Rhubarb Cake

Yes, it's another rhubarb dessert. With rhubarb everywhere I turn at the farmer's market, I can't resist expanding my repertoire of rhubarb dishes (though they tend mostly towards the sweet instead of savory). Since my last rhubarb dessert was a crisp, which is mostly fruit with a little bit of topping (okay, a pretty healthy amount of streusel), I thought I'd try making a cake, where the rhubarb is the primarily flavor, but isn't actually the bulk of the dessert. If you love rhubarb, you'll love this light, delicate, but moist cake. The tart rhubarb is wonderful foil against the nutty whole wheat flour and mild tang from the buttermilk, showcasing the rhubarb flavor instead of masking it with another fruit or burying it in sugar. Serve warm with scoop of vanilla ice cream and relish in the flavor of late spring/early summer.


Rhubarb Cake
makes one 9- by 13-inch cake; serves 8
adapted from Martha Stewart

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for baking dish
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 cups chopped rhubarb
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside. In a liquid measuring cup, combine buttermilk and vanilla; set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer or using a handheld mixer, beat butter with granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, and beat to combine. Add the flour mixture, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, and starting and ending with the flour mixture. Stir in rhubarb.

3. Spread batter evenly into prepared baking dish. In a small bowl, stir together remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar evenly over batter. Bake until a cake tester inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 20 to 30 minutes.

4. Let cool on a wire rack in pan for 30 minutes before serving.