Edd Kimber: Rhubarb and White Chocolate Snack Cake

Extracted from Chocolate Baking by Edd Kimber (Quadrille, £28). Photography by Matthew Hague

I grew up in the ‘Rhubarb Triangle’, a part of Yorkshire renowned for its many forced rhubarb farms. This type of rhubarb is grown in dark sheds, which speeds up its growth, as the stems stretch to find a source of light. This results in both an early harvest, in the depths of winter, and a particularly slender form with a bright pink hue and a less-fibrous texture.

This simple snack cake, which pairs it with a little lemon zest, but also white chocolate to balance the acidity, is a great way to celebrate it. This is the sort of cake that demands to be served alongside a cup of tea or a steaming mug of coffee but, should you wish to take it from afternoon treat to evening dessert, it is wonderful served with a generous pour of vanilla custard.

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Method

1 Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan (350˚F). Lightly grease a 20 cm (8 in) round, 5 cm (2 in) deep, cake tin (pan) and line the base with baking parchment.

2 Using either a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer and a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar and zest until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully combined before adding the next. Add the vanilla and beat briefly to combine. Add the ground almonds, flour, baking powder and salt, mixing briefly just until evenly combined and a smooth batter has been formed. Add about two-thirds of the chocolate and half the rhubarb and mix briefly to distribute throughout the batter.

3 Scrape the batter into the prepared cake pan and spread into an even layer. Scatter over the remaining rhubarb and the chocolate and flaked almonds.

4 Bake in the preheated oven for 30–35 minutes or until the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the tin. Remove from the oven and set aside for 15 minutes before carefully turning out onto a serving plate.

5 Kept covered, the cake will keep for up to three days.