French Rhubarb Cake

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Rhubarb is not a food that many people cook with. It is both sour and bitter so it needs a bit of sweetening to supplement the flavor. It's usually paired with a sweet fruit like strawberries in pie, to make a sauce for ice cream, or jam. In other words, it needs enough sugar to counter its natural sour and bitter flavor. My go-to recipe for using rhubarb during its small window season is this rather old recipe for French Rhubarb Cake and the reason is purely sentimental, but also delicious. Read on.

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A bit of French Rhubarb Cake sentimentality

My first experience with rhubarb came when I was a young girl of about 7 years old in France. My mom's friend, Madame Weyer, who lived near us in Sens (just south of Paris), gave her this recipe … and probably made it for us herself before sharing the recipe! I remember many delicious meals in their home. Obviously, my mom made Gateau a la Rhubarbe enough for me to remember it and ask for the recipe later.

1st trick for baking French Rhubarb Cake

There's a couple of tricks to this recipe and the first is that it should be baked in a spring form pan. A spring form pan is one where the sides can be separated from the bottom without moving the cake. (See the "latch" in the photo below?)

I wholeheartedly recommend a stainless steel springform pan. I've baked this cake in an aluminum pan and the acidic property of the rhubarb causes corrosion and that can't be good for anyone's health!

I grease the pan well and also use parchment paper on the bottom. You can cut it from the roll or you can buy ready-cut circles. Either way, I recommend using unbleached, natural paper.

The 2nd trick

The second trick is that the eggs must be separated. The yolks are mixed into the cake batter and the whites are whipped into a meringue for the topping. Which is, actually, the THIRD trick. But let's talk about separating the eggs first …

How to separate eggs

There are lots of gadgets for separating eggs, but my preference is the gadget God gave me at the end of my arms. Yep, I like to crack the egg into my hand and let the whites fall through my fingers. It's messy, but I've tried other ways and this way seems to be the most gentle. This method leaves the least white with the yolk and provides the softest buffer for the yolk to not break. You can move the yolk back and forth from hand to hand to help release the white. Note that the fresher the egg, the harder it is to separate the yolk … they really like being together!

Alright … now it's time for mixing the cake batter. It's a simple one in that you beat the butter and sugar, add the egg yolks, then the dry ingredients. {Note: I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten-free 1:1 Baking Flour and it works superbly!}) The batter is a bit thicker than the average cake batter and needs to be because the juice from the rhubarb that is piled on top will seep down into it. Spread the batter carefully to the edges of the pan.

Pile the chopped rhubarb on top of the batter. It will cook while the cake does, getting soft and melting down in a bit.

Finally, the third trick for French Rhubarb Cake ...

And now, on to the third trick: whipping the egg whites. When the cake is almost done, start whipping the egg whites in an electric mixer while gradually adding sugar. It will take 7-10 minutes for them to get stiff enough. You'll never believe how big four egg whites can beat up!

Spread the meringue on top of the cake and put it back in the oven for 20 minutes.

The meringue will keep rising with the baking and when you take it from the oven, you'll be so proud! But remember that it will wilt a bit as it cools, but don't be sad! It's what's supposed to happen.

After the cake has cooled, you can carefully release the latch on the springform pan. Some meringue will probably still be clinging to the top of the pan because it loved the heights it had achieved! The meringue will survive … just carefully pry it away and don't feel a bit guilty for popping some of those delicious, left-behind tidbits into your mouth.

Ultimately, you'll serve a tasty cake with tender rhubarb topped with an amazing meringue … and your guests will ask for some to take home! If there's any leftover (be sure to refrigerate it), it's fabulous with coffee for breakfast. I mean, really, you're eating eggs, right?

Looking for more old recipes or seasonal desserts:

• Terrassen - Another very old recipe passed on to me by my German mother-in-law.
• Nectarine Cream Tart in a Gingersnap Crust
• French Apple Pie - an old recipe from my childhood.

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