Rhubarb Cake with Orange Cream Glaze

Rhubarb is the taste of half-wild cottage summers when we roved the shore from sunrise to what seemed like midnight. We were our own universe – a shifting galaxy whose boundaries flexed to embrace any new kid within our domain.

Rhubarb cued a change of pace. Raw stalks pulled from their reliable beds, startling our tongues with pure slow sour.

Back then I didn’t know about its possibilities: muffins, cakes, chutney,barbecue glaze… Back then, if we had it cooked at all, it was sweet stewed and with custard.

But now I know, and wait impatiently for the first bulbed heads to appear in the spring. Well before strawberries, lilacs or even daffodils. And I’m ready for them.

This Rhubarb Cake with Orange Cream Glaze is a bit of a change from the usual. Instead of chunks of fruit, this cake uses a tart rhubarb sauce. The puree has a texture like applesauce, and gives a more subtle rhubarb-y flavor, without the (sometimes) gooey bits.

The puree makes a great addition to muffins or pancakes. You can give it a try in any recipe where you might use applesauce (with a bit of additional sugar needed to compensate for the tartness).

To make the rhubarb puree, first prepare your rhubarb. If you are using it fresh from the garden, cut off the leaves and the bottom ends of the stalks, and wash the trimmed stalks. Cut them into one-inch pieces. For one batch, measure about 4 cups / 1 liter  of cut rhubarb and toss it with 2-3 tablespoons / 30-45 ml  of sugar. You can double or triple the amounts of both if you want to have extra puree available in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F / 191 degrees C.  Place the prepared rhubarb on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, and roast for 25-30 minutes. The rhubarb should be soft and should have released some juice, but not started to caramelize. Remove the pan from the oven, and let it cool to room temperature.

Softening the rhubarb by roasting (rather than simmering with a bit of water on the stove top) will produce a more concentrated flavor.

When it has cooled, puree the rhubarb in a food processor or in a food mill. (If you don’t have either of these, you can mash the rhubarb thoroughly with a spoon or whisk and put it through a strainer to make sure it is smooth.)  Use your puree right away in this recipe, or store it in the fridge for three to four days until you need it.

Top your rhubarb cake with the orange cream glaze, or substitute your favorite frosting. A cream cheese icing with a touch of orange juice would work well, or you could keep things simple with a dusting of sifted icing sugar.

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Rhubarb Cake with Orange Cream Glaze

Prep Time

20 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

1 hr 5 mins

 

You can double up on the rhubarb in this recipe by adding a cup of chopped rhubarb to the batter.

Servings: 1 bundt cake

Author: Mary Gillespie

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1 cup / 250 ml whole wheat flour
• 1-1/2 cups / 375 ml all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup / 185 ml brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml baking soda
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml baking powder
• 1 teaspoon / 5 ml dried ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon / 2.5 ml salt
• 1 cup / 250 ml rhubarb puree
• 1/2 cup / 125 ml orange juice
• 1/2 cup / 125 ml vegetable oil
• 3 eggs

Glaze:

• 1 tablespoon / 15 ml orange juice concentrate
• 2 tablespoons / 30 ml brown sugar
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml whipping cream
• 1/4 cup / 60 ml icing sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F / 177 degrees C.
2. Grease and lightly flour a bundt pan.
3. Stir together whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, ginger and salt.
4. In separate bowl, beat rhubarb puree, orange juice, oil, and eggs until thoroughly mixed. Pour over flour mixture and stir gently until all there are no streaks of flour visible. (Do not overmix.)
5. Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
6. Remove cake from the oven and let cook in the pan for 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool on a rack.
7. While cake is cooling, prepare the glaze.

Glaze:

1. In small saucepan, stir together orange juice concentrate, brown sugar and whipping cream. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer gently for 5 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened slightly.
2. Remove from heat and stir in icing sugar. Continue stirring until the glaze is smooth.
3. Pour glaze over cooled cake.

Recipe Notes

To make rhubarb puree:

To make the rhubarb puree, first prepare your rhubarb. If you are using it fresh from the garden, cut off the leaves and the bottoms of the stalks, and wash the trimmed stalks. Cut into one-inch pieces. For one batch, measure about 4 cups / 1 liter of cut rhubarb and toss it with 2-3 tablespoons / 30-45 ml of sugar. You can double or triple the amounts if you want to have extra puree available in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F / 191 degrees C. Place the prepared rhubarb on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, and roast for 25-30 minutes, or until the rhubarb has released some juice, but hasn't started to caramelize. Remove from the oven, and cool to room temperature.

Softening the rhubarb by roasting rather than simmering with a bit of water on the stove top will give you a more concentrated flavor.

When it has cooled, puree the rhubarb in a food processor or in a food mill. (If you don't have either of these, you can mash the rhubarb thoroughly with a spoon or whisk and put it through a strainer to make sure it is smooth.) Use your puree right away in this recipe, or store it in the fridge for three to four days until you need it.

You can also prepare the cake in a 9x13-inch / 23x33 cm baking pan instead of a bundt pan. Let it bake for about 25 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick tests clean.