A terrific and simple dessert recipe.
Ingredients
- 600 g rhubarb
- 100 g caster sugar
- 225 g caster sugar
- juice and zest of 1 orange
- 225 g softened butter, diced
- 225 g self-raising flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 4 eggs
- 100 ml milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- custard, to serve
Method
- Preheat your oven to 180C. Chop rhubarb into 2.5cm lengths and toss with 100g of the sugar.
- Arrange over the base of a large ovenproof dish. Finely grate the orange over the rhubarb and squeeze over the juice, mix well.
- Cream together the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time and mix in.
- Pour in the vanilla extract and mix.
- Sift together flour and baking powder and gradually add to the the wet mixture.
- Slowly pour in the milk and mix to a smooth cake batter.
- Pour and scrape the cake mixture on top of the rhubarb and smooth over the and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
- The sponge should be firm to the touch but don't over bake it as the juice underneath will dry up.
- Serve with plenty of custard.
Notes
The Ish Factor: Rhubarb is one of my favourite fruits (a vegetable really but we won't get picky!). Mainly used in desserts, this eye wateringly tart fruit is also delicious as a chutney or in savoury dishes such as slow roasted pork belly. I buy bunches of rhubarb, trim, wash and chop them up into chunks which I freeze in 600g ziplock freezer bags so that I can make this recipe anytime. If you have a burnt or food encrusted pot, boil a chopped up bunch of rhubarb in it and the natural oxalic acid will have it as good as new! This acid unfortunately also aggravates gout and arthritis, so be cautious if you're a sufferer.
