Hooray, it’s rhubarb season!

I was super happy to discover a bunch full of red, juicy stems in my father-in-law's vegetable garden, so I could make this super delicious recipe for Rhubarb Polenta Cake which I discovered a few years ago in a magazine but originally stems from Nigella Lawson's book 'How to be a Domestic Goddess'.

Here's the recipe.

Rhubarb Polenta Cake

• 500g rhubarb

• 300g caster sugar

• 150g plain flour

• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1/4 tsp salt1 tsp cinnamon

• 155g polenta

• 2 large eggs

• 1 tsp vanilla essence or seeds of 1/2 vanilla pod

• 125g unsalted butter

• 250g natural yoghurt, or buttermilk

• 23cm spring-form cake tin, buttered & lined

Preheat oven to 180 degrees C/gas mark 4.

Wash and dry the rhubarb and cut into 1/2 cm pieces. Put into a (glass or china) bowl and cover with 100g of the sugar, while you get on with rest of cake. (Don't let rhubarb stand for more than 1/2 hour though or sugar will make too much liquid seep out.)

Mix the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon & cornmeal together.

Beat the eggs with the vanilla in a measuring jug or bowl. In a large bowl, cream the rest of the sugar & butter, then gradually add the egg & vanilla mixture, beating while you do so. 

Add the dry ingredients and yogurt to the butter-sugar-egg mixture, mixing as little as necessary to combine. Fold in the rhubarb and any juices that accumulated in the bowl. 

Pour into the greased tin and put in preheated oven, and bake for approximately one hour or until the top is springy and a skewer comes out almost clean. You will probably need to cover the cake after 35/40 minutes.

Let it cool in the tin on a wire rack before taking out of the mould. I sprinkled some powdered sugar on top.

Bon appétit!

xxx Esther