Recipe of the week: rhubarb and almond cake

The idea of throwing chopped rhubarb into cake batter, raw, like little sticks of Brighton rock, came to me via my friend Sarah Standing, says Skye McAlpine. And it is sheer genius. When rhubarb isn’t in season, you could use raspberries (frozen or fresh), blackberries or even blueberries.

Ingredients: serves ten people

• 370g salted butter softened, plus more for the tin
• 370g caster sugar
• 370g ground almonds
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 5 eggs
• 3 tbsp milk
• 190g polenta
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 300g rhubarb, chopped into 2cm pieces
• sea salt flakes

Method

• Heat the oven to 190°C. Butter a 23cm springform cake tin and line it with baking parchment.
• Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and light. Stir in the ground almonds and vanilla. Now beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the milk. Lastly, fold in the polenta, baking powder and ½ tsp salt.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin, then drop in the chunks of rhubarb, scattering them evenly through the cake.
• Bake in the oven for 70-80 minutes, until the cake is set and golden brown on the top. Let it cook a little more in the tin, then turn the cake out onto a dish or stand.

Taken from A Table Full of Love by Skye McAlpine, published by Bloomsbury at £26. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £20.99, call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.

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