Rhubarb cake with polenta, ginger, spices, almonds.

Rhubarb cake recipe with polenta, ginger, spices, almonds » Carl Legge:
Ingredients
500g rhubarb (washed & dried, if needed) cut into 5mm slices
250g golden caster sugar
75g crystallised ginger in approximately 5mm dice
100g plain flour
50g light rye flour (mine is from Shiptons Mill, just use plain flour if you can’t get this)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
Pinch of salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 to 1 tsp ground cardamom
155g fine polenta (cornmeal)
2 large free range eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract (I use Nielsen Massey Vanilla Extract from Lakeland. Please don’t use Vanilla ‘flavouring’)
125g unsalted butter, softened
250g natural bio yoghurt
100g flaked almonds

You’ll need a 23cm springform tin (or similar) which should be lined bottom & sides with greaseproof paper

Method
Pre-heat your oven to 180°C (356°F), shelf in the middle.

Put the rhubarb in a non-metallic bowl with 100g of the sugar and the crystallised ginger and stir gently.
If you can’t get the rest of the preparation complete in under 30 mins, do this step later.
If you leave longer then the rhubarb will give up too much juice to the sugar.

Sieve the flours, polenta, bicarb, salt, cinnamon and cardamom together into a bowl and stir gently to mix.

Break the eggs into another bowl and add the vanilla extract.
Beat this gently.

In a mixer (or by hand if you’re feeling strong) cream the rest of the sugar with the butter.

Gradually add the egg/vanilla mixture to the sugar/butter in the mixer, beating gently.

The add alternately a bit of the flour/spice mixture and a bit of yoghurt, beating gently to combine until all is mixed.

Fold in the rhubarb and ginger until evenly mixed.

Pour this into your prepared tin and smooth the top.
Sprinkle the flaked almonds evenly over the top.

Bake in the oven for about an hour until springy to the touch and a skewer comes out clean.

About 20 minutes in, you’ll probably see the almonds colouring up.
When you are happy with the colour, put some foil or greaseproof over the top of the cake to stop the almonds burning.

Once cooked, take the cake out and rest it in the tin on a rack to cool.
Once cool enough to handle, unmould the tin and remove the greaseproof paper.
Put on your favourite cake plate.

This is glorious just by itself. You could also have it with creme fraiche, custard or similar.

Hope you enjoy, let me know what you think.


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