Cake #23 – Lemon Rhubarb at the beach

Week 23 was approaching and I realized that, indeed, I needed to bake cake #23 in advance because we would be on vacation at the beach.

I’m a real sucker for some seasonal fruits, like blueberries and strawberries and especially rhubarb!  I have a love for rhubarb that cannot be measured. The aroma of rhubarb baking, brings back memories from childhood.    There is nothing like hot rhubarb crisp from the oven, with softening vanilla ice-cream running down into canals around the  warm and chewy fruit dessert.

But, alas, I cannot actually make a rhubarb crisp for my cake-a-week challenge – so, I did the next best thing.  I made a lemon rhubarb bundt to take to the beach with us.     The flavors of this cake are crisp and bright – and makes a sweet and sour explosion in your mouth with every bite! As much as I love chocolate, this might be my favorite cake so far!

Here is the recipe from the warmvanillasugar.com site.    I made a minor modification, using lemon extract and lemon juice from a bottle instead of lemon zest  in the cake batter and fresh lemon juice in the glaze because I forgot to pick up a few lemons at the store.    oops.  It was still amazingly yummy!

INGREDIENTS

Cake:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 lemons, tested
3 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, divided
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp Kosher salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
3 cups rhubarb, diced in 1/2-inch pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a bundt cake pan. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large mixing bowl, beat together the softened butter, sugar and lemon zest until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and then add the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Mix in the vanilla.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups of flour, baking powder and salt. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture into the egg mixture along with 1/3 of the needed buttermilk and mix on low speed. Alternate with flour and buttermilk until both are fully incorporated.
4. In a medium bow, or large ziplock bag, toss the rhubarb with the remaining two tablespoons of flour until the rhubarb is well coated. Gently fold rhubarb into the batter with a rubber spatula until it’s distributed evenly.
5. Turn out cake batter into the prepared pan, using a spatula to gently spread and level it out.
6. Bake for about 60-70 minutes, or until the cake springs back gently when touched and a toothpick inserted into it comes out clean.
7. Allow cake to sit and cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.
8. Meanwhile, make the glaze by whisking together all the glaze ingredients until smooth. Thin with extra lemon juice or thicken with more powdered sugar as you see fit.
9. When the cake is cooled, tip it out onto a serving plate and generously drizzle cake with the lemon glaze.
10. Slice and enjoy.