Jenmenke

Road Warrior

rhubarb

Granny Sue’s Rhubarb Cake

My First Rhubarb Love

That, of course was before I fell for Al Sicherman. But I recently made this cake, after about a year hiatus. Morgan declared it her personal favorite. I suspect that’s mostly because she always sides with my mom. They have this little thing going. Have I ever mentioned that Morgan and my mom are very much alike? Yes, well, they are — and it makes my life very difficult.

Anyway, now, every time I will want to make Al’s Rhubarb Pudding Cake, I’m going to have to listen to her bellyaching that she wants me to make this one. I hate when kids have opinions. Children should be seen and not heard. Remember being told that as a kid? I think we should bring that adage back into use.

If you read the other rhubarb cake recipe, you will know that I also love this cake. It is very, very good. Especially still warm from the oven. Seriously. I might even like it more than the other one at that perfect point in time. But if you are wanting to pick at it over the next few days, it just isn’t as good for keeping.

I think I might have solved that problem, though. I halved the recipe and made it in a 9 x 9 pan and it worked great! I’m going to give you the recipe for a regular 9 x 12 cake, but just know that halving it worked really, really well and was just perfect for the four of us and breakfast the next morning! (I am conjuring up a post about why we should consider cake and pie breakfast foods.)

One other note: It calls for buttermilk. I never have buttermilk. Well, I do right now, but that’s a rarity. In the event that you do not have buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon white vinegar to 1 cup of milk and let stand about 15 minutes. The flavor of the substitute is great. The consistency is more thin. Whether that affects the final cake is a matter for debate. I think it does, while others claim not to be able to tell the difference.

OK, I do have one more gripe. At the end of this recipe you are required to mix powered sugar, milk and butter into a glaze. I hate making the glaze. Why?  Because I am feeling lazy at that point and I just want to eat the damn cake, not make the glaze. Second, no matter what I do, my glaze is lumpy. My mom’s is always perfectly smooth. My glaze makes me feel like a failure. What’s your secret, Mom? What are you holding back on me? Is this one of those potato soup recipe secrets? Anyway, I have come to blame the cake for my glaze-making failures. Of course, in true Morgan fashion, she claims it’s the glaze that makes this cake her favorite. And lumpy or not, it still tastes great.

Actually, even though it’s thundering, raining, windy and a cold 58 degrees (while my Weatherbug iphone app tells me it’s sunny and fast approaching 83 degrees), as soon as the storm passes I’m going to out and pick more rhubarb and use the rest of my buttermilk to make this cake.

Mom’s Rhubarb Cake

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9 x 12 pan. (Recipe may be halved: use a 9 x 9 pan)

  • 1/2 c shortening
  • 1 1/2 c sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 1 cup buttermilk*
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 2 c flour
  • 1/2 t salt

Topping

  • 2 T softened butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 2 T milk
  • 1/2 t vanilla (optional: my addition)

Combine the buttermilk with the baking soda in a 2 cup container (sometimes it will bubble over a 1 cup measure, sometimes not), set aside for 5 minutes.

In a mixer, cream the shortening and sugar together. Add egg, beat on high for about a minute. Stir in vanilla. In a small bowl stir the flour and salt together. Take turns adding some of the flour mixture, then some of the buttermilk mixture to the mixing bowl, mixing on medium-low until all is added. When well combined, gently fold in 4 cups of cut rhubarb with a rubber spatula. Pour/spoor into a greased 9 x 12 pan  and smooth with a knife. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

For the topping, combine butter, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla. Mix well and drizzle in lines across the warmish (not hot) cake.

* Buttermilk substitution: you may substitute scant cup of milk combined with 1 T vinegar for buttermilk.

Al Sicherman’s Rhubarb Pudding Cake

My Very Favorite Rhubarb Recipe

Dear Mom,

Your rhubarb cake recipe has been usurped. And here’s why:

  1. I have to make glaze for your recipe and I hate making that stupid glaze.
  2. Al’s recipe keeps for much longer than yours.
  3. Al’s recipe doesn’t call for buttermilk. I never have buttermilk, so I always use milk with a teaspoon of vinegar in it. I’m convinced that–for your recipe–that is an inferior substitution.
  4. I get a sick thrill out of pouring boiling water over the sugar-covered batter in Al’s recipe.
  5. I like the crisp top on his cake.

Please don’t feel hurt.

Love always and forever,

Jennie

This recipe was published in the Minneapolis StarTribune upon Al’s retirement from over 400 years of service to the newspaper.* Out of all the recipes, I thank God every day for this one.

Preheat oven to 350. Chop 4 cups of rhubarb. I often use more, but never less.

Spray 9 x12 pan with cooking spray (I always spray on the open door of my dishwasher to contain the mess)

Then spread chopped rhubarb in pan in an even layer.

Sift together 2 cups of flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar , 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt into the bowl of a mixer. (Fatty sometimes reduces sugar to 1 cup. did it first time on accident and didn’t notice it, so I do know it works just fine.)

Add 6 tablespoons melted butter, 2/3 cup of milk and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Mix thoroughly, scraping beater and sides of bowl. Beat in one egg.

Spoon batter onto rhubarb, then spread evenly and carefully, attempting to completely cover the rhubarb.

Mix 1/2 to 1 cup of sugar (I always try to use less than 1 cup, but the sugar is what gives the cake the crispy top), 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon in a bowl and spoon/sprinkle evenly over the top of the batter.

Pour 1 1/4 cup of boiling water gently over the top of the cake.

Bake at 350 for 50 minutes, until top is evenly browned and toothpick comes out of cake part clean. (The bottom will always be gooey.)

Let cool as long as you can stand it before digging in. It is, as my battered recipe states, “to die for.”


* I like to make up ridiculous ‘facts’ like this so that I don’t have to actually go and research it. You get the point. Al was at the StarTrib a very long time. Thank you Al.

Al Sicherman’s Rhubarb Pudding Cake
  • 4 c chopped rhubarb
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 t baking powder
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 6 T melted butter
  • 2/3 c milk
  • 1 t vanilla
  • 1 egg

Topping

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 T cornstarch
  • 1 t cinnamon (Al’s calls for 1/2 t. I like a bit more)
  • 1 1/4 cups boiling water

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9 x 12 pan with cooking spray. Chop/slice rhubarb and spread in an even layer in pan.

Sift together flour, 1 1/2 c sugar, baking powder and salt into bowl of an electric mixer. With mixer on low, add melted butter, milk and vanilla. Mix well, scraping sides and bottom. Add egg and mix on medium until thoroughly mixed.

Spoon onto rhubarb and then carefully spread batter over rhubarb, completely covering. (I have found an offset spatula makes this task much easier).

Mix topping ingredients together and spread over batter.

Gently pour 1 1/4 cups boiling water over entire surface. Bake at 350 for 5o minutes. Toothpick should come out of cake layer clean.