SUNKEN RHUBARB CAKE

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Hosting coffee and cake gatherings at least once a week are a widely celebrated tradition in Germany. Growing up, I knew exactly who would always bake my favorite cakes and whose it was best to avoid. For birthdays, Sundays, and many more occasions, families would bring their homemade delicacies to the afternoon family gatherings. The cake recipes always changed with the seasons. Strawberry and rhubarb were served typically in the spring, red currents and peaches in the summer, and apples and pear in the fall.

So spring is rhubarb season and I must admit, I was not a big fan when I grew up; some of the cakes tasted very bitter or had a fuzzy texture when they weren’t cooked thoroughly. Finally, I settled for exactly two kinds of rhubarb cake recipes that I did like. The sunken rhubarb cake is one of them. The combination of the sour rhubarb with a rather sweet and fluffy dough makes this cake utterly delicious. I enjoy it plain but if it still tastes a little too sour for you, you can simply add honey or fermented cream sweetened with honey.

Rhubarb is rich in antioxidants that help fight free radicals in the body and may help protect against oxidative stress and cell damage. The antioxidants proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins (these give rhubarb its distinctive red color) are known to have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties and help you protect the body from heart diseases, cancer, and diabetes. Rhubarb also contains plenty of healthy minerals and vitamins like magnesium, calcium, potassium, vitamin A, and vitamin C ,to name a few.

This recipe is very easy to make. I used all SCD legal ingredients to make sure it’s free of refined sugar, lactose, grain, and gluten. Beating the egg whites helps making the dough less dense since its made with almond flour. Make sure to peel the rhubarb to remove the tough fibers found in the outer layers. I included a picture below on how to arrange the rhubarb in the cake dough. Happy Spring Baking!

INGREDIENTS
6-7 stalks of rhubarb
4 eggs
4 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup almond milk (I use Elmhurst Milked Almonds unsweetened 2 ingredients)
1 1/2 cups almond flour
2 tbsp coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp grated lemon zest
pinch of sea salt

Tools: Stand mixer or Hand mixer , 9” Springform cake pan

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven at 310°F / 155°C.

Grease the sides of the springform pan with butter and cover the bottom with parchment paper.

Wash and peel the rhubarb stalks. Then cut into 1 1/4” pieces. Set aside.

Using a stand mixer, beat the butter and egg yolks until fluffy and well combined. Add the honey, vanilla extract, almond milk, and lemon zest and mix to combine.

In a small bowl, mix together the almond flour, coconut flour, and baking soda.

Add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer bowl and stir until well combined.

Separate the eggs. In a large measuring cup, beat the egg whites and salt until stiff peaks form.

With a wooden spoon or spatula, carefully fold the egg whites into the cake batter. Pour the batter into the 9” springform pan and distribute evenly.

Place the rhubarb stalks vertically into the batter until they touch the bottom. Keep adding rhubarb until they’re well distributed all over the cake. (see image below)

Bake at 310°F / 155°C for 50 minutes until golden brown and a skewer stick comes out clean. You can cover it with a piece of aluminum foil after 30 minutes of baking to make sure it does not get too dark.

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