Serves 8
Ingredients
- 200g (7oz) Unrefined caster sugar, plus extra for sprinkling and to finish
- 6–8 Rhubarb stalks
- 175g (6oz) Unsalted butter, softened and cut into small pieces, plus extra for greasing
- 175g (6oz) Self-raising wholemeal flour, plus extra for dusting
- 1⁄2 tsp Baking powder pinch of fine sea salt 3 eggs
- 3 Small pieces of stem ginger preserved in syrup, chopped
- 1 tbsp Ginger syrup (from the stem ginger jar)
Method
Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/gas mark 4.
Cut a circle of baking parchment to fit the base of a 23cm (9in) springform cake tin. Remove the lined base from the ring of the tin and sprinkle over a little caster sugar. Then, lay the rhubarb stalks over the base side by side, using a sharp knife to trim the edges so you’re left with a nice disc of stalks that covers the base. Grease the ring of the cake tin with butter and dust with flour, then pop the base (complete with rhubarb in place) into the ring and secure with the clip.
Sift the flour together with the baking powder and salt into a bowl.
In a large mixing bowl, using either a wooden spoon or a hand-held electric whisk, beat the butter and 200g (7oz) sugar together until light and fluffy. (Alternatively, you can do this in a stand mixer.) Beat in the eggs one at a time, sprinkling in 1 heaped teaspoon of flour mixture with each addition of egg.
Using a large spoon, fold in the remaining flour mixture and the chopped stem ginger and syrup, until fully combined and no streaks of flour remain. Spoon the mixture carefully over the rhubarb in the tin, spreading it out lightly and evenly with the back of the spoon.
Place the cake in the middle of the oven and bake for about 40 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5–10 minutes, then turn out onto a serving plate, so that the rhubarb is on the top. Sprinkle with a little extra caster sugar and serve warm or cold, cut into thick slices.
