass baking dish which is 8 x 12 x 2 inches. First sprinkle Jell-O over the pressed dough. Next arrange rhubarb over the Jell-O.
Useful tip: Lard used in this recipe is no more used by health conscious people. It was used by ancient people. Despite the fact that lard produces excellent tender and flaky pastries it has more of rich fat content. One table spoon of lard on an average gives 116 calories, 13 grams of fat and 12 mg of cholesterol. Health conscious and people on diet can substitute this lard with a shortening agent.
Streusel:
1 cup sifted flour
1 cup sugar
6 tbsp. butter
Blend the above mentioned ingredients to make a rough texture. Cover the Kuchen with this Streusel and bake it for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees. This Kuchen can be served with whipped cream when warm.
Serve: 8-12 people.
The secret of good cooking is first, having a love of it. . . . If youre convinced cooking is drudgery, youre never going to be good at it, and you might as well warm up something frozen.
James Beard