What's Cooking Wednesday: Variations on a Theme - Rhubarb, Part Deux

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I love leafing through cooking magazines. I have to admit, I don't use many of the recipes anymore, but I like using them to improvise. In looking through this month's Gourmet, I found this lovely-looking recipe for
Raspberry Buttermilk Cake.

The only trouble was, there was way too much sugar and white flour for my tastes, and I had a few raspberries, but what I really needed to use was my rhubarb from last week's Tantre Farm share.

So since we all know that invention is a Mother, I decided to play with what was on hand and make my own variant. I had the bonus of having a couple of duck eggs from Our Family Farm that I needed wanted to use up. If you've never baked with duck eggs, you're missing a real treat. Yes, things do bake up higher and happier with the egg of the duck.

A little bit of change here; a little bit of change there, and I ended up with just what my tastebuds (and waistline) preferred: a less sweet, rhubarb-infused, pan cake with a slightly heftier texture. Once again, it got the D seal of approval.

Caveat: We don't like our desserts overly sweet at our house, so if you are a sugarholic, you might want to adjust accordingly.

Raspberry-Rhubarb Buttermilk Cake



Raspberry-Rhubarb Buttermilk Cake

Ingredients

1 cup raspberries
1 1/2 cups diced rhubarb
2 TBS cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, minus 2 TBS
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 TBS butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tsp for sprinkling on top
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 extra large egg (or duck egg, if you have one!)
2/3 cup lowfat buttermilk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400. Place rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Pre-cook rhubarb for 1 minute in the microwave in a microwavable dish.
3. Whisk together dry ingredients. (For the flour mixture, measure the 2 TBS of cornmeal into a 1 cup measure, and then fill the rest of that cup with the whole wheat pastry flour).
4. With an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar and vanilla until pale and fluffy. Add egg and beat well.
5. On low speed, add in dry ingredients and buttermilk alternating (3 portions of flour/2 buttermilk). Mix until just combined. Do NOT overwork.
6. Pour into cake pan greased with cooking spray or a little canola oil.
7. Scatter rhubarb and raspberries on top and sprinkle whole thing with 1 tsp sugar.
8. Bake for 25 - 30 minutes or until set. Cool on rack for 10 minutes, and then turn out of pan and cool further. (Or if you're a chicken like me, just cool it in the pan).

Serves 12



Enjoy!

Nutritional Info
Fat: 3.8g
Carbohydrates: 15.5g
Calories:102.1
Protein: 2.5g

As always, nutrition info supplied by the recipe calculator function at Sparkrecipes.com.