R is for Rhubarb Crumble & Custard Cake

I have so much rhubarb growing both in my garden and my allotment at the moment that I was glad to come across a recipe in Holly Farrell’s new book, Grow Your Own Cake .  It’s also one of three of her cakes featured in the Summer 2016 edition of Baking Heaven which is readily available in most supermarkets etc or you can order a copy online.

As rhubarb crumble and custard is one of my favourite desserts at this time of the year, I couldn’t wait to give the cake a try and I wasn’t disappointed.  I’m also pleased to say that the cake used up quite a bit of rhubarb from my garden, but I still have lots more left over the allotment to use …

Ingredients

For the Crumble Topping

• 40g plain flour
• 40g porridge oats
• 40g unsalted butter
• 40g light brown muscovado sugar

For the Cake

• 600g rhubarb (trimmed and cut into 5mm pieces)
• 350g plain flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 100g ground almonds
• 1tsp ginger
• 250g unsalted butter
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Buttercream

• 350g icing sugar
• 50g custard powder
• 150g unsalted butter
• 50ml double cream

Method

1. First make the crumble topping by mixing the flour and oats together, rub in the butter and finally stir in the sugar.  Set aside for later.
2. Preheat the oven to 170C/Gas Mark 3.  Grease and line the bottoms of two deep round 20cm diameter cake tins.  Toss the rhubarb chunks in 3 tablespoons of the flour.  Mix the remaining flour with he baking powder, ground almonds and ginger and set aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together, then mix in the eggs (one at a time).  Add the vanilla extract.
4. Fold in the flour until everything is combined.  Finally add the rhubarb.  Divide the mixture between the two cake tins and level the mixture out as best as you can (as I said above, there is a lot of rhubarb in the cake, so it is very lumpy!).
5. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the top of one of the cakes.  Place in the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
6. Once out of the oven, leave the cakes in their tins for 10 minutes.  Turn them out and allow them to finish cooling on a wire rack.
7. In the meantime make the buttercream.  Sift the icing sugar and custard powder into a bowl.  Add the butter and cream and beat for 5-10 minutes in a mixer, until light and fluffy.
8. Spread the buttercream over the top of the cake that hasn’t got the crumble on it (there is a lot of buttercream).  Place the crumbled sponge on top and enjoy!