Yes, I know, it's another rhubarb cake, but damn this is a good one!
It's another recipe from the "Rhubarbaria" I received last Christmas from the Man. I had never come across the pairing of rhubarb and banana so naturally it piqued my interest. I love banana cake, streusel topping and rhubarb so it had to be a winner.
As was the case with the last recipe I baked from this book elements of the recipe were on the vague side, which you can either be infuriated by or view as a fun challenge. I'm in the latter camp.
The recipe mentioned a 9" tin but didn't specify round or square - I guessed round and feel I made the correct choice. The ingredients were also listed as a mixture of ounces and cups. As many recipes from the book are from old UK newspaper clippings or WRI type groups I wasn't sure whether it was referring to standard American cup measures or more an old fashioned "use a drinking cup" type expression similar to my granny's handwritten recipes. In the latter case, capacity of cups vary wildly so you have to use a bit of common sense.
In the end I decided to use my American cup measures but weighed those quantities out in ounces to help gauge the quantities of the ingredients against others. My biggest alteration to the recipe was not adding all of the milk, instead stopping when I felt I had achieved a good consistency with the cake batter.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I put the cake in the oven but what a glorious cake came out. It rose beautifully and smelled amazing. Look at the depth of those slices!
The recipe recommends eating the cake warm like a pudding but it is equally lovely cold. It has a beautiful, soft texture with pockets of squidgy rhubarb and banana contrasted with a spiced and sweet crunchy nut topping. There's also a subtle hint of lemon which is lovely.
It might all sound a bit random but it absolutely works. I'm ridiculously pleased with this cake and can't wait to make it again.
Banana and rhubarb streusel cake
Recipe mildly adapted from Rhubarbaria by Mary Prior
For the cake:
5oz softened butter/baking margarine (I used Stork)
7oz soft light brown sugar
2 large eggs
10oz plain flour
Pinch of salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 cup milk (I used most but not all of it, I think about 1/4 pint - a bit of baking experience required here to gauge it)
1tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup of rhubarb, chopped into small chunks (I used 2 smallish stalks and forgot to weigh them in ounces here)
1 banana, chopped into small chunks/slices
For the streusel topping:
2oz walnuts, chopped
2oz granulated sugar
1 tsp melted butter
1tsp ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C fan/ gas mark 4. Grease and line a 9" round cake tin with greaseproof paper.
In a large bowl cream together the sugar and margarine until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda. Add this mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the milk, one third at a time, mixing well between each addition.
Add the chopped rhubarb, banana, vanilla and lemon juice and stir until well combined. Pour the mixture into the cake tin.
Before putting the cake in the oven, combine the streusel toppings in a separate bowl then scatter it on top of the cake mixture.
Bake the cake on the middle shelf of the oven for 50-60 minutes until well risen, firm to touch and a skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. I put a layer of greaseproof paper on top of the cake after 50 minutes to stop the top from burning but allow the inside of the cake to continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes.
Leave to cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes before removing from the tin and transferring to a wire cooling rack.