Rhubarb Cornmeal Cake

This is one of my favorite Nigella recipes. Its just a simple little cake that makes me happy. It's great for dessert of course, but it also a good traveler in my lunch bag or along side my morning coffee. I love rhubarb, yogurt, vanilla and I'm also a big cornbread fan so I was very drawn to this recipe. It fuses three of my favorite flavors together with the crumbly texture of the cornmeal. So good, truly comfort food.

I live in Wisconsin so I do not have fresh rhubarb this time of year. This was made with one of my last bags of frozen Rhubarb from last year, it was still delicious, it smells wonderful while it's baking too.

When I saw the Weekend Cookbook Challenge theme was Nigella Lawson , I knew right away this is what I wanted to make. My dh gave me a yogurt maker for Christmas and I have been wanting to use my Yummy homemade yogurt in recipes, especially baking. I will talk more about my experiences so far with making yogurt in a later post. Happy Baking.

Stephanie :)

Weekend Cooking Challenge 25 is being hosted by FoodieChickie

Rhubarb Cornmeal Cake

from Nigella Lawson's

"How To Be A Domestic Goddess"

1 pound 2 ounces rhubarb

1 cup sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp fine cornmeal (polenta)

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsalted butter (soft)

1 cup plus 2 Tbsp plain yogurt

9-inch springform pan, buttered and lined with parchment or wax paper

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Wash and dry the rhubarb if necessary (which I rarely find it to be) , and then trim, removing and stringy bits, and cut into 1/2 inch slices. Put into glass or china bowl and cover with 1/3 cup of the sugar, while you get on with the rest of the cake. Don't let the rhubarb stand for more than half an hour or the sugar will make to much liquid seep out.

Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cornmeal together. With a fork, beat the eggs with the vanilla in a measuring cup or small bowl. In a large bowl, cream the butter and the rest of the sugar, then gradually add the egg and vanilla mixture, beating while you do so. Then add the flour-cornmeal mixture alternately with the yogurt. They just need to be combined: don't overmix.

Finally, add the rhubarb together with its sugary, pink juices, folding in to mix, and then pour the speckled batter into the prepared pan. Put in the preheated oven and bake for about 1 hour or until springy to the touch. You may need to cover it with foil after about 40 minutes so that the top doesn't scorch. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for a while before unmolding.

Serves 8-10