rhubarb almond cake

When I was a child, my best friend Philippe would invite me to his grand parents house somewhere in the country side of France. They called it “the mill”. In the back of the house there were these strange plants growing, with long green and red stalks that we liked to cut and suck the sour juices out of. Later I learned that these were called rhubarb and used in many recipes. It is such a strange and wonderful ingredient that is worth seeking out when the season comes. Used as a fruit even though it’s just the stalk of a plant, It is very tart and has no sweetness so it really does need quite a bit of sugar to make it taste right. Here, I have topped this wild sweet sour compote with a tender almond cake. Its a soft, pillowy bed of comfort for the zingy crimson flesh to rest on. I used ground pumpkin seeds instead of almonds which gives the cake a nice greenish color.

YOU WILL NEED:

A 9” cake pan or oven proof dish

A blender if you want to make your own almond or pumpkin seed powder.

INGREDIENTS:

For the rhubarb

350g rhubarb (enough to generously fill the bottom of a 9” pan)

88g (or a quarter of the weight of rhubarb) about a heaping 1/3 cup

For the cake batter

114g butter (1 stick)

100g sugar (1/2 cup)

2 eggs

70g almond powder, or pumpkin seed powder (about 2/3 cup)

45g flour (about 1/2 cup)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch salt

1/2 teaspoon almond extract (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

For the rhubarb

Line a 9 inch cake pan with a piece of parchment paper (You can skip this but it makes it easier to remove the cake)

Trim and roughly chop the rhubarb and sprinkle with the 88g sugar.

Bake in a 350F (180C) oven for 10 to 15 minutes. There’s no need to preheat the oven.

Meanwhile, mix the cake batter. 

Melt the butter on a low heat and turn it off when it’s halfway there.

Whisk the eggs and sugar, add the almond (or pumpkin seed), mix well to break any clumps.

Add the salt and almond extract, mix well to combine, then the flour and baking powder.

Incorporate the melted butter.

Take the rhubarb out of the oven and nudge the pieces gently with the back of a spoon to form an even layer. 

Pour the cake batter over and bake for about 30 minutes. You will know when it’s done when the cake has a little color, is firm and bounces back, and a knife comes out clean.

Put a plate over it, and flip it upside down in one swift motion. Remove the cake pan and peel off the paper. (If you didn’t use one, its possible that some rhubarb will stay behind. Just scoop it up and nudge it onto the surface of the cake)

VARIATIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

You could use any number of different fruits instead of the rhubarb, in which case the amount of sugar should be adjusted according to the sweetness of the fruit. (Plums or cherries would be nice)