My mother in law, Aida, is visiting from England and has been with us for the past 12 days. It’s been a whirlwind visit with us trying to fit in every day with something to see, do or eat. At 92 you’d think we would be home more than usual but not with Aida. She’s game to go anywhere…well, most places that is. I enjoy cooking for her and getting her to try some of my new recipes but this visit feels as though we’ve been eating out more than we have been in. Last Monday we took Aida to Peggy’s Cove. It’s one of the ‘if you haven’t been there, you haven’t visited Nova Scotia’ list of attractions. A few minutes drive pass the cove is Rhubarb Restaurant. Locally owned and locally sourced food, Rhubarb is a gem in Indian Harbour. They also cater to Oceanstone seaside resort (voted one of the top 5 places to get married in Canada). Our lunch was absolutely scrumptious and we had gorgeous views of the Atlantic Ocean. It’s unusual for me to have dessert but I couldn’t resist nor could Aida. I chose butter tarts with molasses ice cream (yum!) and Aida decided on rhubarb cake. She was smitten.
Rhubarb cake is a cinch to make. It’s one of those recipes your kids can easily whip up (with a bit of supervision). As Aida was eating the cake, she was trying to figure out how they made it. I said when we get back home I would make it for her and then give her the recipe if she liked it. We ate it last night while it was still warm. Needless to say, the verdict was a resounding two thumbs up (insert happy face here).
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1¼ cups brown sugar (lightly packed)
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup milk
- 2½ cups fresh rhubarb, chopped
- brown sugar and cinnamon for topping
- Preheat oven to 350f (180c).
- Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, cream together brown sugar and butter. Add egg and continue to beat until well blended. Stir in vanilla. Add about a ¼ of the milk and mix. Then add about ¼ of the flour mixture, and mix well. Repeat until all is added to the batter. Stir in the chopped rhubarb and spoon into greased 9″ x 13″ baking dish. Lightly sprinkle top with brown sugar and cinnamon.
- Bake 40 minutes or when a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Serve on its own or with vanilla ice cream.
The Culinary Chase’s Note: Test the cake 30 minutes into cooking time. This cake is delicious warm or cold. Enjoy!
