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Recipe Detail Page
Strawberry Rhubarb Layer Cake
Spring 2022
There’s something about a pink cake that seems to shout “SPRING!” This delicate layer cake is perfect to welcome the season and to take advantage of the natural pink colour of Ontario hothouse rhubarb. Prepare the Roasted Rhubarb and cake layers a day ahead, leaving the final assembly for the day of serving. For the strawberry-rhubarb cream that covers the cake and holds the layers together, you can cheat a little bit, thereby saving time. Rather than making your own strawberry-rhubarb purée, you can simply use a store-bought jam—either plain strawberry or strawberry-rhubarb—and purée that. Keep in mind that it will be sweeter than the purée in the recipe below, so don’t add any additional sugar when whipping the cream. Additionally, you can add a few drops of red food colouring to the cream to augment the colour.
Serves 8
1 batch Roasted Rhubarb (recipe follows)
BUTTERMILK CAKE
1 1/4 cups (310 mL) plus 2 tbsp (30 mL) cake flour
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
1/2 cup (125 mL) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup (250 mL) sugar
3 egg whites, at room temperature
2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla extract
1 cup (250 mL) buttermilk, at room temperature
STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB PURÉE
1 cup (250 mL) diced strawberries, plus more for garnish
1 cup (250 mL) fresh rhubarb, cut into
1/4-inch (5-mm) pieces
1/4 cup (60 mL) sugar
STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB CREAM
1 1/4 cups (310 mL) whipping cream
1/4 cup (60 mL) icing sugar
Red food colouring (optional)
1. For the buttermilk cake, centre the rack in the oven and preheat it to 350°F (177°C). Line the bottom of two 6-inch (15-cm) round cake pans with parchment paper and set them aside. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until very light in colour, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
3. Add the egg whites one at a time, beating until incorporated, followed by the vanilla extract.
4. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients in 4 additions alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry. Stop the machine before the last portion of the flour is fully incorporated and finish by hand with a rubber spatula. If there are any lumps in the batter, mix gently with a whisk.
5. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans, level the surfaces and bake for 30 minutes or just until the cake begins to brown and a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack. The cake can be baked a day ahead, wrapped well and stored at room temperature overnight.
6. For the strawberry-rhubarb purée, combine the strawberries, rhubarb and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, and continue simmering for 15 to 20 minutes until the fruit has broken down and the mixture has reduced to about 2/3 cup (150 mL). Using an immersion blender or small food processor, purée the mixture until smooth then chill completely. The purée can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
7. When ready to assemble the cake, strain the roasted rhubarb, reserving the syrup for another use, then place the rhubarb in a single layer on a paper towel, pat it dry and set aside.
8. Using a serrated knife, level the tops of both cake layers and set them aside (see TIP).
9. For the strawberry-rhubarb cream, place the whipping cream and icing sugar in a chilled bowl and beat to soft peaks. (If using store-bought jam instead of purée, omit the icing sugar.) Add about 1/4 cup (60 mL) of the strawberry-rhubarb purée to the cream and whisk in gently. If desired, add more icing sugar to taste and/or a few drops of red food colouring.
10. To assemble, place one of the cake layers on a serving plate or cake stand. Top with a thin layer of strawberry-rhubarb cream. Arrange a layer of rhubarb on top of the cream, covering it completely, to within 1/4 inch (5 mm) of the edge of the cake. Top with another layer of cream. Place the second cake layer over the first and spread a thin layer of cream over the top and sides to set the crumbs. Finish by spreading a finishing smooth layer overall. Transfer the cream to a piping bag fitted with a decorative tip and pipe onto the centre or border around the edge of the cake. Garnish with fresh strawberries and pieces of roasted rhubarb. Refrigerate the cake, but bring it to room temperature before serving.
Serves 8
TIP Hold onto the scraps of cake after levelling the tops of each layer. Keep them in the freezer and use them for cake crumbs in the bottom of fruit pies—the crumbs help to absorb the fruit juices, thereby promoting a crispier bottom crust.
ROASTED RHUBARB
Roasted rhubarb is a wondrous thing. The colour becomes even more intense, and the taste is both tart and sweet. You can adjust the amount of sugar to your liking, using less if you prefer things on the sour side and more if you want to sweeten things up a little more. Feel free to add, as I often do, a scraped vanilla bean, pod and all, or perhaps some orange rind for a nuanced citrus note. Be sure to keep the rhubarb-infused syrup from the pan—the best by-product of the roasting. It’s a delicious addition to a glass of soda water along with a splash of lime juice. Note: Some of the recipes in this collection call for 1 recipe’s worth of roasted rhubarb. You may not use it all, but anything left over is delightful over yogurt or ice cream. Hothouse rhubarb (sometimes called “forced rhubarb”) is grown indoors over winter and available in early spring. The stalks are tender and pink, unlike rhubarb grown outdoors which can be stringy and red-green in colour.
1 lb (455 g) trimmed Ontario hothouse rhubarb, cut into 1 1/2-inch (4-cm) pieces
1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
2. Place rhubarb in a single layer in 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm) baking dish. Add the sugar and toss to combine.
3. Bake the rhubarb for 15 minutes, stir gently and continue baking for another 5 minutes or until tender but not falling apart. Cool completely, then refrigerate, along with the syrup. The rhubarb can be roasted and stored in the refrigerator up to 5 days.
Makes about 2 cups (500 mL)
