RHUBARB AND YOGHURT CAKE
If you can get hold of fresh rhubarb, making a yoghurt cake layered with lightly stewed rhubarb with its gorgeous pink syrup is a joy! I recently did just that, with lovely autumn rhubarb from Glenbrae Produce in Taralga in southern New South Wales.
A simple cake which you can make either in an electric mixer or the food processor. Fill with a rhubarb layer in the middle of the cake and finish with a layer on top. Serve on its own or with a little puréed rhubarb and more yoghurt. Delicious either way!
A small bunch of rhubarb, 3-4 stalks
50gms sugar for poaching
140g softened butter
180g caster sugar
2 free range eggs
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
180g Greek yoghurt
240g plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Extra stewed rhubarb, pureéd, and Greek yoghurt, for serving
Preheat oven to 180°C fan. Grease and line with baking paper a 20cm springform pan.
Cut rhubarb into 10cm lengths. Place in frying pan with just enough water to cover. Add the sugar and stir gently to dissolve. Place on a low heat on the stovetop and cook until the rhubarb is tender. Remove from the frying pan and set aside to cool. Once cool, strain the rhubarb, reserving the lovely pink syrup as a sauce for the cake.
Put the butter and caster sugar in an electric mixer or in a food processor and beat until well creamed. Add each egg, beating well after each egg until the mixture is combined.
Mix in the extracts and yoghurt until combined. Stir in the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate, being careful not to overmix.
Spoon half the mixture evenly over the base of prepared pan. Top with half the rhubarb. Spoon over the remaining mixture. Top with the remaining rhubarb.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before carefully removing from the springform pan onto a wire rack. Serve with a little stewed and puréed rhubarb and more Greek yoghurt if desired.