One of the downsides to living in Toronto (vs. say the tropics) is the lack of fresh amazing produce available year round. While I don’t strive for a totally local diet there are a few things that I avoid buying when they have to travel miles and miles to get here (strawberries come to mind). The upside to living here is that when the local produce does start rolling in it’s AMAZING and I want to eat it all.
My cooking class leaves me near St. Lawrence Market every Saturday morning which means I can shop at the Farmers market for most of the summer. This has been a lot of fun because I get to buy fresher produce, support local farmers and get out of the supermarket. I usually go with a list of things that I need but also let myself be taken by whatever looks fresh.
The other day I was strolling through the market and noticed that rhubarb was in season. Now, I’ve never made anything with rhubarb before but my heart (and stomach) were telling me to buy some and figure it out later. So I did. Once I got home I did a search on Epicurious for recipes involving rhubarb and settled on this recipe for Country Rhubarb Cake. A lot of the recipes combined rhubarb with other fruits or had you make a sauce out of it. What I wanted was a recipe that really featured the rhubarb, hence the cake.
This cake is partially like an apple cake and also kind of like a cobbler. You make the cake batter and pat some in the bottom of your pan. Then you scoop some rhubarb on top and top with some pats of batter. I knew this cake would be great when I couldn’t stop eating the batter. It was also super easy to assemble and I don’t see why you couldn’t substitute some other fruit in for the rhubarb (maybe strawberry or pear or raspberries and vanilla).
I also went ahead and made the whiskey cream but I only had brandy. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. I didn’t get a strong boozy taste from the whipped cream at all… barely even a hint. It could be a function of swapping alcohols. Regardless the cake was yummy with a dollop of whipped cream.
Now I just have to figure out when rhubarb season ends so that I can sneak another cake in…
Country Rhubarb Cake
For cake
1 lb fresh rhubarb stalks, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (3 cups), or 3 cups frozen rhubarb, thawed after measuring
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup whole milk
2 large eggs (1 separated)
For whiskey cream
1 cup chilled heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners sugar
1 tablespoon whiskey (preferably Irish)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Make cake:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a 10-inch glass or ceramic pie plate or a 2 1/2-quart oval gratin dish and chill.
Toss rhubarb with brown sugar in a bowl until coated.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl until combined well. Blend in butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Whisk together milk, whole egg, and yolk. Make a well in center of flour mixture and add milk mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon to gradually incorporate flour and form a soft, sticky dough.
Transfer half of dough to chilled pie plate and pat out over bottom and halfway up side with well-floured hands, then spoon rhubarb and any juices onto dough. Using a tablespoon, spoon remaining dough in small mounds evenly over top. Lightly beat egg white with a few drops of water, then lightly brush cake with egg wash. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar over top.
Bake cake until top crust is golden and rhubarb is tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool, about 30 minutes.
Make whiskey cream:
Beat cream with confectioners sugar, whiskey, and vanilla in a bowl with an electric mixer until it forms stiff peaks.
Serve cake warm or at room temperature with whiskey cream.
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LOVE this! I just started baking rhubarb last year and just fell in love with it. I made pies and tarts mostly, so this cake will be a nice change!
Seriously. It’s so good!