Prep Time : 20 Minutes | Cook Time : 30 + 60 Minutes | Total Time : 2 hours | Difficulty : Easy
Hello my lovelies! I know we’re all supposed to be drinking smoothies and punishing ourselves in January. But I’d rather have cake. It’s not a big cake and you can share it if you’re worried. Also It’s rhubarb season. One of my favourite things ever. I got a haul from the supermarket yesterday afternoon and have been itching to make it into something worthy. Normally just cooking it up with a little vanilla and sugar and eating it out of a plastic container in the fridge is my go to. But I thought for you guys I’d kick it up a notch. Use it in one of my favourite types of cake. I find almond cakes so compelling. I’m not sure if its the golden butteriness. The dense but tender crumb. The dark caramelised edges. I do love caramelised edges. Definitely on team edges. It’s the perfect foil for delicious juicy fruits. After making this version why not try it with nectarines or plums or pears or feijoas or berries or almost anything. We’re swirling our rhubarb through the cake today but you can also make an upside down cake with any of the aforementioned fruits.
We’re adding two of my favourite spices to the cake to give it a full and luxurious flavour. Fresh ginger because its zingy and balances the butter. And cardamom because it supports the ginger, amplifies the butter and almond and makes sure everyone is having a good time all round. We’re also adding little nuggets of crystallised ginger for pops of flavour. You can leave it out if you don’t like it or don’t have any to hand or use stem ginger instead. This cake is also gloriously gluten free. If it doesn’t need to be just use a little plain flour or use your favourite gluten free cup for cup blend.
Heat the oven to 180C (350F). Chop the rhubarb into 2 inch-ish pieces and lay them in a shallow baking dish (or a glass pie plate). You want them to be in a thin layer so all the pieces will roast evenly. Sprinkle the sugar over the top. I’ve done double so I can eat some later so don’t worry that it looks like you have less. Depending how sweet your tooth is use more or less sugar but 1/3 cup is the absolute max that you will need.
Bake the rhubarb for 20 to 30 minutes until the pieces are soft when you press on them. The sugar will have melted into the juice that comes out of the rhubarb so you will have tender rhubarb pieces that hold their shape sitting in a bit of syrup. Perfect. Set it aside to cool.
Leave the oven on and line an 8 inch round cake pan with baking paper. It needs to be fairly deep – at least 3 inches. A springform pan is helpful if you have one but not necessary.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Be patient and go at it for a while. Add the vanilla and grated ginger followed by the eggs one at a time. Beat until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. It will split with the third egg. It’s a proportions thing. Don’t worry about it. Mix it as best you can.
Add the ground almonds, flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom and diced crystallised ginger. Fold together until just combined.
Add about two thirds of the rhubarb – keeping aside the tidiest looking pieces. Fold gently to distribute and then scrape all the batter into the prepared pan and level the top.
Press the reserved rhubarb pieces into the top of the cake. Make a pattern if you like but do what feels right. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until the cake is firm when pressed in the centre. It won’t be fully springy but you will be able to feel that it’s cooked in the middle. If you are concerned that the sliced almonds are browning too much cover the top with foil after about 40 minutes of cooking.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Be careful when you do this that the rhubarb on the top doesn’t stick to you or to the towel/oven mitt/etc.
Leave the cake to cool before dusting with icing sugar and serving with a little greek yoghurt or whipped cream.
Like this recipe? Pin for later or Print for right now:
Rhubarb + Ginger Almond Cake
Prep Time : 20 mins | Cook Time : 30 + 60 mins | Total Time : 2 hours | Difficulty : Easy
Makes : One 8 inch round cake
Buttery golden almond cake swirled with tart rhubarb and finished with a hint of ginger and cardamom.
Ingredients:
For the rhubarb:
- 500 grams rhubarb stalks, chopped into 2 inch pieces
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar
For the cake:
- 12 tablespoons (170 grams) unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon (170 grams) sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 and 1/4 cups (225 grams) ground almonds
- 1/4 cup (35 grams) all purpose flour or gluten free cup for cup
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1/4 cup (50 grams) crystallised ginger, finely diced
- All of the rhubarb above (about 2 cups)
- 1/4 cup (25 grams) sliced almonds
– If using metric cups, reduce volume measures by 1 tablespoon for every cup of dry or liquid ingredients –
Equipment:
- Standing or hand-held electric mixer
- 8 inch round cake pan lined with baking paper
- Shallow roasting pan or glass pie plate
Directions:
Heat the oven to 180C (350F). Chop the rhubarb into 2 inch-ish pieces and lay them in a shallow baking dish (or a glass pie plate). You want them to be in a thin layer so all the pieces will roast evenly. Sprinkle the sugar over the top. I’ve done double so I can eat some later so don’t worry that it looks like you have less. Depending how sweet your tooth is use more or less sugar but 1/3 cup is the absolute max that you will need.
Bake the rhubarb for 20 to 30 minutes until the pieces are soft when you press on them. The sugar will have melted into the juice that comes out of the rhubarb so you will have tender rhubarb pieces that hold their shape sitting in a bit of syrup. Perfect. Set it aside to cool.
Leave the oven on and line an 8 inch round cake pan with baking paper. It needs to be fairly deep – at least 3 inches. A springform pan is helpful if you have one but not necessary.
Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Be patient and go at it for a while. Add the vanilla and grated ginger followed by the eggs one at a time. Beat until each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next. It will split with the third egg. It’s a proportions thing. Don’t worry about it. Mix it as best you can.
Add the ground almonds, flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom and diced crystallised ginger. Fold together until just combined.
Add about two thirds of the rhubarb – keeping aside the tidiest looking pieces. Fold gently to distribute and then scrape all the batter into the prepared pan and level the top.
Press the reserved rhubarb pieces into the top of the cake. Make a pattern if you like but do what feels right. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the top.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until the cake is firm when pressed in the centre. It won’t be fully springy but you will be able to feel that it’s cooked in the middle. If you are concerned that the sliced almonds are browning too much cover the top with foil after about 40 minutes of cooking.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Be careful when you do this that the rhubarb on the top doesn’t stick to you or to the towel/oven mitt/etc.
Leave the cake to cool before dusting with icing sugar and serving with a little greek yoghurt or whipped cream.
Cook’s Notes:
- The base recipe for this cake is infinitely adaptable. Use whatever fruit you like and whatever spices you like to make your own buttery creation!
- If you don’t have fresh ginger to hand add 1 teaspoon ground dried ginger with the rest of the dry ingredients.
– This cake keeps well in an airtight container at room temperature but because of the exposed fruit it will need to be eaten within 3 or 4 days depending on how warm it is –
Adapted from How to be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.
© 2018 Wellington Bakehouse. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe.
This would be gloriously simple if it were an upside-down cake with the rhubarb and almond flakes cooken in sugar on the bottom don’t you think? I’m sorry, I can’t help but rethink it before I even made it the first time.
Absolutely go for it! I find that when I do rhubarb upside down it doesn’t retain its colour as well and looks a bit drab – that’s literally the main reason this isn’t an upside down cake 🙂