Many people don't really how to use rhubarb - but it is such a lovely vegetable (yes, it is a vegetable!) to work with. Its acidic flavour is very suitable for compotes, crumbles, sponge cakes - all the perfect sweet-sour combinations. I love to use rhubarb in spring, when it is in season and freshly harvested. Try to use cooked rhubarb as well in salads, it will give the salad the special something. I opted to use the wonderful rhubarb in a beautiful sponge cake with a meringue topping, I took some inspiration from this recipe, but instead of using butter I had some whipping and sour cream as leftovers, so I used those instead - it worked perfectly and made the sponge even moister and tasty.
For 16 slices you will need:
For the sponge:
1200g fresh rhubarb
450g flour
1 tsp baking powder
400g sour, double or whipping cream
250g caster sugar
pinch of salt
5 egg yolks
3 full eggs
For the meringue topping:
5 egg whites
pinch of salt
250g caster sugar
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Butter and flour a large square baking tin or a baking tray. Wash and cut the rhubarb into even slices of 1 cm thickness, you don't have to peel it. In a big bowl combine the flour together with the baking powder. Then add the sugar, cream, yolks, eggs, salt and mix everything until it forms a smooth batter.
Pour everything into the prepared tin or baking tray. Take the cut rhubarb and place it evenly over the batter. Leave it in the oven for 25 minutes, it doesn't have to bake perfectly through since it will go back to the oven with the meringue topping.
Mix the egg whites with the salt until it foams up slightly. Then add the sugar step by step until you have a shiny and stiff meringue. Cover the whole cake with this meringue and put it back into the oven at 180°C and bake for 15 minutes. The cake is ready when the meringue has a beautiful light brown colour.
Let it cool down completely, cut the cake into rectangular slices and dust icing sugar over them.
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