I’ve been mostly staying out of grocery stores and shopping the Arlington, Virginia farmers markets during the quarantine. They are extremely well organized to keep people safe. Gone (for now) are the days of browsing and daydreaming; you have to go to the market with a clear mission and often a pre-order. However, there is still an opportunity for impulse buys, like the stalks of rhubarb at the Lubber Run Farmers Market. I snatched them up, thinking I’d make some version of a classic strawberry-rhubarb tart.
I ended up making a rhubarb compote with some dried apricots and sugar, and then swirling that into a cake batter funked up with some rye flour and studded with chopped candied orange zest.
Makes one 9-inch cake
INGREDIENTS
For the Compote
1 lb rhubarb, roughly chopped into ¼-inch pieces
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup white wine
Zest of 1 orange
1 cup dried apricots, cut into small pieces
For the Cake
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup rye flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp fine sea salt
1 ½ sticks butter, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
½ tsp almond extract
Juice from ½ orange, plus enough milk to equal 1 cup total liquid
1/4 cup chopped candied orange zest (homemade! recipe TK)
PROCEDURE
Make the compote. Combine the rhubarb, apricots, sugar, and wine in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Boil, uncovered, stirring frequently, until the rhubarb has mostly broken down, the apricot pieces are soft and plumped, and most of the liquid has absorbed. This will take approximately 20 minutes. The texture should be jammy. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 9-inch cake pan (a springform pan works best, if you have one).
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Cream the butter with the granulated sugar and brown sugar in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until the butter is light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the almond extract.
With the mixer on low, add 1/3 of the flour mixture and mix just until incorporated. Add 1/2 of the orange juice-milk mixture. Add another 1/3 of the flour, the remaining milk mixture, and then the last of the flour. Mix just to combine.
Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Spoon the compote over top of the batter, then swirl it in.
Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the cake is golden brown on top and the edges just start to pull away from the sides. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack, then turn it out onto a plate.
Serve the cake warm or at room temperature.
NOTE: The cake is excellent served warm with vanilla ice cream. It’s also delicious room temperature as a breakfast cake with cofffee.
