Rhubarb rhubarb rhubarb

I love rhubarb and it seems lots of other people do too! As a child I'd often pop upstairs to visit Auntie Betty, who lived in the middle floor of our old house for many years. She'd save me some stewed rhubarb and serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I'd gladly eat it that way now!  
I'd been wanting to buy some rhubarb, but it seemed expensive to me, as I was used to my Mum handing over lovely pink stalks picked fresh from her garden. But when I popped into Aldi the other week it was one of their 'super six' deal so I bought a couple of packs.


I thought about stewing it and eating it with ice cream, A la Auntie Betty or making a yummy crumble as I sometimes do, but instead I looked online for inspiration and came across a recipe for a crumble cake on the Delicious website.

This is a lovely recipe and I've only altered it slightly. The cake is scrumptious served hot or cold (I prefer room temp) with cream or custard or just a cuppa. The only downside is the amount of washing up! You prepare the cake in stages Crumble, rhubarb then cake each requiring a separate bowl. I feels it's a small price to pay for a great cake.


Make the crumble mix first.
50g unsalted butter

1. 65g golden caster sugar
2. ¼ tsp vanilla extract
3. 100g plain flour
4. Pinch of salt

Melt the butter in a small pan, once melted remove from the heat and pour in the sugar. Mix until the sugar is melted and a toffee like consistency 

add in the flour, salt & vanilla extract

It already smells wonderful

You'll get a biscuit type consistency. Press it down firmly into a small bowl and set aside to cool.

Next prepare the Rhubarb.you need about 225g once trimmed and washed. Don't dry the Rhubarb once washed.
Place the rhubarb on a bowl with about two tablespoons of plain flour and about 50g of caster sugar. Mix the rhubarb in the sugar/flour mixture to coat it. Put to one side and just give it a stir from time to time. The mix will slowly coat the rhubarb.

Now is the time to put on the oven at Gas 4 or 180C. Grease and line a 23cm round or a 20cm square tin. Whatever tin you use it must have a loose bottom. I only base line, I don't line the sides, just grease well.


For the cake part you need

1. 6 tbsp soured cream
2. 1 large egg, plus 1 yolk
3. 1 tsp vanilla extract
4. 100g plain flour
5. 100g caster sugar
6. ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
7. ½ tsp baking powder
8. ¼ tsp salt
9. 75g unsalted butter, at room temperature
10. 50g ground almonds
11. 
    
12. In another bowl put the egg plus extra yoke, sour cream and vanilla extract and mix. 

Into the mixer, or yet another bowl put the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and butter combine until you have a crumb like consistency. Stir in the ground almonds. Now add the cream and egg mixture combine well until you have a smooth cake batter. 

Put the cake mixture into the prepared tin

Place the sugar coated rhubarb on top of the cake mixture

sprinkle over any sugar left in the bowl

Now take the crumble mix, which will be quite solid by now and break into crumbs. Crumble it over the cake and fruit in the tin by hand

You want nice small crumbs

Keep going until the cake is covered and all the crumb mix is used up

Bake in the oven for 45 minutes. Check with a skewer, which should come out clean when cooked (don't forget you might hit a piece of rhubarb which will still be moist)

Leave to cool in the tin for about 15 minutes. Remove and serve warm or at room temperature with your choice of accompaniment, cream, custard or a cuppa ;o)

Crumble cake in the sunshine!

I had some rhubarb left over so pinching an idea from Jamie Oliver I cheated and used eight ready made, but good quality sweet pastry tarts. Cooked about four stalks of rhubarb in a little water and sugar for about six minutes. Drained, then divided the rhubarb between the cases. Whipped up 100g ground almonds, 100g butter, 90g golden caster sugar, an egg, the grated rind of an orange and a tablespoon of vanilla extract. Just whizz it all together with a wooden spoon. Divide between the pastry cases and pop into the middle of the oven on gas 5 or 190C for 18 minutes. They are SO GOOD! Sorry no pics as I made these on the spur of the moment when my sister came to visit, but I just had to share xx