The last of my rhubarb

This week has flown by! I meant to get this post up on Thursday night, but I ended up having some friends over Wednesday for a scrumptious roast chicken dinner (which I will HAVE to make again so I can take pictures and blog it... think crispy skin, wild rice, roasted beetroot... my mouth is watering). Thursday I was back in the game and made this delicious rhubarb cake.

But because it's now a chilly 18 degrees Celsius autumn down here in Sydney, the sun goes down at 5:30pm meaning by the time my beautiful cake was puffed up and golden brown it was pitch black outside offering no natural sunlight to aid my handicapped Sony cyber-shot camera :)

Friday comes along, and you all know how Fridays go, so today is the day! I woke up early and got into my 8am photo shoot. Just me and my cake.

I think this was a good farewell to what was left of my rhubarb purchase. The cake isn't too too sweet (but if you like things a little sweeter just top it was a heavy light sprinkle of powdered sugar and bob's your uncle!) and the soft bits of rhubarb speckled within it offer not only a slightly tart flavour similar to a mellowed out cranberry, but some added moisture as well.

It's actually an upside down rhubarb cake, as you'll see later. And my favourite part of the cake is definitely the layer of rhubarb that is lined on the top (bottom at first) of the cake. That, paired with the crunchy/tender almonds is just heaven!

Next on my to-do list is actually an idea from my friend Alex! He just went on another one of his epic adventures, this time biking through Turkey, and who knows where else, and he sent me a picture of these ruby ooey gooey sticky poached quince in a bakery in Istanbul. After a solid hour of trying to find out what they are (and how to make them in an ENGLISH recipe) I think I've succeeded. Taste test is next.

But I'm getting a head of myself here, first let's marvel at this perfect rhubarb cake. yum.

Rhubarb Cake

1/2 cup     Cream cheese
1 1/2 cup  Brown sugar
1               Egg
1               Orange, zested
1 tsp         Vanilla extract
1/2 cup     Greek yogurt
1/2 cup      Whole milk
2 1/4 cup   Cake flour, sifted
1/4 tsp        Salt
1 tsp           Baking soda
1/2 tsp        Baking powder
1 1/2 cup    Finely diced rhubarb
2                 Rhubarb stalks for garnish



First thing you have to do is set your oven to 250 degrees C fan forced.

Next to prep the rhubarb that will go on the top of the cake, you take the 2 reserved stalks and thinly slice with the natural grain until you get enough strips to lay flat side by side, covering the bottom of your baking dish. Sprinkle with a heavy pinch of sugar, like this!

Now to make the batter. It is very easy, just like a banana bread. First you soften your cream cheese. I did mine in the microwave for about 30 seconds until it was super soft. It wont look melted, but give it a stir and you'll know what I mean. Next add the sugar and mix together with a spatula until smooth. Add your egg, orange zest, and vanilla extract. Next up is the yogurt and milk. Once this mixture is smooth, you can add all the dry ingredients with the rhubarb as well. You don't need to worry about coating the rhubarb in extra flour or anything, because this batter is quite thick so there's no worry about the rhubarb sinking to the bottom of the pan. It stays nicely scattered throughout the cake with no fuss.

To assemble the cake, line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper (to ensure it comes out easily once baked) and sprinkle with sliced almonds and some dessicated coconut.

I forgot to line the pan before taking this picture, but you catch my drift...

 

Next, time to lay out your pieces of rhubarb on top of your almonds and coconut. Make sure they fit all lined up, side by side in the pan. It's ok if the pieces overlap a little, this cake is supposed to look and taste great but be really easy to make.

Once the "top" of your cake is set, pour in all your prepared batter at once. Carefully spread the batter with a light touch (you don't want to move the almonds and rhubarb around too much) until it is smooth on top.

Put into your preheated oven for about 30-45 minutes. The top will crack slightly and a toothpick inserted in the centre will come out clean once it's done.

Wait 5 minutes before trying to flip it over onto a serving plate and peeling back your sheet of parchment.

This is the cake after I flipped it over

Easy as can be right?! And a great cake to have this time of year when guests are over. I served mine along side breakfast this morning and 4 out of 4 people loved it! Pretty good track record if I do say so myself..

                               Goodbye delicious rhubarb!