Michelle Darmody: How to bake my rhubarb and spelt cake — and the mistakes to avoid
Rhubarb and Spelt Cake.
I absolutely love this sweet buttery recipe. You can substitute any soft fruit in place of the rhubarb.
It can also be baked in a square tin and cut into cubes for a picnic, instead of the more-difficult-to-transport cake slices.
Spelt flour is quite nutritious and lends a mildly sweet and nutty taste to the cake which works well with the rhubarb.
'Forcing' rhubarb means blocking light from the plants as they grow over winter so there is some early growth at this time of year.
The plants need to be well established before you attempt to force them. Young plants will not have the reserves to grow in this way.
You can simply use a bucket placed over the plant to block the light.
Forced rhubarb is softer and more delicate in flavour than the hardier stalks that grow by themselves during the summer months.
It is wonderfully pink in colour which makes it perfect for baking or for gently stewing for porridge or yogurt.
I use a springform or loose-based tin when baking any cake of this nature. I still remember the older tins my mom had when we were children.
You had to tap on the base and try your best to get the cake out in one piece. The tapping would start gently but then escalate as the cake refused to move an inch.
It was all well and good for cakes that you wanted to turn upside-down onto a plate, but never worked as well with a cake whose top you wanted to preserve.
The springform method makes life far easier.
Spelt flour is quite nutritious and lends a mildly sweet and nutty taste to the cake which works well with the rhubarb. Servings Preparation Time Cooking Time Total Time Course Ingredients 200g butter 190g golden caster sugar and a little extra for sprinkling 4 eggs, lightly beaten zest of 2 oranges 2 tsp baking powder 150g spelt flour 100g ground almonds 500g forced rhubarb, chopped Method Preheat your oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4. Cream the butter and sugar until it is light and fluffy. Slowly mix in the eggs and zest, either on the lowest setting of your mixer or with a wooden spoon. Sieve the baking powder and flour into a bowl and stir in the ground almonds. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and combine. Scoop the mixture into your prepared tin and smooth it out with the back of a spoon. Dot the sliced rhubarb on top and sprinkle the extra sugar over it. Bake for 45 minutes or until baked through at the centre. The top should be golden and the rhubarb soft. Allow to cool in the tin.Rhubarb and Spelt Cake
- When creaming butter and sugar you want a light fluffy result. To make sure all the ingredients are whisked and combined, stop the mixing every now and then and scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. It is best to ensure your butter is soft to begin with but not melted. If you are using an electric mixer, start on the slowest setting and turn it up after the sugar has been mixed into the soft butter.
- If the butter separates while you are creaming, place the whole butter and sugar mixture into the fridge for about 15 minutes, then start creaming again.
- Spelt is a gentler grain to digest than wheat. It adds a little texture to your baking but can be used in the same way as a more popular wheat flour. It is important to sieve the flour and baking powder in this recipe as spelt needs a little air added to help it rise.
- Do not overmix the batter after you have added the spelt flour or your cake will become heavy. Spelt flour, as with wheat flour, is the last ingredient to be added to prevent it getting stiff which happens when it is whisked or whipped too much. It needs to be completely combined but not whisked.
- You do not need to precook or bake the rhubarb before you add it to the cake, it will soften as the cake bakes.
- The cake will last in an airtight container, in a cool place, for about three days. It does not freeze as well as some other cakes because the rhubarb will get quite damp and mushy on the top of the cake as it defrosts.
You can use a generous handful of frozen berries in the recipe in place of the rhubarb.
I gently rub any excess ice from the berries and sprinkle them onto the top of the cake before it goes into the oven.
I also like to add a teaspoon of vanilla with the orange zest and sprinkle a little brown sugar on top before baking the cake.
Add 1.5 teaspoons of cinnamon to the flour and baking powder.
Take the stones from your plums and cut them into quarters or smaller if the plums are large.
Weigh out 500g of the stoned plums and add them to the cake in the same way you would have added the rhubarb.
Roughly grate 500g of cooking apples instead of using rhubarb. I peel the apples first.
When making the cake add two teaspoons of cake spice in with the flour and baking powder.
I then half fill the prepared cake tin with batter, spread the grated apple on top of the batter, then add the rest of the batter and smooth it down.
Sprinkle some brown sugar on top and bake the cake as instructed.
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