Weekly Veg Box Recipe: Rhubarb Loaf

Ingredients – (Serves 6-8):

You will also need a 1kg loaf tin, buttered and lined with a strip of baking parchment on the bottom.

250g self-raising flour                                 3 medium eggs

300g rhubarb, cut into 1cm pieces             1 tsp. ground ginger

150g caster sugar                                       1 tsp. baking powder

100g white sugar                                         pinch of salt

150g butter, soft                                          icing sugar for dusting

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180⁰C/160⁰C fan/gas mark 4. Top and tail the rhubarb then cut into 1cm pieces. Place in a heavy bottomed saucepan over a medium heat with the white sugar and enough water to cover the rhubarb, cook for 5-8 minutes, drain then leave to cool.

2. In a large mixing bowl sift the flour and baking powder, then add all the remaining ingredients, including the cooled rhubarb. Beat until completely combined and it is a smooth thick mixture. Spoon half the mixture into a loaf tin and shake side to side to level, then spoon in the rest. Do not bang the tin on a work surface to level the mixture, it’ll knock the air out of the mixture and it won’t rise.

3. Bake the cake on the middle shelf of the oven for 45-55 minutes or until firm in the middle, on top, and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

4. Remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool for 5-10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire cooling rack.

5. Once cool, dust the cake with some icing sugar. Serve accompanied with vanilla ice cream.

Toms Top Tips: I recommend serving this pudding warm with vanilla custard and ice cream. You could even swap the rhubarb for Bramley apple and ½ tsp. cinnamon instead, for a lovely apple cake.