The first time I made this cake it was a huge gamble. We were having guests for dinner and this was my only dessert. I had nothing else planned in the event that this was terrible. I had a guess that it would be good because it’s a version of a cake I really do love. But putting rhubarb into a cake is risky. It can be extremely sour when not prepared properly.

After thinking through the process completely I decided to use more sugar than seemed reasonable to counter the sour of the rhubarb and bring out its delicious flavor.

I don’t think I would have even considered rhubarb in this cake until we were in Sweden this past summer. Rhubarb was in full effect in EVERYTHING and I could not get enough. In Seattle, rhubarb is a spring flavor but it turns out in Sweden it’s a summer flavor. For this cake, frozen is mandatory which makes it an any season cake! I usually have frozen rhubarb from our garden or my mother-in-laws garden but you can always but it at the Whole Foods.

Rhubarb Snack Cake

makes one 9” cake

1 cup frozen rhubarb

1 1/2 cup sugar (divided)

1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/3 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

STEP 1

In a small bowl combine the rhubarb and 1/2 cup of the sugar and set aside. Mix to combine and let rest until the rhubarb is defrosted and a syrup has formed around the rhubarb. Smush it a bit with a fork to mash the fruit a little. This can take as little as an hour or as long as a whole day (usually takes me 2 hours). Plan accordingly.

STEP 2

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray the bottom of a 9” pan and line with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and remaining one cup of sugar. Cream together until a paste forms. Add the eggs and vanilla and combine.

STEP 3

Mix flour and baking soda together in a separate bowl.

Drain the liquid off the rhubarb. It should be about 1/2 cup.

STEP 4

Alternate flour, rhubarb syrup, and flour mixing into the stand mixer and combine. Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in the rhubarb gently. Pour into the prepared 9” pan. Option to sprinkle the top with the turbinado sugar - or see glaze option below.

Bake 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool before serving.

OPTIONAL

If I don’t add the sugar to the top, I like to add a glaze. I realize there’s already an excessive amount of sugar in this small cake, but I figure what’s a little more? Mix together 1/3 cup powdered sugar and one to two teaspoons cold water. Pour over the cooled cake.

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Rhubarb Soda

Turning things into cocktails is a special skill of mine. Here’s a rhubarb cocktail in case you can’t get enough rhubarb.

Click here

Have you grilled your peaches yet?? You are going to love it if you haven’t - the grill caramelizes the sugars in the peach and it’s so good. This dinner is so simple because it relies on good ingredients and it takes almost no time.

It’s ridiculous to learn that if you have good ingredients, then you don’t need a lot of ingredients. I read an article by Ruth Reichl recently where she talked about the joy of discovering what good fresh ingredients taste like. She grew up in a non-foodie household where the joys of canned foods of the 1950’s reigned in her house. As she left home and explored the world, she uncovered the delights of French cheeses, Italian wines, Swiss chocolate, and everything else the world has to offer. But the central theme of her essay was when she discovered Americans making high quality products that rivaled or beat the imported versions.

I grew up in a ‘quality ingredient’ household but got to eat at friends houses where Tuna Casseroles and Chicken Ala King were on the table. I was so jealous. I worked to make some of those comfort recipes when I first started cooking on my own. As I got better, and ate more, I realized that the fewer ingredients, the easier it was and the better it tasted. And the quality of the ingredients is critical when you’re using fewer.

This dinner requires the best ingredients you can find. Good organic peaches - find them at a farm stand - local zucchini - find a friend that grows it - and very good chicken. I like to get the herbs at Market Spice because they are the best. The ones I used making this dish came directly from France when a friend brought them home for me from their trip.

Herbs de Provence Chicken

Serves 4

1 large split fryer, breasts, thighs, and drumsticks

¼ cup herbs de Provence

¼ cup olive oil

4 peaches, sliced in half

4 zucchini, sliced in half

2 tbs parmesan cheese

salt & pepper

STEP 1

Sprinkle Herbs de Provence and salt over the chicken pieces.  Rub in to coat completely. 

STEP 2

Grill chicken, peaches, and zucchini together in a grill pan or on the barbecue – brush with a few tablespoons of olive oil so it doesn’t stick.  If the chicken pieces are thick, start them first and grill the peaches and zucchini at the end for 5 minutes each. 

*Cook the chicken until a thermometer reads 160 degrees.

STEP 3

Sprinkle parmesan and salt & pepper over hot zucchini.  Serve everything together.

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Also called a German Pancake, the Dutch Baby is a family favorite! My mom used to make it all the time when I was a kid and it always seemed so fancy. Then when I got older, I realized she made it all the time because it’s so simple. My mom’s recipe is the best one out there because it’s three ingredients. AND it’s scaleable.

When I was a kid we ate it with a dusting of powdered sugar. My oldest eats it with jam. My middle with whipped cream. And my youngest eats it with Nutella, strawberries and whipped cream. He’s extra. The best part of this super simple Dutch Baby is that you can top it with literally anything. Your favorite fruit, jam, a jammy spread, your call.

So here’s the secret to this: It’s just a 1:1:1 recipe. 1 egg is the equivalent of 1/4 cup which means for each egg, you add 1/4 cup milk and 1/4 cup flour. The recipe listed here is for a 12” skillet. If you go smaller in the skillet, then scale down. We have these tiny little skillets, so I’ll make individual Dutch Babies some mornings!

Gwen’s Classic Dutch Baby

makes one 12” pancake

3 eggs

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons butter

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

In a blender, whiz the eggs until they are light and fluffy.

STEP 2

Slowly add the milk until incorporated. Then, with the blender going, slowly add the flour. Blend on high for two minutes until incorporated and there are no lumps. Do not over beat! Quickly stir in the vanilla.

STEP 3

Place a 12” skillet in the oven with the butter in it. Let the butter melt completely. Swirl it around and then pour in the freshly blended batter.

STEP 4

Bake 12-15 minutes until the pancake has fluffed up on the edges and is golden brown.

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