Rhubarb and Orange Drizzle Cake

This is a stunning rhubarb cake recipe, served with a delicious orange and rhubarb drizzle for optimum moistness. Using forced rhubarb will give you the slender stems and vibrant colour that works perfectly for this delightful cake.

Rhubarb and Orange Drizzle Cake:
unsalted butter (185 g)
1 Tbsp. orange zest, finely grated
caster sugar (150 g)
3 medium eggs, beaten
self-raising all-purpose flour, unbleached, sifted (150 g)
fine semolina (80 g)
buttermilk (60 mL)
rhubarb, preferably thin stalks, trimmed and cut into 8 cm pieces (200 g)
1 Tbsp. Demerara sugar
1 Tbsp. Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol (Powdered), sifted

Drizzle Syrup:
rhubarb, roughly chopped (110 g)
caster sugar (110 g)
orange juice (250 mL)
water (100 mL)

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Butter and line the base and sides of a 20 cm round deep cake tin with baking paper.

Place the butter, sugar and orange zest in a mixer and beat until light and fluffy (you can also do this by hand). Add the beaten egg, a little at a time, mixing well in between each addition. Fold in the all-purpose flour, unbleached, semolina and buttermilk and spoon into the prepared cake tin.

Level the mixture and arrange the rhubarb in a circular pattern, filling any space in the middle with smaller pieces. Sprinkle all over with Demerara sugar.

Place the tin in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes 1 hour (or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean of mixture).

Meanwhile, make the drizzle syrup by putting the chopped rhubarb, caster sugar, orange juice and water in a small pan over a low heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves then increase the heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat again and simmer for 10-12 minutes until the syrup has thickened. Strain through a sieve into a small bowl and set aside.

When the cake is ready, remove it from the oven and leave for 5 minutes before turning it out on a wire rack top side up. Drizzle over a few Tbsp. of the syrup and allow to cool. Dust with icing sugar.

The cake can be served warm with a little more syrup and cream, or cold, but it is best eaten on the day it is made.