Rhubarb Bundt Cake

Rhubarb time is fast approaching. All of my rhubarb is already popping out of the ground, mostly just the leaves (don’t eat those, they are poisonous) but it will only be a week or two before the stalks are big and juicy so I can now safety use up the rest of the rhubarb that I had stashed in the freezer. And for that a cake was in order. Nothing super fancy, just a straight up rhubarb situation, with a little lemon drizzle. No strawberry. No nuts. Just a lot of rhubarb because sometimes that is all you need. (Plus the cake was for the mr and he doesn’t like other things to encroach on his rhubarb). A big delicious rhubarb bundt cake.

It is a spring time essential. You need this.

Now to the rhubarb bundt cake!

The stuff. Flour, baking powder and soda, salt, and cinnamon. Chopped rhubarb (frozen and thawed), plant milk, oil, brown and white sugar, vanilla ,applce cider vinegar, powdered sugar, and a lemon.

In a large bowl miix the oil, vanilla and sugars together until completely combined, In a smaller bowl whisk all the dry ingredients together.

Add the dry to the wet along with the zest of the lemon and the gently mix while pouring in the vinegar and milk. Fold in chopped rhubarb.

Cake batter.

Pour batter into a WELL greased and floured bundt pan. Trust me, don’t forget to get all the nooks with grease. A stuck bundt sucks.

And pop that bundt into the oven and bake.

A little over an hour later you got yourself a gorgeous golden brown cake.

And ever so gently get that bundt out of pan. If your top gets stuck like mine did, all is well, just repair as best as you can. The cake will still taste amazing..

Once cake is out of pan, let cool on a wire rack.

Make a little lemon glaze while its cooling. Just powdered sugar and lemon juice. Mix until a thick but drizzle -able consistency,

Drizzle on the glaze. And because I screwed up the top when taking it out of the pan I wanted to gussy it up a little so I added a few plops of strawberry jam.

I think is looked nice, not better, but nice. Ha!

Then you eat cake. Simple as that.

-C

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Rhubarb Bundt Cake

makes a bundt cake

• 2 1/2 cups flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablepoon cinnamon

• 1/2 cup neutral oil like canola

• 1 1/8 cup plant milk

• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

• 2 cups chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen and thawed and chopped into 1/4-1/2 inch chunks)

• 1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

• 1 lemon

• 2 tabslpoons strawberry jam (optional)

Preheat oven to 375.

Add vinegar to the milk.

In a large bowl mix together the oil, vanilla, and brown and white sugar until compelelty combined. In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, zest from the lemon, baking powder and soda, and cinnamon. Dump the dry into the wet and gently mix while pouring in the milk and vinegar mixture. Once mixed fold in the chopped rhubarb.

Grease and flour a bundt pan. Pour the cake batter into the pan, tap the bottom on the counter to remove any bubbles , then place into preheated oven. Bake for 1 hour or until a deep golden brown and a tester poked into the center comes out clean.

Once baked, remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack.

While it is cooling make the glaze. Squeeze the juice of the half the lemon into the powdered sugar and mix until combined. If it seems to thick to drizzle, add more juice. To thin, add more powder sugar.

Once cake has cooled, drizzle glaze all over. If you want fancy and a little flavor pop, add a few plops of strawberry jam on top.

Then you eat cake.

Cake will be good in airtight container on counter for 4-5 days. Any longer just cut it up and freeze it.

Rhubarb Coleslaw

There seems to be a misconception about rhubarb., that it is only good to eat if it's in a pie. I have offered many a people a few stalks over the past few weeks but everyone says that they don't want to make a pie (but I could make one for them) My response is always "make your own damn pie!" and "do you really think that pie is the only way to eat rhubarb?" They answer with yes. Oh my oh my people, your missing out.

So here I am telling you that rhubarb does not need to be made into a pie (but is great made into a pie) Rhubarb is so much more then that and can be used in all sort of sweet things, but also all sorts of savory things too. Like this slaw. Mixing some fresh rhubarb into an ordinary bowl of veggies brings a nice bright tart freshness that taste like spring and all things good.

And if you, like me, have a shit ton of rhubarb growing in the yard, you find all sorts of great ways to eat it up.

Rhubarb coleslaw. Keeping things fresh.

The stuff. Rhubarb, cabbage, a couple carrots ans an onion. Apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper, a lemon and some honey to round it all out.

Start by heating up the vinegar. This can be done on stove or in the microwave... I used the microwave (one less dish) Once the vinegar is good and hot, mix in the honey until it dissolves

Thinly slice the rhubarb stalks then cut into short pieces.

Rhubarb goes into bowl to get the fist soak of the warm vinegar.

Julienne or finely chop the cabbage, onion, and carrots into pieces that you think will fit into your mouth nicely.

All those veggies join the rhubarb in the bowl. In goes the zest and juice of lemon and some salt and pepper.

Toss it all around.  And let sit. 20 minutes, 3 hours, or overnight. This is one of those salads that tastes better with a time.

But you can eat it whenever because it will taste good whenever.

Enjoy the weekend, eat some rhubarb.

-C

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Rhubarb Coleslaw

• 2-3 stalks rhubarb
• 1 small or half or a large head of cabbage
• 1 small red onion
• 2 carrots
• 1 lemon
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey or agave
• salt and pepper

Place vinegar in a microwave safe dish and heat for about 2 minutes. Or you can also heat it in a pot on the stove. Place hot vinegar in a large bowl and mix in the honey until it's fully dissolved.

Slice the rhubarb stalks thin and short. Place rhubarb into warm vinegar, mix around and set aside. Shred the cabbage, thinly slice the onion, and julienne or thinly slice the carrots and cut into short pieces. Place all this good stuff into the bowl with the rhubarb. Add in the zest and juice of the lemon and sprinkle with about a teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Toss it all around and let it sit for at least a 20 minutes so all the flavors meld together. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Tastes even better made a day ahead and places in the fridge.

Rhubarb Poppyseed Cake

First rhubarb of the season!!! The patch in my backyard is large and wild and I am about to be swimming in humongo pink stalks of the stuff within the week. There will be rhubarb in everything.

Last year we ended up eating so much rhubarb. I didn't really have much of a game plan for it, I just ended up sticking it in everything and for the most part, it worked out great. Cakes, pies, salads, and soups. Rhubarb can find a place in anything. But for the first rhubarb of the season, I wanted to make something that was all about the rhubarb without too many other flavors to contend with.  And I wanted to make something pretty. Rhubarb cake with poppyseeds Sweet and tangy with a little earthiness, great texture, and color. A spring celebration cake if you will and made me very happy.

The mr and my sister were very much pleased with how this cake came out. (It was gone pretty much gone the next day) A cake win for sure and a good start to rhubarb in everything season.

The stuff. Rhubarb and poppyseeds. for all the flavor. Then you need flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, sugar, oil (I used coconut but I think any oil would be fine) soy milk, vanilla and a little apple cider vinegar.

Once you get the oven going, chop 2-3 stalks of rhubarb into small pieces about 1/4 inch thick until you have 1 1/2 cups. Take another stalk and cut lengthwise into thin strips for the top of the cake.

In a small bowl mix the oil, sugar, and vanilla together. Add the vinegar to the soy milk.

Whisk together all the dry, add in the poppyseeds then mix in the chopped up rhubarb to coat each piece.

The wet mixture goes into the dry along with the soy milk. Everything mixed until just combined.

Dump the mixture into a well greased pan, level off and sprinkle the top with poppyseeds . Take the thinly sliced rhubarb you reserves and lay on top any way that looks nice to you, giving in a little press into the batter so it stays put.

Now into the hot oven it goes.

And after a time in the oven you get yourself this gem of a cake.

Cooled a bit and ready for eating. A piece or two celebrate.

Rhubarb season has begun. Start it off right with cake!

-C

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Rhubarb Poppyseed Cake

Makes a 9x9 square cake

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
•  5 tablespoons poppyseeds
• 3-4 large stalks of rhubarb (1 1/2 cups chopped and a little extra for top)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 cup soy milk

Preheat oven to 350

Chop rhubarb into 1/4 inch chunks until you have 1 1/2 cups. Extra stalk and slice lengthwise into 4 thin strips and set aside.

In a large bowl whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and 3 tablespoons poppyseeds. In a smaller bowl mix together the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract until completely combined.  Add vinegar to soy milk. Toss the chopped rhubarb into the dry mixture and coat the rhubarb pieces. Dump the wet mixture into the dry and add in the milk. Stir together until just combined.

Dump batter into a well greased 9x9 baking pan and level off. Sprinkle the top with remaining 2 tablespoons poppyseeds then lay the thinly cut rhubarb on top anyway you think looks good to you.

Stick the cake into the oven and bake for about 45-50 minutes or until the cake tester(or fork) stuck in the middle comes out clean.

Remove, let cool, then eat at your own pace.