This rhubarb caramel cake is derived from a recipe from my father-in-law and its a welcomed treat when we have rhubarb in our veggie box! Although it is not much to look at, it certainly is a treat for the taste buds. If only the beautiful pink caramel colour seeped into the batter, it is such a dreamy hue. Nature has such beauty!
I’m not usually much of a baker, I much prefer cooking savoury dishes. However, come October it is a different matter as literally half my family celebrates birthdays. So the cake making game has to be strong!
If you’re wanting to save this recipe for another week when you, too, have a birthday or a special occasion to celebrate, you could also try one of my favourite savoury rhubarb recipes. These rhubarb braised chicken thighs certainly hit the spot. Hint: we usually keep sweet sherry not dry, so you can forego the honey and used the sweet sherry instead.
Recipe for Rhubarb Caramel Cake
Prep time: 30 minutes prep, 2 hour wait time
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Ingredients:
Bunch of rhubarb (between 600g-800g)
200g butter, melted
200g flour
4 eggs
300g sugar (divided into 2 bowls of 150g each)
Zest of a lemon
Method:
1. Wash, dry and then peel the sticks of rhubarb. Peel the outer fibrous layer off the rhubarb, and then cut them into 2-3cm long pieces and place into a bowl.
2. Add 150g of the sugar and the lemon zest and mix it through. Leave this to sit for a minimum of TWO HOURS. This will release liquid which will be used to make the caramel.
3. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius.
4. For the cake, mix the melted butter with the remaining 150g sugar to form a paste. Add the eggs, one by one. Add the flour and mix until well combined. It will be supple and delicious.
5. Butter a baking tray, or line with baking paper, and spread the cake batter into the baking tray evenly.
6. Add the pieces of rhubarb into the cake by pushing them into the batter. It should look a bit like pavers on the ground.
7. Place the cake in the oven and set a timer for it to cook for 50 minutes.
8. 20 minutes before the cake is due to be finished, put your rhubarb liquid into a saucepan and boil until it forms lots of bubbles and its beginning to turn to caramel. May take about 10 minutes approx.
9. Pour this onto the cake cooking in the oven. It should cook for a further 10 minutes in the oven, but keep a watchful eye to avoid any signs of burning.
10. Allow the cake to cool before serving. Hot caramel can be nasty for burns!
Hope you enjoy everybody!
Bon appétit.
