Rhubarb in the garden is beautiful. When I first added it to my yard, before I had raised bed gardens, I just thought it was pretty. Now I actually harvest it and make things with it. Last year I made nothing fresh, but this year, so far I made a Rhubarb Custard Pie and today I added a Rhubarb-Almond Cake and Rhubarb Oatmeal Cookies.
The Rhubarb-Almond cake smelled heavenly while baking and tasting a tiny bit of it, I think it is a winner. I used the following recipe from Bon Appetit Magazine. They said to use either a 8″ X 11″ tart pan with a removable bottom, or a 9″ round tart pan. I had the 9″ round and a little bigger one. After thought, use the larger pan. This went over the edges and I think would be better a little thinner.
It might feel like you’re beating the batter for a long time, but that’s what gives this cake an airy lift. Stay with it!
Ingredients
8 SERVINGS
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
- ¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for pan
- 1 pound rhubarb stalks, trimmed
- 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup blanched almonds
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 2 large eggs
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
Special Equipment
- One 11×8″ tart pan or one 9″-diameter tart pan with removable bottom
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°. Butter tart pan and sprinkle with sugar, tapping out excess. Slice rhubarb in half lengthwise (quarter if very large). Set 8 of the prettiest pieces aside for the top of the cake; chop remaining rhubarb into ½” pieces.
Pulse flour, almonds, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until almonds are finely ground (texture should be sandy).
Place 1 cup butter and ¾ cup sugar in a large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; reserve pod for another use. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to blend first egg before adding second. Beat until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients, followed by yogurt. Beat, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed, just to combine (batter will be thick). Fold in chopped rhubarb and scrape batter into prepared pan. Smooth batter and arrange reserved rhubarb over top; sprinkle with remaining 3 Tbsp. sugar.
Place tart pan on a large rimmed baking sheet (to catch any rogue juices) and bake, rotating once, until cake is golden brown and rhubarb on top is soft and beginning to brown, 70–80 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cake cool before removing from pan.
Do Ahead: Cake can be baked 3 days ahead. Keep tightly wrapped at room temperature.
Rhubarb Oatmeal Cookies
My husband really liked these, but in all honesty they are not my favorite, but I am not a big cookie eater. This recipe was on a blog called Half Her Size.
- 1¼ cup (5 ounces) finely diced fresh rhubarb, 3-4 medium stalks
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon all spice
- ¾ cup rolled oats (not quick cook)
- ⅓ cup (75g.) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ⅓ cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoon fresh ginger root, grated
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest (I used Lime juice, as I did not have a lemon)
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
- Toss the rhubarb pieces with 1 tablespoon of sugar and let set aside.
- In a medium bowl — Sift together flour, baking soda and all spice. Whisk in the oats.
- In a larger bowl — Use a fork to whip the butter and sugar until they are light and fluffy. When fluffy mix in egg until combined then add the vanilla, ginger, and lemon zest.
- Gently mix the flour into the batter until just combined. Once all dry ingredients have been blended, fold in the rhubarb pieces and any juice.
- Spoon the batter onto the prepared cookie sheets using a small, leveled, cookie scoop or by the rounded teaspoonfuls. Bake the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until edges are golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool slightly on the pan before transferring to a wire wrack to cool completely.