Baked Rhubarb Pudding

It's definitely rhubarb season.  You can tell by the return of the rhubarb recipes.  I'm still trying to use up last year's frozen offerings so be prepared for a few more recipes using the sour vegetable.   

I'm amazed at how much rhubarb my little patch yields and how forgiving it is of my lack of attention and care.  It just keeps on producing and producing.  If you don't have a rhubarb plant in your garden and you just love the stuff in desserts, I'd encourage you to plant one and you'll enjoy eating from it for years.  I've divided my little patch several times, giving both the boys and a few friends some for their gardens. Maybe you can find an obliging friend or neigbhour to share with you or you may be able to find the plants at a local nursery or plant centre. 

Today's recipe is for a baked Rhubarb Pudding.  It's a little different from my usual rhubarb pudding as the fruit goes on the top instead of the bottom but once it's in your mouth it'll turn right side up, ha, ha.  

This is great served warm or cold with ice cream or pouring cream.  We love Fussell's Cream on ours but that's not easy to find outside of Newfoundland unless you live in a British or former British Commonwealth country. 


Rhubarb Pudding

Sauce Ingredients:
4 cups sliced or diced rhubarb
¾ cup water
1 cup sugar (use ½ cup if you like a more tart or sour dessert)

Place rhubarb, water and sugar in medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat until rhubarb is very soft and turns to a sauce.  This should take about 10 minutes.  Set aside but keep hot.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9-inch square baking dish.  I don't have a 9-inch dish so I used an 8x11-inch dish which worked as the volume is almost the same.  

Cake Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup butter
⅔ cup sugar
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla
⅔ cup milk, scant (that means just shy of the ⅔ mark on your measuring cup)

Mix together dry ingredients and lay aside.  Cream butter and sugar together.  Add egg and vanilla and beat until well mixed.  You may do this by hand or use a mixer.

Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Spread cake batter in greased 9-inch square baking dish.  Pour the hot rhubarb sauce over cake.  Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes.  

Makes 6-8 servings.

Make the rhubarb sauce first.  Bring the rhubarb, sugar and water to a boil and cook for about 10 until soft and mushy.  Keep the sauce hot until ready to use. 
 

While the sauce is cooking, start the cake.  Cream the sugar and butter together.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat until well combined.  Then alternately add the dry ingredients and milk to the creamed mixture. 

Spread cake batter in the greased dish.  Pour the hot rhubarb sauce over the top of the batter and place dish in preheated oven.

When baked some of the sauce goes to the bottom of the cake but the pulpy "fruit" stays on top.  

 

Look at all that saucy rhubarb goodness surrounding the delicate vanilla cake.

 We ate our Rhubarb Pudding with cream but a scoop ice cream is also very good.

Tangy Rhubarb Pudding tastes just like Spring!