Rhubarb Cinnamon Cake

 

When the first leaves of rhubarb begin to uncurl and the red stalks stretch towards the sun, it's time for this Rhubarb Cake. Tender and not-too-sweet, with a bit of crunch on the top, it's a great way to welcome spring. I've made it twice this year already and it disappears quickly. 

Rhubarb Cake

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup softened butter

2 eggs

1 cup sour milk (2 T vinegar, 1 cup milk)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped fine

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Cream brown sugar and butter, add the eggs and beat well. Add sour milk, soda, salt, and flour. Stir well. Add vanilla and rhubarb. Stir to combine.

Pour into a greased 9 x 13 pan.

Mix 1/2 cup brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle on batter. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. 

Serve warm or at room temperature. Delicious with whipped cream or ice cream. 

This recipe is from Enjoy - The Best of Bridge series, first published in 1980. 

Rhubarb Streusel Muffins

 

Rhubarb is one of the first crops in a spring garden. It used to be regarded as a good tonic to aid digestion and perk up the appetite after a long winter of eating mostly preserved foods. 

I tinkered with a Rhubarb Cake cake recipe from an old cookbook to come up with this smaller version. Just a couple of stalks of slender rhubarb are enough for the recipe. 

Rhubarb Streusel Muffins - makes about 9 medium-large muffins

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup softened butter

1 egg

1/2 cup plain yogurt (or sour milk)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

dash of salt

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup finely chopped rhubarb

1. Cream together the brown sugar and butter; add the egg and beat well.

2. Stir in the yogurt and the vanilla.

3. Add the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until well-mixed

4. Stir in the rhubarb.

Spoon mixture into 9 medium-large lined muffin tins. Place streusel on top, pressing down slightly. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes. 

Streusel Topping

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 Tablespoons softened butter

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix all ingredients to form a crumbly paste. 

Rhubarb Custard Pie

 

Our rhubarb plant is huge this year. I had some leftover pastry in the freezer and decided to make a Rhubarb Custard Pie. The pastry was a bit skimpy but I was able to roll out a decent crust, which I then blind baked before adding the filling. It's a pie that tastes best cold, I think. A bit of whipping cream would be a good topping, although it was fine without. 

Rhubarb Custard Pie

1 9-inch blind-baked pie crust

4 cups diced fresh rhubarb

1/4 cup sugar

Mix the above and place the rhubarb into the crust.

Whisk together the following ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/2 - 1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

3 eggs

2/3 cup cream (I used table cream - 18%)

2 Tablespoons melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pour the filling over the rhubarb and place in the oven. You may want to put the pie dish on a rimmed baking sheet in case of spills. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes. 

Rhubarb Cream Cheese Pie

Rhubarb's early appearance in the garden is a welcome sight after a long winter. Early settlers to North America considered it an aid to digestion and good health after a winter of eating preserved foods. 

The creamy baked topping on this pie is a perfect foil for the tart, fruity rhubarb filling. Although the recipe calls for an unbaked pie crust, I used a graham crust since I didn't feel like making pie pastry. We'll see how it turns out when I cut the pie. (edited to add: turned out just fine)

Rhubarb Cream Cheese Pie

Preheat oven to 425 degrees (F).

1 uncooked pie crust (10 inch)

Line a deep 10 inch pie plate with the pie crust and set aside. 

Filling:

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup water
3-4 cups chopped fresh rhubarb (cut into 1/2 inch sized pieces)

In a medium saucepan mix the sugar and cornstarch. Add the water and stir to combine. Stir in the fresh rhubarb. Cook over medium high heat, stirring almost constantly, until the mixture thickens and turns clear.

Pour rhubarb mixture into pie shell and bake for 10 minutes.

While the pie bakes, prepare the topping.

Topping:

1 package (8 oz) softened cream cheese 
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix the cream cheese and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until smooth.
Pour over the hot rhubarb.

Reduce the oven heat to 325 degrees. Return the pie to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. The topping should be golden brown. 

Cool thoroughly and serve with freshly whipped cream.

Edited June 16/23: I had so many ripe strawberries that I added one cup of them, coarsely chopped, to the rhubarb mixture and it was delicious! A great option!

Rhubarb Fool

This dessert is easy, light, delicious, and takes advantage of one of the first things to harvest from a spring garden - rhubarb. Stewed, then stirred gently into whipped cream, the result is cloudlike sweetness with an edge of tang. The rhubarb is also wonderful over ice cream, stirred into yogurt, or eaten plain.

Rhubarb Sauce
1 1/2 - 2 pounds of rhubarb stalks, washed and cut into 1 inch slices
1 cup of white sugar
2 tablespoons of candied ginger, finely chopped

Place all the ingredients into a heavy bottomed saucepan. Place over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb releases its juices and begins to soften. Raise the heat slightly and continue cooking until the rhubarb is soft, about 30 minutes. Cool completely.

Rhubarb Fool

1-2 cups of rhubarb sauce
1-2 cups of whipped cream, unsweetened

Stir the rhubarb gently into the whipped cream. Pile into a bowl or serving dishes. Will keep for a short time in the fridge. You can adjust the proportion of rhubarb to cream to your own taste.

This will serve 4 - 6 people, with some rhubarb sauce leftover.