A loaf cake. Again. Oh dear, I am sorry but they are terribly good. And convenient. Mr Cakes is ramping up the tri-training, and demands plenty of calories every day to keep his strength up. So, weekend loaf cake baking it is.
This one is adapted from Nigella’s recipe for a Rosemary Remembrance Cake. Nigella’s is a simple madeira cake, subtly flavoured with aromatic rosemary and stewed apple. I prefer the tang of rhubarb though, especially at this time of year. Whatever you do, don’t use a 450g/1lb loaf tin to bake the cake as Nigella suggests. It doesn’t work…
Rhubarb & Rosemary Cake
Ingredients
200g rhubarb
2 sprigs rosemary
1 tsp caster sugar
½ lemon, juiced and zested
1 tsp butter
225 grams butter
150 grams caster sugar
3 medium eggs
300 grams plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
Method
Chop the rhubarb and put into a saucepan with a sprig of rosemary, teaspoon of sugar, lemon zest and juice, and a teaspoon of butter. Cover and cook on a low heat until the rhubarb has broken down to a mush. Allow to cool and remove the rosemary sprig.
Preheat the oven to 170°C/150°C fan/gas mark 3. Line a 2lb loaf tin greaseproof paper, or a loaf liner if you have one (much handier)
Put the rhubarb, butter, 150g sugar, eggs, flour and baking powder into a food processor and whizz to a smooth batter. Spoon and scrape into the loaf tin and smooth the top. Sprinkle the surface with the a little more sugar and then lay other sprig of rosemary along the centre of the cake.
Bake for 50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean, allow to cool for a few minutes. Then remove the cake from the tin and leave to fully cool on a wire rack.
Shoreditch Bakes 