[ad_1]
A moist cake which works well as a dessert and is best eaten with a fork. This vegan almond rhubarb loaf cake recipe is easy to make and infinitely adaptable. It has a crunchy top, lovely flavour, pudding-like texture and is not overly sweet.
At this time of year, we have rhubarb aplenty. It’s in season and it grows well in our allotment. Rhubarb crumble is delicious and that’s always the first thing I make when the new season arrives. But I do like to ring the changes.
This recipe for almond rhubarb loaf cake is a bit different to most of my other rhubarb bakes. It’s dairy-free and egg-free, which makes it a perfect spring vegan cake or pudding.
Vegan Almond Rhubarb Loaf Cake
This almond rhubarb loaf cake is not a conventional cake, so don’t be surprised by its texture. It’s more of a pudding than a cake, but in loaf form. It’s really delicious though and well worth making during rhubarb season.
The cake has the most gorgeous crunchy nutty topping. The almonds toast in the oven whilst the sugar caramelises a little. Together they create a delightful sweet crunch which makes an excellent contrast to the damp and slightly tart cake.
It takes less than twenty minutes to prepare, but it does take quite a long time to cook. About an hour actually.
It’s at its best eaten on the day it’s made. Although it will still be delicious the next day and the one after, the top will no longer be crunchy.
As stated above you’ll need a fork or spoon to eat this cake. Serve it with crème fraîche or custard for an additional treat. Why not enjoy it alfresco in the spring sunshine? It somehow tastes even better outside.
For This Recipe You Will Need
Wholemeal spelt flour – it’s fine to use ordinary wholemeal flour too. Or if you’re new to baking with wholemeal flours, try a mix of fifty percent wholemeal and fifty percent plain white. For more information on baking with wholemeal spelt flour, click on the link and view my post.Ground almonds – I often grind my own almonds from shelled almonds with their skins still on. However, for convenience it’s sometimes easier to buy ready ground almonds.Golden caster sugar – I prefer to use golden caster sugar rather than white as it’s less refined and therefore contains some of the sugar’s natural minerals. It’s fine to use granulated sugar instead of caster, if that is what you have.Rhubarb – you can use any rhubarb for this recipe. Early forced rhubarb will give a lovely pink colour to the cake, but I use the rhubarb we grow in our allotment.Orange – try to use an organic orange for this recipe if you can find one. There are all sorts of chemicals sprayed onto the skins with conventional growing. If you can’t find organic, use unwaxed and if you can’t find unwaxed, give your orange a really good scrub with soap and water.Sunflower oil – you need a flavourless oil for this recipe. I tend to use sunflower oil, but really any neutral tasting oil will do.Almond milk – I’ve used almond milk in this recipe, just because it’s an almond cake. However, feel free to use whatever plant based milk you have to hand.
Almond Rhubarb Loaf Cake: Step-by-Step
Like most vegan cakes, this almond rhubarb loaf cake is incredibly easy to make. The only thing that takes any time is cutting up the rhubarb and you’re talking a mere minute or two for that.
See the recipe card at the bottom of the post for quantities and complete instructions.
Step 1. Prepare Tin
Unless you have a loaf tin with removable sides, you’ll need to line it. Use baking paper and line both the bottom and sides, taking the sides up to a centimetre or more over the top. You can then use this as a handle to remove the cake when it’s cooled.
I learnt the hard way. Instead of leaving “paper handles” the first time I made this almond rhubarb cake, I upturned my cake to remove it from the tin. The result was sugar and pieces of almond scattered over my kitchen far and wide.
Alternatively, if making this as a pudding, bake it in a large greased ovenproof dish. You can then spoon it straight into bowls when it comes out of the oven.
Step 2. Prepare Rhubarb
Top and tail the rhubarb sticks as necessary. If you buy them, this has probably already been done. After that give them a good rinse under the tap.
Chop each stick into very small chunks or slices. I tend to run a knife down the centre of each one, then turn the sticks onto their sides and run the knife down the middle again, thus dividing it into four. I then slice as if it was still one stick.
Step 3. Weigh Dry Ingredients
Weigh the flour, sugar, almonds and raising agents and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and give a good whisk to ensure everything is thoroughly combined and there are no lumps.
Finely grate in the orange zest. Add the rhubarb pieces and give a good stir so they’re all coated in flour.
Step 4. Add Wet Ingredients
Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture and pour in the oil.
Squeeze the juice from half the orange into a measuring jug, then top it up to the required quantity of milk. Pour into the well.
Stir gently from the inside out until everything is incorporated. I find a flat bladed knife is best for this, but a metal spoon or spatula are fine too. Don’t worry if the dough seems a bit dry, it should be sticky, but not wet.
Ignore the consistency of my cake batter. The first time I made this, the mixture was way too wet and it never cooked properly. These are some of the trials and tribulations of recipe development.
Step 5. Bake Cake
Scrape the mixture into the prepared tin. Press it down with the back of a spoon or spatula and make sure it’s evenly spread.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for twenty minutes. At this point, you need to add the topping.
Take the cake out of the oven, spread the flaked almonds over the top, then scatter with the sugar. Place the cake back in the oven and bake for a further thirty five to forty minutes.
You’ll know that the cake is done when you insert a skewer and it comes out more or less clean. This cake is meant to be damp, so it’s unlikely to come out pristine. The top should be crisp and golden.
Top Tip
If the almonds look as though they’re burning near the end of the cooking time, cover the cake loosely with a piece of parchment paper or silver foil.
Step 6. Cool And Serve
Remove the tin from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. Once the cake has reached room temperature, remove it from its tin and serve.
This almond rhubarb cake is best enjoyed on the day of baking. It will still taste delicious the next day and the day after that, but the gorgeous crunchy topping will not keep its crunch.
Almond Rhubarb Loaf Cake: Make It Your Own
There are any number of flavours that pair well with rhubarb, but some go better than others. Here are my top three alternatives to using orange in this vegan almond rhubarb loaf cake.
Ginger
Ginger and rhubarb is a classic combination. Before I started Tin and Thyme, one of my most popular cakes ever was a rhubarb and ginger one.
Add two teaspoons of ground ginger along with the other dry ingredients or try twenty five grams of finely chopped crystallised ginger instead. Or why not go mad and include both? If using crystallised ginger add it in at the same time as the rhubarb.
Vanilla
Vanilla adds a subtle sweetness and spicy warmth. It also helps to bring out the other flavours in the bake, notably the rhubarb.
Use one teaspoon of vanilla extract or swap the sugar in the recipe for vanilla sugar. I make my own vanilla sugar and have a jar of it on the go permanently.
To Make Vanilla Sugar
You can bury a vanilla pod in a jar of sugar (around 400-500g) and leave it for a couple of weeks. Give the jar a good shake every day. However, I prefer my more frugal approach.
Whenever I scrape out the seeds from a vanilla pod to use in a recipe, I keep the pod. It’s these I use to add to my sugar. As they build up, so the sugar becomes more highly flavoured. I have several spent vanilla pods in my sugar jar at any one time and they work a treat.
Likewise, if I’m making posh vanilla custard, I save the vanilla pod for the sugar. Just give it a quick rinse under the tap, then leave it to dry somewhere.
When you take the lid off the jar, the fragrance is intoxicating. Once you use some of the vanilla sugar, just top the jar up with some more sugar. I use golden caster sugar, but granulated sugar works too.
Sweet Cicely
If you grow sweet cicely in your garden, try adding some to this almond rhubarb cake. Sweet cicely has a gently aniseed flavour and was traditionally used with rhubarb to reduce its acidity. Indeed I always add some to my rhubarb crumble in order to cut back on the amount of sugar I use.
Finely chop four to eight sweet cicely leaves and add them to the cake mixture along with the rhubarb.
Pudding
This rhubarb cake makes a splendid pudding for cold or wet days. It’s really good at room temperature, but even better if you serve it warm with either crème fraîche or custard.
If you’re specifically wanting to make this into a pudding, you don’t have to bake it in the form of a loaf. Grease a large oven proof dish and use that instead. As the batter will be much shallower, you won’t need to bake it as long. So add the topping ingredients after fifteen minutes and start testing for doneness after forty.
Other Vegan Cake Recipes You Might Like
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this vegan almond rhubarb loaf cake, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #nanorecetas, so I can spot them.
For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter.
If you’d like more rhubarb recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious and nutritious, of course.
Choclette x
Almond Rhubarb Loaf Cake. PIN IT.
Almond Rhubarb Loaf Cake – The Recipe
Print
Pin
Almond Rhubarb Loaf Cake (Vegan)
A moist cake which works well as a dessert and is best eaten with a fork. This vegan almond rhubarb loaf cake is easy to make and infinitely adaptable. It has a crunchy top, lovely flavour, pudding-like texture and is not overly sweet.Prep Time20 minsCook Time1 hrTotal Time1 hr 20 minsCourse: Afternoon Tea, DessertCuisine: BritishKeyword: cake, orange, pudding, rhubarbServings: 12 peopleCalories: 251kcalAuthor: Choclette @ Tin and ThymeIngredients225 g wholemeal spelt flour50 g ground almonds¾ tsp baking powder½ tsp bicarbonate of sodapinch fine sea salt200 g golden caster sugar250 g rhubarb finely chopped1 orange organic if possible, well scrubbed if not100 ml sunflower oil or other neutral oil85 ml almond milk or plant milk of your choiceTopping20 g flaked almonds1 ½ tbsp golden caster sugar or swap for granulatedInstructionsLine a 900g (2 lb) loaf tin with baking paper, ensuring the paper sticks out of the tin by a centimetre or two. This will make removing the cake from the tin a lot easier.Preheat the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4).Whisk the flour, ground almonds, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and sugar together in a large mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.225 g wholemeal spelt flour, 50 g ground almonds, ¾ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda, pinch fine sea salt, 200 g golden caster sugarStir in the rhubarb pieces and finely grate in the zest from the orange.250 g rhubarb, 1 orangeMake a well in the centre and add the oil. Squeeze the juice from half the orange into a measuring jug, then top it up to 100ml with the milk. Pour into the well.100 ml sunflower oil, 85 ml almond milkStir the cake the oil and milk mixture into the dry ingredients from the inside out until it all comes together into a sticky, but not wet dough.Scrape the dough into the prepared loaf tin and level it out.Bake in the middle of the oven for twenty minutes. Take it out and scatter over the flaked almonds followed by the sugar. Return to the oven and bake for a further thirty five to forty minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out more or less clean. The top should be crisp and golden.20 g flaked almonds, 1 ½ tbsp golden caster sugarPlace the tin on a wire rack and leave to cool.Once cool or nearly cool, remove from the tin and serve.NotesIf the almonds look as though they’re burning, cover the cake with a piece of parchment paper or silver foil.This cake is best eaten on the day it’s made. Although it will still be delicious the next day and the one after, the top will no longer be crunchy.Serve with crème fraîche or custard and eat with a fork.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.NutritionCalories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Sodium: 56mg | Potassium: 186mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 48IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 61mg | Iron: 1mg Share on Facebook
Sharing
I’m sharing this recipe for vegan almond rhubarb loaf cake with #CookBlogShare, which is hosted by ??? this week.
[ad_2]
