Rhubarb Loaf Cake

Loaf cakes are brilliant everyday cakes because they keep for ages and you can serve them in so many different ways.  A cold slice with hot custard, a warmed slice with ice cream or crème fraiche, cubed pieces with a chocolate fondue are some favourites in our house.

I struggled to get this cake right because the rhubarb pieces kept sinking.  I found coating them in flour helped and I also added more flour to make the cake batter less runny.

You’ll need

• 140g unsalted butter
• 280g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 300g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 250g chopped rhubarb
• A 2lb loaf tin or about 12 mini loaf tins (as shown)

To make it

1. Chop the rhubarb into 1-2cm pieces, wash it and leave it to drain on a tea towel.  Ideally you need to leave it for at least an hour to try and get as much liquid out of it as possible.
2. Preheat the oven to 170C and line your loaf tin.
3. Melt the butter and set aside.
4. Beat the sugar and eggs together well and then add the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
5. Pour in the butter a little at a time and mix it together well until all the butter has been incorporated.
6. Dry off the rhubarb and toss it very slightly in some plain flour so it has a very fine coating.
7. Fold the rhubarb into the batter and then pour it all into your loaf tin.
8. Bake it for about 50 minutes.  It will have risen well above the top of the tin and a skewer should come out clean.
9. Let the cake cool in the tin until the tin isn’t hot anymore and then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.