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
- 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.
- Preheat the oven to 170C and line your loaf tin.
- Melt the butter and set aside.
- Beat the sugar and eggs together well and then add the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda.
- Pour in the butter a little at a time and mix it together well until all the butter has been incorporated.
- Dry off the rhubarb and toss it very slightly in some plain flour so it has a very fine coating.
- Fold the rhubarb into the batter and then pour it all into your loaf tin.
- Bake it for about 50 minutes. It will have risen well above the top of the tin and a skewer should come out clean.
- 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.