Rhubarb Cake

Hello Rhubarb Season!!! 

I love Rhubarb and grew up diggining it up from my grandma’s yard and eating it dipped in sugar.  I also remember all those beautiful Rhubarb pasteries that you could find in every bakery in Poland.  The pasteries looked like the filled danishes you find around here but instead of cheese they held sweet and sour rhubarb….  Oh so good.  Every time I see rhubarb I dream about everything that could be made with it.  Since this is the first out of many recipes I will post about rhubarb let’s start with cake.  This one is very delicate and can be made with any fruit in case you still want to make it and rhubarb is out of season.

To make it you will need: 1/2 cup of butter, 1 cup of sugar, 2 cups of flour, 3 eggs, orange peel (from 1 orange),1 tsp cardamon, 1 tsp baking powder,1tsp vanilla extract, 2 medium sticks of rhubarb.

THE RHUBARB…. If you have never ever encountered it before this is what it looks like.  It is usually deep red colored but you may also find it pinkier like the one pictured or even slightly greener.  The leaves of the rhubarb plant are toxic but the stalks are used in foods for their tart flavor.   It is absolutely divine with sweeter fruit like apples and strawberries.

Preheat oven to 350 deg.   Sift together flour, cardamon and baking powder.

In a electric mixer cream the butter and sugar

Cut the rhubarb into smaller pieces (it is almost like cutting celery, you do not want them too small)

Add eggs to the sugar mixutre one at a time until incorporated

add vanilla extract

and orange zest

Add the flour until mixed in, remove from the mixer

fold in the rhubarb

Add to greesed 9 inch form and cook for 45-50 min in 350 degree oven

or until golden

Cut into slices, sprinkle with powdered sugar and enjoy, relish, savor, devour.  However you do it make sure to try this beauty called rhubarb for the first or for the fiftieth time.