Discover the art of rhubarb baking: A classic pastry twist
The rhubarb season is still ongoing, and I can't imagine spring without it. Our grandmothers loved making compote with it. In my opinion, the sour stalks taste best on a crumbly cake. To add contrast, I incorporate vanilla pudding. I know the dessert proportions by heart, so I don't need a cookbook.
While browsing the internet for a rhubarb cake recipe, you might find hundreds of variations—from traditional yeast cakes to French tarts, muffins, and cupcakes. However, rather than spending time scrolling through pages, sometimes it's worth trusting your intuition. For my rhubarb bake, I used a tried-and-true shortcrust pastry recipe taught to me by my mom.
How to prepare rhubarb for cakes and desserts?
Many people hesitate to buy rhubarb because they’re unsure how to handle it. Grandmothers preparing compote from the sour stalks believed it couldn’t be simpler. The vegetable is quite forgiving, and its fibers pleasantly soften after baking in the oven. You can peel the stalks if you want, but it's not necessary. Just cut off the hard ends, wash, and cut into smaller pieces.
If the peel is tough, you can remove it easily. However, be aware that the pink color will disappear after removing the outer fibers. Inside, the rhubarb is green. Sometimes, the color of the filling is enhanced in pictures by adding rose or strawberry jam. Mixing rhubarb with jam is also a way to soften the sour taste, which I personally think is a big loss.
Recipe for shortcrust pastry with rhubarb
I peeled the stalks because the peel came off easily after cutting them into pieces. I didn’t add even a teaspoon of sugar to the rhubarb.
Ingredients:
- 11 oz all-purpose flour
- 7 oz butter
- 3.5 oz sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 4 cups milk
- 2 vanilla pudding packets
- 4 large rhubarb stalks (about 18 oz)
Directions:
- Pour the flour into a bowl. Mix with sugar and a pinch of salt. Add cold butter and chop it into smaller pieces. Quickly knead the dough into a ball, cover with a lid or wrap in plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- In a pot, heat 3 cups of milk. In the remaining milk, mix the pudding powders with 2 tablespoons of sugar (if not already included on the package). When the milk starts to boil, add the mixed pudding and stir vigorously until smooth and thick.
- Wash the rhubarb stalks and dry them with a paper towel. Cut off the hard ends and optionally peel off the skin. Cut into pieces about 2-3 inches long.
- Remove the dough from the fridge, cut off 1/3 and place it in the freezer.
- Line the bottom and edges of a round baking form with the remaining dough. Prick with a fork and bake in an oven preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
- Remove the crust and fill with pudding. Arrange the rhubarb on top.
- Remove the remaining dough from the freezer and grate on a coarse grater, covering the arranged stalks. Place back in the oven for about 45–60 minutes. Towards the end of baking, you can turn on convection to brown the crumble faster.
