Tag: rhubarb

Price Points: Rhubarb forcers

Rhubarb forcers

One of the best things about our little cottage is the garden. There’s a micro-orchard and a mini-veg patch and we’ve been excited about producing our own food. When we moved in 18 months ago, there was already a rhubarb plant in one corner of the veg patch. We both love rhubarb and cook with it when it’s in season. The plan is to get another 2 or 3 crowns and a couple of rhubarb forcers.

Forcing rhubarb is keeping it in the dark so that it reaches up in search of sunlight. This causes the stalks to be thin, pale and ready to harvest weeks earlier than usual. Only 2-year-old crows should be forced, and once done, you should skip a year before forcing again. So, if we have 4 rhubarb crowns, we need two forcers which can be used on rotation.

I’ve been on the look-out for antique ones that are beautiful and weathered, but they’re tough to find. Because they’re large and generally made of terracotta, they’re heavy and not many sellers are prepared to ship them. Most of the ones I’ve seen listed on eBay are ‘buyer to collect’, and are located hundreds of miles away.

Because of this, I’ve been checking out new ones. I’d prefer a tall, wide forcer that can cover a large crown and encourages long, tender stalks. For this reason, and despite not liking the name, the Gutter Mate example would be the best option, I think. In addition, a frost-proof – or at least, frost-resistant – one would be best. Terracotta pots are prone to shattering in the sub-zero temperatures we get every winter.

  1. Frost-resistant terracotta rhubarb forcer 50cm (h) x 38cm (d): £59.99, Primrose
  2. Gutter Mate rhubarb forcer 83cm (h) x 56cm (d): £61.99, Original Organics
  3. Rhubarb forcer 69cm (h) x 48cm (d): £135.00, William Blyth

shop rhubarb forcers

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Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Rhubarb forcer
Rhubarb forcer
£135.00
Gutter Mate rhubarb forcer
Gutter Mate rhubarb forcer
£61.99
Frost-resistant terracotta rhubarb forcer
Frost-resistant terracotta rhubarb forcer
£59.99
Rhubarb forcer
Rhubarb forcer
£135.00
Gutter Mate rhubarb forcer
Gutter Mate rhubarb forcer
£61.99
Frost-resistant terracotta rhubarb forcer
Frost-resistant terracotta rhubarb forcer
£59.99
Rhubarb forcer
Rhubarb forcer
£135.00
Gutter Mate rhubarb forcer
Gutter Mate rhubarb forcer
£61.99
Frost-resistant terracotta rhubarb forcer
Frost-resistant terracotta rhubarb forcer
£59.99
Rhubarb forcer
Rhubarb forcer
£135.00
Gutter Mate rhubarb forcer
Gutter Mate rhubarb forcer
£61.99
Frost-resistant terracotta rhubarb forcer
Frost-resistant terracotta rhubarb forcer
£59.99
Rhubarb forcer
Rhubarb forcer
£135.00
Gutter Mate rhubarb forcer
Gutter Mate rhubarb forcer
£61.99
Frost-resistant terracotta rhubarb forcer
Frost-resistant terracotta rhubarb forcer
£59.99

Cakes & Bakes: Rhubarb and cream sponge cake

Slice of rhubarb and cream sponge cake | H is for Home

This week’s recipe, a rhubarb and cream sponge cake was a winner. However, there are a few things I’d do a little differently next time. Don’t worry, I’ve altered the recipe below to take these factors into consideration.

Sifted flour, eggs, butter and sugar | H is for Home Battons of rhubarb with vanilla sugar in a cast iron skillet pan | H is for Home

I can be a very impatient person; I really love rhubarb, but I should have waited a couple more weeks to let it grow before I harvested stems from our one and only little plant. I picked almost all of it for the rhubarb and vanilla sponge pudding last month. I could have done with at least another stick for making my rhubarb syrup.

Sponge cake mixture in a lined round cake tin | H is for Home Cooked sponge cake in a lined round cake tin | H is for Home

Another thing, I think a finished sponge sandwich looks neater and better if you bake a single cake and slice it horizontally, than if two separate cakes are cooked and layered one on top of the other… that’s just me. However, on this occasion, I think the amount of cake mix in a single tin was too much and too heavy and the weight of it hindered the rise and made the texture a bit dense.

Sponge cake sliced in half horizontally | H is for Home Half a sponge sandwich with spooned over rhubarb syrup: H is for Home

One thing that I am glad that I did was use up a spare container of extra thick double cream that Morrison’s delivered as a substitute for whipping cream. It was like slathering clottted cream over the rhubarb syrup… yum!

Rhubarb and cream sandwich sponge cake dredged with icing sugar | H is for Home

All in all, I think it was a success; it was all eaten in a couple of days. I’ll make it again, with my little adjustments… and perhaps buy another rhubarb crown or two for future years!

Like my rhubarb and cream sponge cake recipe? Save it to Pinterest

Rhubarb and cream sponge cake recipe | H is for Home #spongecake #baking #cake #cookery #cooking #recipe #rhubarb #spongecakerecipe
Rhubarb and cream sponge cake
Serves 8
Cook Time
30 min
Cook Time
30 min
For the sponge
  1. 8 oz/220g caster sugar
  2. 8 oz/220g butter or margarine (at room temperature)
  3. 4 large eggs
  4. 8 oz/220g cake flour, sifted
  5. 2½tsp baking powder
  6. 1½tsp bicarbonate of soda
  7. 2tsps vanilla extract
For the filling
  1. 2 large sticks of rhubarb, cut into 1cm slices
  2. 3tbsps caster sugar
  3. 1tbsp water
  4. 300ml/10½ fl oz whipping creamRhubarb and cream sponge cake ingredients
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For the sponge
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 170ºC325ºF/Gas mark 3
  2. Line or lightly grease two 20cm/8" loose-based cake tins
  3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter until light and airy
  4. Lightly beat the eggs and vanilla extract in a 1-litre/1¾pt measuring jug
  5. Pour the beaten egg into the sugar & butter mixture in 3 stages - mixing in thoroughly each time - stir in a tablespoon of the flour if the mixture looks like it will separate
  6. Into a medium mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder and bicarb
  7. Fold the flour into the mixture, taking care not to knock the air out
  8. Add equal amounts of the mixture to the 2 prepared tins, level off and bake on the centre shelf of the oven for about 30 minutes
  9. When cooked leave in the tins for a minute before turning them out onto a wire rack to cool completely
For the filling
  1. Place the sliced rhubarb evenly on the bottom of a pan sprinkle over the caster sugar and water
  2. Over a medium heat, bring the pan up to a simmer - stirring gently to allow the sugar to dissolve - for 5-7 minutes until the rhubarb has softened but hasn't lost its shape
  3. While still hot, spoon the rhubarb and syrup over one of the sponge layers. Allow to cool
  4. Whip the cream and spoon it generously and evenly over the rhubarb before placing the other sponge layer on top
  5. Dredge with icing (powdered) sugar and serve
Notes
  1. Refrigerate to store
Print
H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Rhubarb and vanilla sponge pudding

Rhubarb and vanilla sponge pudding with cream | H is for Home

We have a fairly ‘home-grown’ Cakes & Bakes recipe this week; it’s a rhubarb and vanilla sponge pudding. The rhubarb was grown on our veg patch…

Vintage pottery chimney pot Forced rhubarb

…and the eggs came from our very own little hen, Shirley.

Shirley the chicken

The recipe I used states 1kg of rhubarb is required – that’s the trimmed weight. I think I completely overestimated how much we had growing; I just about scraped together 500 grams. No problem, I simply halved the recipe.

Sliced rhubarb on a wooden chopping board

The trick of coating the raw, sliced rhubarb in a mixture of vanilla-infused sugar and flour worked a treat – something that can be done for all manner of stewed fruit. It helped create a thick, sweet, flavoursome syrup.

Sliced rhubarb coated in flour and sugar Sliced rhubarb in a green enamel baking tin

When I was spooning it over the pre-cooked rhubarb, the sponge batter seemed a bit thick however it was the perfect consistency once the pudding was baked. The sponge top needs to stand up to the pouring over of cream or hot custard.

Uncooked rhubarb and vanilla sponge pudding in a green enamel baking tin Cooked rhubarb and vanilla sponge pudding in a green enamel baking tin

Of all the rhubarb recipes I’ve made over the years, Justin and I agreed that this tops the lot.

Home-made rhubarb and vanilla sponge pudding in a bowl with a jug of cream
As soon as our rhubarb crown has produced another 500 grams worth of stalks, I’ll be making this again!

Click here or on the image below to save the rhubarb and vanilla sponge pudding recipe to Pinterest

Rhubarb & vanilla pudding recipe

Rhubarb and vanilla sponge pudding
Serves 6
Cook Time
35 min
Cook Time
35 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 vanilla pod
  2. 300g/10½oz caster sugar
  3. 2 tbsp plain flour
  4. 1kg/2lb 3oz forced rhubarb (trimmed weight)
  5. 115g/4oz lightly salted butter, softened
  6. 2 eggs
  7. 150g/5¼oz self-raising flour
  8. 1 tsp vanilla extract
  9. pinch of salt
  10. 3 tbsp milk
  11. Icing sugar for dustingRhubarb and vanilla sponge pudding ingredients
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Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4
  2. Slit the vanilla pod open lengthways and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a knife into a mixing bowl (save the pod for later)
  3. Add 185g/6½oz of the sugar and mix them with your fingertips, then stir in the plain flour
  4. Wipe the rhubarb stalks clean, cut into 5cm/2" pieces, then add to the bowl and toss to coat. Leave for 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until all the pieces of fruit are coated in sticky sugar/flour mix
  5. Spoon the fruit over the base of a shallow 2-litre/3½ fl oz baking dish (the shallower the dish, the quicker the sponge will cook). It will look like quite a lot of fruit, but don't worry - it collapses during cooking
  6. Cut the reserved vanilla pod into 4 pieces and poke them in amongst the rhubarb
  7. Cover and bake for 15 minutes
  8. For the sponge topping, beat the butter and remaining 115g/4oz sugar in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon (or an electric mixer) for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy
  9. Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a tablespoon of the self-raising flour with the second egg
  10. Beat in the vanilla extract
  11. Sift over the rest of the flour and a pinch of salt, then gently fold in along with the milk using a metal spoon, trying to keep the mixture as light as possible
  12. Remove the dish of rhubarb from the oven, discard the vanilla pod pieces and drop small spoonfuls of the sponge mixture roughly over the top of the fruit. Don’t worry about a few gaps, these will fill in as the sponge rises and cooks
  13. Bake for about 35 minutes until the sponge is cooked through and crisp and brown on top Remove the dish from the oven and leave to sit for 10 minutes
  14. Dust the top with a little icing sugar
Notes
  1. Serve with pouring cream, ice cream or hot custard
Print
Adapted from Delicious Magazine
Adapted from Delicious Magazine
H is for Home Harbinger https://hisforhomeblog.com/

Cakes & Bakes: Rhubarb pound cake

Home-made rhubarb pound cake | H is for Home

This rhubarb pound cake is one of the prettiest cakes I’ve made in a long time. The secret to keeping the bright pink stems is to slice and poach them in syrup for just a minute prior to adding them to the batter.

Newly-harvested rhubarb stalks | H is for Home

We have a young rhubarb crown that grows in an old dolly tub; it’s about 4 years old, so just about ready to start harvesting. We managed to harvest about half a dozen stalks and acquired a few more from our neighbours’ garden, whose chickens we’ve been looking after while they’ve been away.

Rhubarb pound cake wet and dry ingredients | H is for Home

Speaking of which – look at the colour of those whisked eggs produced by the aforementioned chucks – aren’t they a bright yellow?! I made some scrambled eggs earlier this week, and it was almost glow-in-the-dark!

Layering rhubarb pound cake | H is for Home

The middle layer of rhubarb is a nice twist, and now I’ll always remember the tip about pre-cooking a cake for 20 minutes before adding the top layer of fruit to prevent it sinking during the bake.

Slice of home-made rhubarb pound cake | H is for Home

The combination of tart rhubarb and sweet vanilla sponge is a real winner.

Click here to save the rhubarb pound cake recipe to Pinterest for later!

Home-made rhubarb pound cake | H is for Home

Rhubarb pound cake

Original recipe here
Print recipe Pin recipe
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • For the rhubarb:
  • 225 g/8oz rhubarb stalks about 3 to 4 large stalks
  • 175 g/6oz caster sugar
  • ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
  • For the cake:
  • 225 g/8oz unsalted butter softened
  • 200 g/oz cake flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine salt
  • 80 ml/3fl oz whole milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
  • 175 g/6oz caster sugar
  • 4 large eggsHome-made rhubarb pound cake ingredients

Instructions
 

  • Cut rhubarb stalks to fit crosswise inside the top of a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. (They should be about 5 inches, but they could also be a little less.) You’ll need enough rhubarb to cover the top of the cake in the loaf pan, plus a few extra pieces in case any split during poaching
  • In a medium pot, combine sugar, 1 cup water and the vanilla bean and seeds, and bring to a boil. Simmer until the sugar dissolves, about 2 minutes. Stir in rhubarb, simmer for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Cool to room temperature, then slice rhubarb in half lengthwise so you have long, thin pieces. Reserve poaching liquid
  • Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, and butter and flour the loaf pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt
  • In a small bowl, whisk together milk, vanilla extract and vanilla bean paste
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl between each addition. Beat in half the flour mixture until just combined, then beat in milk mixture until barely combined, scraping the sides of the bowl. Beat in remaining flour mixture until just combined
  • Scrape half the batter into prepared pan, then lay half of the rhubarb slices in an even layer on top of the batter. Cover with remaining batter, smoothing the top
  • Bake cake for 20 minutes to set the top, then remove pan from the oven and quickly lay the remaining rhubarb slices next to each other on the top of cake. Return pan to oven and bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake's centre comes out clean, another 30 to 50 minutes
  • While cake is baking, bring rhubarb-poaching liquid to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer; continue to simmer until thickened and syrupy, about 10 minutes. Brush some syrup on top of cake once it comes out of the oven. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack before serving, at least 2 hours, then carefully remove the cake from the pan and serve
Rhubarb pound cake ingredients
Keyword cake, pound cake, rhubarb