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Rhubarb Snacking Cake
As I mentioned in my previous post about Rhubarb Galette, I planted two rhubarb plants this spring in my smallish garden, imagining that it might take a couple of years to have them produce a lot of rhubarb. Lo and behold I got very, very lucky and have been harvesting rhubarb for over a month now.
Rhubarb – Even Green It’s Delicious!
After the rhubarb galette, I made a lot of rhubarb crisps, rhubarb salad dressing, and stewed rhubarb. Then about a month ago I happened upon a recipe for a small (9” x 9”) cake. I initially made it mostly as written, proceeded to make it with lots of changes, and after at least six attempts, I got it like I wanted it. More rhubarb, sparkling sugar on top, and less sugar overall. You know me, you know I like big flavor and don’t like overly sweet stuff. This should all make sense, right?
Last month, I was about to leave town for a few weeks, and I had half of a cake left over. At the last moment, I wrapped it in heavy-duty foil and froze it. When I came back to my house almost three weeks later, I defrosted the cake. Guess what? That freezing process made this cake better than ever – almost like a dense pudding cake. From now on, the freezing and defrosting steps will be my “go-to” method.
If you have access to rhubarb, this recipe makes a terrific dessert, mid-afternoon nibble, or even a breakfast pastry. Everyone who has tasted it – from neighbors to friends to relatives – has gone bonkers over the flavor and texture. My husband even told me it’s the best cake I make.
I call it a “snack cake” because it is a simple baked cake without frosting or embellishment. It is easy to make and a little different from other fruity cakes. I still have a lot of rhubarb, so I picked it, chopped it finely, flash-froze it, and put it into a ziplock bag. Each recipe takes about 2 ½ cups of chopped rhubarb, and I have at least five cakes worth of rhubarb in my freezer. The rhubarb I planted produces mostly green stalks with just a little reddish color. I would have preferred red rhubarb, but the taste is the same! If you are using frozen rhubarb, just measure what you need and go from there. Do not defrost it ahead of time! Trust me, this works
Rhubarb Snacking Cake
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup buttermilk (kefir is good if you have that too)
- 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ½ cup (equals one stick) salted butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (remove approximately 1 Tbsp to toss with rhubarb or plumbs)
- 2 tsp double-acting baking powder
- 2 ½ cups (pack the cups tightly) thinly sliced rhubarb or diced 1/2 inch plumbs
- Sparkling coarse sugar for the top (I use about 1 Tbsp, and this gives it a nice crunch)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350F. I use my toaster oven. Line the 9”x9” pan with parchment paper with overhanging ends so I can easily lift out the cooled cake for cutting. Oil or spray the parchement paper along the bottom and sides of the pan.
Stir the egg, and vanilla into the buttermilk and set aside.
Cream the soft butter and sugar with electric beaters, until it is pale yellow. Take 1 Tbsp of the flour to mix with the diced fruit and toss well. This prevents the fruit from clumping
In a separate bowl whisk together the remaining flour and baking powder
Add half of the liquids to the bowl and blend in. Add all of the flour mixture and mix well. Next, add the rest of the flour mixture and blend just until combined, don’t over-mix. Fold or barely mix in the fruit
Spread the very thick batter into the prepared pan and even it out with a bench scraper or knife.
Sprinkle the top evenly with sparkling sugar. Bake for about 40 minutes or until the cake is turning golden and a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool for 20 minutes in the pan, remove it to a rack with the parchment, and let it cool completely. Cut and eat it when it is slightly warm or let it totally cool and freeze for up to two months. When you are ready to eat it, remove it from the freezer, wrap it well, and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. I prefer this cake when it is kept refrigerated, and it lasts an entire week this way!
Notes
Because I have a very enthusiastic plum tree that produced over 100 pounds of plumbs this summer, I made the cake with plums. I actually prefer this to rhubarb although both are good and satisfying.
FYI the top of this cake is a little craggy and cracked and sometimes bits of rhubarb or plums poke through. Once it is cut and presented with either a dollop of whipping cream or berries, it looks appealing.
