Rhubarb and Rosewater Cake
The amazing jewel like colour of rhubarb and its sweet/sour tang make it ideal for a cake. It’s made even more flavourful with the addition of fragrant rosewater. This cake is an upside cake, with the baked rhubarb appearing on top. Serve it with stewed rhubarb for a double rhubarb hit.
400g rhubarb, trimmed
1 tablespoon caster sugar
125g soft butter
265g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
1 tablespoon rosewater essence
160 g plain flour
60 g ground almonds
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3 free-range eggs
85g sour cream
Preheat oven to 160 degrees C fan. Grease an 18cm spring form pan and line the base with baking paper. Cut 300g of the rhubarb into lengths to fit into the base of the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the tablespoon of caster sugar.
Beat the butter and 215g of the sugar in an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Add the vanilla paste and rosewater. Sift the flour, ground almonds and baking powder.
Add eggs one at a time, along with a tablespoon of the flour mixture, beating well after each addition. Add the sour cream and stir to combine.
Spoon the mixture over the rhubarb base. Smooth to even. Bake for an hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool for 30 minutes to cool.
Meanwhile, in a frying pan, put the remaining 50g caster sugar and 50mls of water and heat till the sugar is dissolved. Add the remaining 100g rhubarb, cut into 10cm lengths, and stew for a few minutes until just soft. Remove from the liquid.
Remove the ring from the spring form pan and carefully turn the cake out onto a serving plate. Remove the base and baking paper.
Decorate with the stewed rhubarb, and drizzle with a little poaching liquid, if desired.
Serve the cake on its own or with cream or sour cream.