For Easter this past weekend, we had planned a wonderful dinner menu of grilled rack of lamb, roasted asparagus wrapped in proscuitto, scalloped potatoes and rolls. It was fitting to make some kind of a fruitier, lighter dessert to end the evening.
I opted for a beautiful Rhubarb Almond Cake that I had seen in Bon Appetit, getting overly excited that rhubarb was coming back into season. It turned out absolutely amazing and for anyone that likes rhubarb, this recipe is a must try. Let me know what you think!
- 1 Cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the pan
- 3/4 Cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for pan
- 1 pound rhubarb stalks, trimmed
- 1 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 Cups blanched almonds
- 1 Teaspoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste (or seeds from a vanilla bean if you don’t have paste)
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 plain, Greek yogurt
- 11×8″ tart pan or 9″ diameter tart pan with removable bottom
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the tart pan and sprinkle with sugar, getting rid of the excess.
- Slice rhubarb lengthwise to your desired length and set 8 of the most attractive looking pieces aside. These will be put on top of the cake. Chop the rest of the rhubarb up, into 1/2 inch pieces.
- Pulse the flour, almonds, baking powder and salt in a food processor until almonds are finely ground to the consistency of your liking. Mine were a little smaller than a pea.
- Place 1 cup of butter and 3/4 cup sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer. (You can also use a hand mixer.) Add in the vanilla bean paste and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well before adding the second egg. Beat ingredients together until light and fluffy, about another 4 minutes.
- Reduce the speed to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients, followed by the yogurt. The batter will be thick, but beat just until combined, making sure to scrap the bowl as needed.
- Fold in your chopped rhubarb and transfer batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the batter (which will be lumpy from the rhubarb) and arrange the remaining rhubarb on top as desired. Sprinkle the top with remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.
- Place the tart pan on a large baking sheet and bake, rotating half way through, until your cake is golden brown – about 70 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and make sure it is cooled before removing from the pan.
© Rachel Davidson and Wine, Dine and Wander, 2014. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Rachel Davidson and Wine, Dine and Wander with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
