Rhubarb and Orange Drizzle Cake

This is a fab seasonal cake recipe using rhubarb - the amazing vegetable that thinks it's a fruit! Forced Rhubarb which is beautifully tender, comes into season in January - with the garden Rhubarb season kicking off in April. Garden rhubarb is slightly less tender but often deeper in flavour.

Combining the tart vibrant pink rhubarb with deliciously sweet orange drizzle, this is a versatile treat that can either be served warm with a dollop of cream as a pudding, or cold as an afternoon teatime treat. This will become a family favourite for sure.

This recipe is from our foodie friend Caroline Chilton-Bates. Follow Caroline on Facebook @privatechefcarolina or Instagram @chefcarolina_uk

For the cake
185g Unsalted butter (plus extra for greasing)
1 tbsp Orange zest
150g Caster sugar
3 Eggs (beaten)
150g Self raising flour
80g Semolina (or Ground almonds)
60ml Natural yogurt
200g Rhubarb, trimmed into 8cm pieces
1 tbsp Orange flower water (optional)
1 tbsp Demerara sugar
1 tbsp Icing sugar (sifted)

Drizzle syrup
110g Rhubarb, roughly chopped
110g Caster sugar
250ml Orange juice
100ml Water

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4
2. Butter and line a 20cm round cake tin or a 2lb loaf tin with parchment paper.
3. Place the butter, sugar and orange zest in a mixer and beat until light and fluffy. Add the beaten egg a little at a time, mixing well.
4. Add the flour, semolina (or ground almonds), yogurt, flower water (if using) and fold in.
5. Spoon into your prepared cake tin. Arrange your pieces of rhubarb on top, pressing in slightly and then sprinkle with Demerara sugar.
6. Bake in the oven for 45mins -1hr (or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean).

For the drizzle syrup
1. Place all the ingredients in a pan and simmer until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 -12 minutes until the syrup has thickened. Strain through a sieve and set aside to cool.
2. Once your cake is cooked, leave to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack – rhubarb side up. Drizzle a few tablespoons of syrup over the top and leave to cool completely.
3. Either serve warm with a bit more syrup and cream, or cold dusted with icing sugar.
4. This cake is best eaten on the day it is made but equally delicious covered and eaten the next day.

Top Tip: Reserve the leftover rhubarb mix from the drizzles and serve it as part of a delicious breakfast with Granola and yogurt.

Enjoy! And don't forget to tag us @somerset.foodie (Insta) or @SomersetFoodie (FB) if you make this at home...