Rhubarb Cinnamon Loaf Cake @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: We have a couple of plants in our Connecticut garden that really signal spring. Our shad trees blossom briefly—this is supposed to mean the shad (fish) are running in the river. Can’t vouch for that one! The chive plant is gorgeous in its greenery, and the rhubarb plant goes crazy about this time of year. I always feel badly if I don't use it a couple of times, so this is my first foray. I tweaked a recipe for apple cinnamon cake, adding some extra sugar because rhubarb is very, very tart. Next time I'd add even a bit more, plus some butter/sugar crumbles on top...

Ingredients

2/3 cup brown sugar, divided

½ tablespoon cinnamon

1/3 cup white sugar, plus two teaspoons

1/2 cup butter softened

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup milk or buttermilk

2 cups fresh rhubarb, chopped (about 5 short stalks)

1 tbsp melted butter

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray an 8x4 loaf pan. Fold a piece of parchment paper so it fits inside the pan, and butter that too.

Combine 1/3 cup of brown sugar with cinnamon in small bowl and set aside.

Cream white sugar, remaining brown sugar, and butter until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla.

Stir together flour and baking powder. Add to egg mixture alternating with milk, starting and ending with flour. Do not over mix. Sprinkle the extra sugar on the cut rhubarb pieces.

Pour half of batter into pan, sprinkle with half the chopped rhubarb and half the remaining cinnamon mixture.

Stir the remaining rhubarb into remaining batter and scrape this into pan. Top with remaining cinnamon mixture.

Bake approx. 5-55 minutes. Check until a toothpick comes out clean.

Let cool 10 minutes, then use the parchment to lift the cake out and set it on a rack to finish cooling. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or exactly as it is!

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Lucy Burdette writes the Key West food critic mystery series including USA Today bestselling and Florida book award winning A CLUE IN THE CRUMBS. You can order that wherever books are sold. 

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