The Only Spring Cake Recipe You Need: Orange, Polenta & Poached Rhubarb

"I love this cake, not least because it’s gluten-free," says Kathleen. "It’s something different if you want to impress without overdoing it, and it has a great crumbly texture from the polenta. The poached rhubarb for the topping is beautiful. I use it at breakfast with our granola or for dessert with some simple meringues. It is also delicious on a green leaf salad with a drizzle of reduced balsamic vinegar."

Orange, Polenta and Early Rhubarb Cake 

Serves 8-10

For the cake

200g rhubarb 

250g polenta 

zest of 1 orange 

250g butter, room temperature, plus extra for greasing 

250g caster sugar 

4 eggs 

100g ground almonds 

2½ tsp baking powder 

150g yoghurt, natural or Greek 

For the poached rhubarb 

5 sticks of forced or early rhubarb 

1 tbsp caster sugar 

juice of 1 orange 

a little orange zest, for garnish (optional)

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 160°C fan/180°C/gas 4. Grease a 23cm loose-bottomed cake tin well and line the base with a disc of parchment paper. 
2. Top and tail the rhubarb for the cake, wash and pat dry, then chop into 1cm pieces. Toss the diced rhubarb and 50g of the polenta in a bowl together. 
3. Wash and zest your orange using a Microplane or the fine side of a grater. Juice the orange. Set zest and juice aside separately. 
4. Using a hand-held or stand mixer, cream your butter and caster sugar until pale, light and fluffy. 
5. Add your eggs one by one, continuing to mix at full speed and mixing back up to that fluffy stage after each one. This will prevent the batter from splitting – do not rush the process. 
6. Turn down the speed to minimum, add the orange zest, the rest of the polenta, the ground almonds and baking powder. Mix for a couple of seconds only. 
7. By hand, using a spatula, fold in the yoghurt, making circular motions and ensuring you scrape the bottom of the bowl each time. Be gentle so you don’t knock all that precious air out. Before the yoghurt is fully mixed in, stop and add the rhubarb you tossed in polenta earlier. Fold once or twice only. 
8. Pour the batter into your lined baking tin and bake for 50–55 minutes. Check if it’s baked by piercing with a clean skewer – if it doesn’t come out clean, give it another few minutes and recheck. 
9. Place on a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Leave the oven on for the next step.
10. Top and tail, wash and pat dry the rhubarb for the topping. Cut into 6cm/finger-length pieces. Place in a shallow casserole dish or roasting tray lined with parchment paper. Arrange the batons with a little space between each, pour the orange juice from earlier over the rhubarb and sprinkle with the tablespoon of sugar. Cover with tin foil and bake at 160°C for 10 minutes, then remove the foil. Check with a sharp knife – it should be tender, not mushy, and have kept its shape. It may need a further 5–7 minutes, depending on how tough it is. When you’re happy, remove it from the oven and cool.
11. Run a palette knife around the edge of the cake tin to ensure it’s not stuck. Lift the cake out using the loose bottom, slip a palette knife underneath and slide onto a flat plate or cake stand.
12. Arrange the cooled rhubarb batons around the top of the cake, all pointing to the centre. Layer them until you have used them all up. Drizzle any leftover syrup over the top. If you wish, zest a little orange on top too.

Photography by Christopher Heaney

The Foxford Cafe Cookbook is on sale now.