Edward Hayden: Try this delicious Rhubarb Crumble Cake recipe

Hi everyone, I hope that you are all well. Rhubarb is in prime condition at the minute and my wonderful neighbour Ann Hayden always shares some of her glorious rhubarb with me so for your consideration this week I have created a wonderful dish. It is a most unusual recipe, is it a cake, is it a crumble? Who knows? What I do know for sure is that it is so tasty-Make it this week and enjoy!

Recipe

Cake Mixture:

8oz/225g softened butter

8oz/225g demerara sugar

4 eggs

1 tablespoon milk (approx)

8oz/225g plain flour

2oz/50g ground almonds

1 rounded teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Fruit Filling:

1oz/25g butter

1oz/25g caster sugar

5 sticks rhubarb, chopped

1 tablespoon honey

Crumble Topping:

3oz/75g hard butter

3oz/75g demerara sugar

4oz/110g plain flour

1oz/25g flaked almonds

Pinch cinnamon

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3.

Grease an 8 inch/20cm deep round cake tin.

Line the base and the sides of the tin with some baking parchment.

Fruit Topping:

Heat a little butter in a large frying pan, add in the chunks of rhubarb and cook gently for a couple of minutes.

Add the caster sugar and continue to cook until the sugar has dissolved. You just need to soften (not cook) the rhubarb. Turn off the heat and allow the rhubarb mixture to cool down.

Crumble Topping:

Sieve the plain flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the sugar and the cinnamon and mix well.

Cut the butter into cubes and, using the tips of your fingers, rub this into the flour and sugar mixture.

Add in the flaked almonds now and cover until needed.

Cake Mixture:

Meanwhile in a large mixing bowl cream the butter and the sugar together until light and fluffy.

Add in the eggs and milk. Sieve together the flour, baking powder, ground almonds and cinnamon and add these to the mixture also. Mix well until a creamy consistency has been achieved.

Assembly:

Place approximately half of the cake mixture into the prepared tin.

Carefully arrange half of the rhubarb mixture on top of the cake and then sprinkle approximately half of the crumble topping on top of this.

Carefully spread the remaining cake mixture on top of this.

Neatly arrange the rest of the apple and rhubarb on top of the cake and then cover with the remaining crumble.

Bake in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours.

After the first 45 minutes reduce the oven temperature to 150C/300F/Gas Mark 2 check on the cake and, if the cake is browning excessively, you can cover it with some tin foil or baking parchment and

You’ll know the cake is cooked by inserting a skewer into the middle of the cake and ensuring that the skewer comes away clean.

Allow the cake to cool slightly in the tin and then carefully remove the cake from the tin and place it on a large serving platter.

Drizzle the cake with the honey and serve with some freshly-whipped cream or crème fraiche.