This pleasant rhubarb custard cake is a light-weight and scrumptious (EASY!) dessert…good served with a scoop of ice cream or dollop of whipped cream.

I believe rhubarb desserts deserve a little bit extra credit score. Rhubarb by itself? Um, no thanks. However one thing magical occurs when rhubarb is mixed with simply the correct factor. 

Strawberries. Brown Sugar. Heat Vanilla Sauce. Simply to call a couple of.

And in right this moment’s recipe, combining the tart fruit with a candy custard cake is perhaps the perfect factor that has ever occurred to rhubarb. 

This rhubarb custard cake is unassuming in look (particularly in case your rhubarb is naughty and sinks whereas baking), but it surely greater than makes up for that once you take your first chew:

Creamy + Candy + Tart

A straightforward little cake

There’s nothing troublesome or time consuming about this cake. It comes collectively quick, and is a wonderfully mild spring or summer season dessert. 

Even higher, the batter wants to be whisked by hand. Don’t use an electrical mixer or an excessive amount of air might be included into the batter which makes the rhubarb extra prone to sink whereas baking.

You wish to whisk the eggs and egg yolk and sugar till the colour noticeably lightens and the combination is thick, but it surely ought to solely take 30-60 seconds. Don’t go too loopy right here. 🙂

Observe up with the butter, lemon zest, and bitter cream. 

And eventually the dry components. You’ll be able to’t get a lot easier than this. 

Combine till the batter is thick and clean. 

I exploit a 9-inch spherical cake pan for this recipe. It additionally helps to sit back the batter for 10-15 minutes earlier than baking.

I pop it within the fridge whereas getting my rhubarb so as. 

Let’s discuss rhubarb

I’ve actually no thought what number of rhubarb resides its finest life within the backyard mattress subsequent to my home. Some stalks are inexperienced. Some are pinkish-red. Some are a combo. The plant is large and unwieldy. And I like it.

For this cake, you need about 6-7 stalks of rhubarb (possibly 8- or so inches in size). 

I’m fairly positive any number of rhubarb will do. 

I like to decide on smaller stalks of rhubarb. Depart these behemoth ones to cut up for strawberry rhubarb pie. 

Selecting thinner stalks of rhubarb will assist the rhubarb keep perched on prime whereas the cake bakes vs sinking to the underside. 

If you happen to solely have thicker stalks, don’t panic, there’s a easy answer:

• take a pointy knife and punctiliously slice the stalks in half lengthwise so they’re thinner

The one tough a part of this recipe

Spoiler alert: it’s truly not that tough.

Organize the rhubarb on prime of the cake batter in no matter sample your coronary heart wishes. Straight traces. That’s what my coronary heart wishes. 

Do NOT press or push the rhubarb into the cake batter. Like, under no circumstances. Lay it on prime very evenly.

Urgent the rhubarb into the cake batter, even the tiniest bit, could make it much more vulnerable to sink whereas baking.

If you happen to aren’t feeling lengthy strips of rhubarb (it could possibly get a bit stringy when reducing the baked cake), you possibly can chop the rhubarb into bite-size items. 

As you possibly can see, I adopted all the principles:

• hand mixing the batter solely
• slicing skinny stalks of rhubarb
• not even urgent one tiny bit when including the rhubarb to the highest of the cake

And nonetheless. My rhubarb at all times sinks a little bit bit. I’ve made this cake a number of occasions…at all times some sinking. 

Though it might be prettier if the rhubarb would thoughts its manners, I don’t stress about it.

A very powerful half is getting tart bites of rhubarb with the candy, custardy cake, and that occurs whether or not the rhubarb stays on prime or not. 

The cake will puff and brown on the perimeters however keep fairly mushy within the heart. 

You don’t need it uncooked within the heart, however don’t overbake it or else you’ll get rid of the custard texture that makes this cake so phenomenal. 

Additionally, one other pleasant shock: the perimeters of the cake are completely superb. Barely extra arrange than the center, they’re golden and chewy, and so, so good. 

It takes an outstanding rhubarb recipe to essentially get me excited. And after making this rhubarb custard cake a number of occasions, it’s clear that it’s a keeper. 

Brian says it’s considered one of his favourite desserts. No shock, actually, since he additionally says that about strawberry rhubarb something at any time when I make it. 

Tart and candy, the contrasting flavors on this cake are unimaginable. With a scoop of vanilla ice cream? Unreal.

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Yield: Eight servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Prepare dinner Time: 50 minutes

Whole Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Substances

• 2 massive eggs
• 1 massive egg yolk
• 1 1/Four cups (9.25 ounces) granulated sugar
• Four tablespoons (1/Four cup) butter, melted and cooled till simply heat (I exploit salted)
• 1/Four cup bitter cream
• 1-2 teaspoons contemporary lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)
• 1 cup (5 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 3/Four teaspoon baking powder
• 1/Four teaspoon salt
• 10-12 ounces rhubarb stalks (about 6 small/medium stalks, Eight inches lengthy)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 levels F. Evenly grease a 9-inch spherical cake pan (you possibly can line the underside with a parchment circle, if desired).
2. In a big bowl, whisk collectively the eggs, egg yolk, and sugar with a wire whisk (do not use a hand mixer – it’ll incorporate an excessive amount of air for this cake) till pale and thick, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
3. In a small bowl, stir collectively the melted butter, bitter cream and lemon zest. Add to the egg combination and whisk till mixed.
4. Add the flour, baking powder and salt. Combine with a rubber spatula till the batter is clean. Unfold evenly within the ready pan. Chill the batter for 10 minutes.
5. Make sure that the rhubarb stalks are dried nicely. If they’re over 1/4-inch thick, slice them rigorously in half lengthwise. Reduce the stalks to suit and organize over the batter subsequent to one another, overlaying as a lot of the batter as you possibly can (however conserving the rhubarb in a single layer). DO NOT PRESS THE RHUBARB INTO THE CAKE BATTER. Lay it very gently on prime with out urgent in any respect or else it is going to be vulnerable to sinking throughout baking (mine nonetheless does every time I make this, but it surely positively sinks much less if I have never pressed the rhubarb in any respect into the cake).
6. Bake the cake for 45-55 minutes till browned and puffed across the edges. The middle should still be barely mushy set but it surely should not be moist batter. Add extra time, if wanted.
7. Let the cake cool for 10 minutes (or fully) earlier than slicing into items. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream. It is scrumptious heat, room temperature or chilled.

Notes

Rhubarb: utilizing longer items of rhubarb makes for a prettier presentation, however it may be a little bit “stringy” reducing into the cake. Alternately, you possibly can reduce the rhubarb into bite-size items and scatter these excessive (do not press them into the batter!). They’re going to more than likely sink whereas baking, however the mixture of tart rhubarb in each chew and candy custard cake remains to be tremendous scrumptious. Additionally, I believe you may positively attempt different fruits rather than the rhubarb (raspberries or blueberries come to thoughts!).

Frozen Rhubarb: I have never tried utilizing frozen rhubarb on this recipe. My advice can be to in all probability thaw and pat dry earlier than utilizing.

Sinking Fruit: I’ve made this cake many occasions, and my rhubarb sinks to some extent each time. It would not have an effect on style in any respect, so I do not stress about it an excessive amount of. A couple of elements that will assist forestall sinking: do not overmix the sugar and eggs. It is actually necessary to combine them till pale and thick for the custard texture (you will discover the colour lightening) however too a lot mixing will incorporate extra air which contributes to the rhubarb sinking. Additionally, utilizing skinny stalks of rhubarb (or reducing them in half so they’re thinner) may even assist.

Recipe Supply: barely tailored from this recipe (omitted rum, decreased sugar, added a couple of additional notes) – due to Melanie M. (a MKC reader who emailed me) for telling me about this recipe!

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