Rhubarb & Ginger Cake with Coconut Kefir

This Rhubarb & Ginger Cake is equal parts delicious and easy to make. With a rich, melt-in-your-mouth sponge dotted with crimson rhubarb and warm hints of spice from the ginger.  Add Coconut Kefir and you have a delicious afternoon tea treat or dessert. It really is a joy to make and eat.

I’ve been working hard on my vegetable patch these past few weeks, preparing and planning for planting.  I love this time of year, so much to look forward to in the garden.  Rhubarb has to be one of the easiest perennials to grow.  I like to cover the crowns to prevent light reaching them – this encourages the plant to make early growth. Forcing rhubarb in late winter means you can enjoy an early harvest at the beginning of spring, giving you plenty of tender stems to use in cakes, crumbles and cordials.

However this rhubarb is from Yorkshire, too early to be from my garden.  This cake isn’t a classic Victoria sponge method.  In this recipe I have whisked cooled melted butter with the eggs and sugar to a light and mousse-like consistency, then the flour, lemon zest and buttermilk are added with the ginger. Easy!

A sweet, just-buttery-enough, lemon zest and ginger scented sponge that melts in your mouth.

Print Recipe

Rhubarb & Ginger Cake with Coconut Kefir

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time50 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Servings: 8 portions

Ingredients

• 140 g unsalted butter
• 190 g plain flour
• 1 ½ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp fine sea salt salt
• 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
• ½ zest lemon
• 160 g golden caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 60 ml buttermilk or 55g milk mixed with 1 tsp of lemon juice
• 225 g forced rhubarb cut into 1cm dice
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 25 g light brown sugar + squeeze of lemon juice
• 300 g Tims Greek-style coconut kefir

Instructions

• Oven 160°C fan. Grease and line the base of a 20cm cake tin.
• Begin with melting the butter in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and set to one side, cool to room temperature but not solid.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, lemon zest and 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger. Set to one side.
• In a free standing mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the eggs, caster sugar and cooled melted butter until light and mousse-like, this will take between 3-5 minutes.
• Next fold in a third of the flour mixture, followed by half of the buttermilk or milk. Fold in half of the remaining flour, followed by the buttermilk. End with the flour, trying not to over mix as this will make the cake heavy. Pour the batter into the cake tin and level.
• Combine the rhubarb with the light brown sugar a squeeze of lemon juice and the ginger. Spoon the rhubarb evenly on the cake.
• Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a cocktail stick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm dusted with icing sugar and coconut kefir.

Notes

If coconut kefir is not available, combine 300g of thick full-fat Greek style yogurt with 3 tablespoons of desiccated coconut with 1 ½ tablespoons of icing sugar, or to taste. Serve with the rhubarb and ginger cake.

I developed this recipe for Tims Dairy yogurt  I am under no obligation to post on here but I love the recipe so thought it would be a shame not to share it!

Tips:

• If coconut kefir isn’t available combine 300g of full-fat Greek style yogurt with 3 tablespoons of desiccated coconut and 1 1/2 tablespoons of icing sugar (or to taste).
• Substitute half of the rhubarb with diced dessert apples.