The cake is so delicious, the dough remains crunchy, the meringue soft and crispy with the rhubarb neither sour nor too sweet – simply indescribable!
∅ 24 cm serving 6
Prepare the day before : Shortcrust 90gr of butter |
Take butter out of fridge and allow to soften for about 30 min prior to using, it should still be of a firm consistence but not hard. | |
175 gr flour (of type 45) pinch of salt 50 ml clear water |
Combine flour, butter (pieces) and cold water in a bowl, using your hands speedy mix moving from outside to inside (it is important to work quickly otherwise the dough will be too flimsy!). | |
Time to prepare / 10min allow to rest for 24hrs |
Mix ingredients to make a chunky dough, then form to a ball and wrap into cling film, allow to rest in fridge for 24hrs. | |
The next day : 6 stalks of rhubarb |
Peel rhubarb, cut off end pieces and remove strings, then cut into pieces of 1cm. | |
3 tablespoons of sugar | Combine rhubarb and sugar in a bowl and set aside at least 15 min. | |
Time to prepare / 5 min allow to rest / 15 min |
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Cake 20gr of butter to grease |
Grease cake pan (porcelain, _ 24 cm / 3,5 cm height). | |
shortcrust (remove from fridge 1h prior to using)1 hand full of flour | Sprinkle flour on working surface, then using a rolling ping spread dough into a circle (35 cm) with a strength of 4 mm. | |
Put pastry dough into the greased cake pan and carefully press in to the edges. | ||
Using a fork pinch dough all over. | ||
Then, using a knife, cut off excess dough. | ||
Preheat oven to 180°C. | ||
3 tbls brown sugar 4 tbls ground almonds* |
Sprinkle pastry dough with brown sugar and ground almonds. | |
pieces of rhubarb | Using your hands squeeze juice out of rhubarb pieces, then evenly spread on to pastry dough. | |
Time to prepare /15 min 180°C / baking time 30 min |
Bake cake in oven for 30 min. | |
The pudding 1 whole egg 90ml liquid sour cream (creme fraiche) 2 tbls vanilla sugar** |
Mix creme fraiche, egg and sugar in a bowl to a homogenous, creamy matter. | |
Time to prepare / 5 min | After 30 min take baked pastry dough with a golden brown edge out of oven and pour creme on top. | |
180°C / 30 min | Put cake back in the oven and bake for another 30 min. | |
Meringue 3 egg white 90 gr white sugar 90 gr powdered sugar |
Beat egg white, as soon as it starts getting foamy mix in both kinds of sugar and keep beating till it becomes a white, elastic dough. | |
Time to prepare / 10min | ||
Take cake out of oven and lower temperature to 150°C while keeping the door a crack wide open for 3min, then close again. | ||
150°C / 30 min | Using a spatula cover cake with meringue matter and bake 30min at 150°C, take out of oven as soon as meringue is crisp and has a golden brown color. Allow to cool down before serving |
The recipe may seem a bit complicated at first but if you slowly follow each step you will be awarded a wonderful rhubarb cake.
* If no ground almonds at hand you can also use 60gr of peeled almonds instead and mix them.
**Trick (vanilla sugar): keep sugar (1kg) in a closed container together with a vanilla bean; sugar will assume flavor of vanilla and will last a few weeks (in a closed container in the cupboard)