Here is yet another Genius recipe from Food52 that I had to share. I promise you are going to want to make this, so don't screw around and put this recipe on the bottom of your to-cook pile, stick it on the top and make it the next sweet treat you make. Remember, rhubarb won't be available in the markets much longer.
Like the other "Genius" recipe we've posted here, Alice Medrich's Best Cocoa Brownies, this cake is absolute perfection. Rich with butter, sweet with sugar, slightly tart from the rhubarb and buttermilk, and with a spicy pop from the candied ginger, this confection is firing on all cylinders.
It is perfect as an evening dessert, with a spot of tea in the afternoon, or dare I say it, as a fairly indulgent breakfast (I tried it twice as breakfast just to make sure……oh the sacrifices I make for you people).
This rustic, homey dessert is super simple to make, requiring no special equipment or ingredients save the rhubarb which does have a fairly short season here in the northeast. So….what are you waiting for, toddle on now and go make this thing!
Cheers – Steve
Ingredients
for the ginger-crumb topping:
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
for the cake:
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and thinly sliced
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 ℉. Butter a 9-inch round baking pan.
- Make ginger crumble topping: mix sugar, flour, and candied ginger together in a bowl, then stir in the melted butter. Put the topping in the freezer while you mix up the cake.
- Make the cake: whisk flour, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Using a hand-held mixer with beaters, or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the buttermilk in 2 additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and scraping down the bowl occasionally. Gently fold in the rhubarb.
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, then sprinkle the crumb topping over the cake. bake for 45-50 minutes, or until lightly golden and firm on top, and a tester placed in the center of the cake comes out clean.