RHUBARB AND PISTACHIO CAKE LOAF

Rhubarb a very earthy vegetable which cannot be eaten on its own as it is very tart. It needs to cook in a lot of sugar. Mostly it is cooked in a dessert form, but chutneys and sauces are also made to accompany main meals. 

I had a  big bunch of rhubarb and wanted to finish before it lost its juiciness and tart. I made this rhubarb and pistachio cake and rhubarb chutney, the recipe is next post. Bake this cake loaf to serve with tea or coffee. The ginger and rhubarb compliment each other very well.  Enjoy.

Makes 1, 8 X 4-inch loaf

Time: 45-50 minutes

Dry ingredients

1 1/2 cups plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Wet ingredients

1 egg

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 buttermilk ( 1/2 milk + 1 tsp vinegar)

1/4 oil

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp grated fresh ginger

2 cups chopped rhubarb 

1/2 cup pistachios ( 1/4 cup pistachios + 1/4 cup other nuts)

For the glaze

1/2 cup icing sugar

A few drops of orange/lemon juice

Method

Preheat the oven at 180'C and prepare the baking tin loaf for the cake by greasing it.

Sieve the dry ingredients first and keep aside.

Beat the wet ingredients well.

Mix the dry ingredients into wet and fold in the rhubarb and pistachios/nuts.

Tip the mix in the baking tin and bake for 45-50 minutes until baked through and golden in colour.

Prepare the glaze by mixing icing sugar and lemon/orange juice.  When the cake is cooled completely, drizzle the glaze and sprinkle some chopped nuts to decorate.

Serve it with tea or coffee or warm with a scoop of ice cream as a dessert after meal.