Buttery Rhubarb Cake #recipe @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: As a kid I never enjoyed rhubarb. It showed up in our household occasionally in stewed form, slightly tangy and very slimy. But now we have a rhubarb plant flourishing outside our garden. It grows so well and so cheerfully, that it seemed a shame not to try a rhubarb recipe. But I skipped over the rhubarb pies and rhubarb crumbles, and decided to try a cake this time. This recipe is plenty sweet and buttery, with a hint of tart rhubarb for balance. I used a recipe that I found on Misformommy.com, with tweaks of my own, of course.

Ingredients

One and a half cups rhubarb, diced into chunks
3 tablespoons sugar

2/3 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
Two eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
One and a half cups unbleached flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon low sodium baking powder
1/8 teaspoon low-sodium baking soda
1/2 cup whole milk

For the crumb topping
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup unbleached flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Butter an 8 inch baking pan and set that aside. Combine the rhubarb chunks with the 3 tablespoons sugar and set that aside.

You can make the batter in your food processor, just take care not to over mix. Combine the 2/3 cup butter and 2/3 cup sugar and process until well mixed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each. Beat in the vanilla. In a small bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and add this to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Mix in the rhubarb, and spread in the prepared pan.

Using either the same processor or pastry cutter, mash the remaining butter with the sugar, flour, and cinnamon until it looks a little chunky. Spread this on top of the batter.

Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.

Death on the Menu, the 8th Key West food critic mystery, will hit bookstores on August 7 from Crooked Lane Books. 

Here's a pre-order the book link from Amazon--and here's a link to preorder a hard copy from RJ Julia in CT, where you'll be able to get a signed copy. 

Or you can order it from Books and Books in Key West, or call Suzanne Orchard at Key West Island Bookstore ((305) 294-2904)--she'll be delighted to order you a copy! 

Or really, wherever books are sold...