Saturday, June 7, 2014

Rhubarb-Strawberry Cake with Orange Peel



This was the second rhubarb recipe that I've made this year, and the first one that I could actually tell you about.  I won't cry about the jars of rhubarb jam that turned out like...Well, I won't. 

This was a success!  So delicious, that I couldn't help cutting off half of the 1 inch edge of the cake and devouring it before the first slice hit the plate.


My inspiration was a post on this sweet Italian blog.  Hers calls for lemon and poppy seeds. One smell and I knew my poppy seeds were past their prime.  However, while I searching for another unopened container of poppy seed I found a jar of Penzey's California dried orange peel that I knew it would make a delicious adaptation.  Does anyone else have their spices arranged in alphabetical order like I do? That's how I found the Orange Peel stored right next to Poppy Seed :) 


My cake turned out much more moist than the one that inspired me, even though I carefully measured the ingredients in grams with my digital scale. I did not have Italian 00 flour and perhaps that was the difference.  The moist and spongey cake didn't bother me at all!  Truly delicious. I had some with my coffee the following morning and, while it was still delicious, I can say that this cake is best eaten the same day it is made, so a small 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan is perfect for this recipe. 


I hope my rhubarb keeps producing so I can try a few more rhubarb recipes after this as I have quite a list!


I'm still spending lots of time in the garden keeping up with watering, weeding, mulching, adding more ties to support all of the the quickly climbing clematis.

I am loving all of the white blooming in the garden right now.


They are so pretty at dusk, my "glow-in-the-dark" white flowers.


Rhubarb-Strawberry Cake with Orange Peel

Adapted From Here
Printable Recipe

Recipe makes one 8x8 or 9x9 inch square baking pan (I used 9 x 9)

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 large egg
1/4 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons dried orange peel
2 cups of clean and sliced rhubarb and strawberries (I used 1-1/2 cups rhubarb and 1/2 cup strawberries)

Preheat oven to 350F.  Cut a piece of parchment paper so that 2 sides are longer than the sides of the pan to use as 'handles' for removing the cake from the pan. Spray pan with Bakers Joy or other non-stick spray. 

In a bowl, beat the egg with the sugar. Add the oil, milk, yogurt and orange peel. Add the flour and baking powder and whisk until just combined.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Distribute the cut fruit evenly over the top of the batter. 

Bake in preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until lightly golden on top. 

Cool on a baking rack and remove to a platter.

72 comments:

  1. Look really beautiful Susan!
    And I love yours shots of flowers!:)

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    1. Thank you, Gloria! I love this time of year :)

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    2. I would make this cake, but I don't like peel of any kind, so I wouldn't put peel into it. :)

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  2. With no recipe in mind, I picked up rhubarb from our farmers' market which opened today. My husband took one look and said he had a recipe he wanted to try. I'll let you know. Just in case, I'll be keeping your recipe because it looks delicious. I always make a visit to Penzey's when I'm in Fond du Lac (Appleton). I wish we had one closer.

    Best,
    Bonnie

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    1. Thanks, Bonnie. Can't wait to hear how your husband's recipe turned out! I am lucky enough to have a Penzeys store within 5 minutes from my home.

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  3. I remember a great cocoa from P's:-) This sounds great..I enjoy this type of cake much more than icing cakes etc..J loves them all of course..
    No..my spices..are too many..in many different packagings..even spots in the kitchen.
    Now I am envious.
    J'adore tes fleurs blanches!

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    1. Merci, M. They are my favorite kinds of cake too :) I went to putting them in alphabetical order because it was taking my too much time to find what I needed. It does really help!

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  4. This is so very beautiful..can't take my eyes off the cake, and beautiful garden shots, Susan.
    I look forward to more rhubarb recipes!
    Happy Sunday!
    Angie

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    1. Thank you, Angie! I'm trying a new one today. Hopefully, it won't be a disaster like the rhubarb jam :)

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  5. Looks like a work of art, Susan! It is hard to find good rhubarb recipes...this sounds like a keep, can't be too bad with those combos. I have seen very little rhubarb in the stores this year...the one time I did find it I made the ubiquitous strawberry rhubarb pie, we do love them, though!

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    1. Thanks, Marigene! There is nothing wrong with strawberry rhubarb pie :) Yum!

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  6. Susan, this is a beautiful cake! your flowers too are wonderful. Strangely, I have not been receiving your posts lately, so i will re-subscribe. I will also try to adopt your alphabetic method with the spices, :)

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  7. It looks so beautiful and I like a moist cake like this. It's more like a pudding which I love. And no. I don't have my spices arranged alphabetically. Just one big clump of jars!

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  8. Oh my, that looks beautiful! I know I'd love this with a nice strong cup-o-Joe:@)

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  9. looks and sounds really delicious Susan! Love the white peony :)

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    1. Thanks, Michael. I love peony time. They are one of my favorite flowers. Wish the season lasts longer :)

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  10. Love the garden most this time of year, your white flowers are all so beautiful. I like to place flowers of all one color but different types in vases around the house.

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  11. Never had rhubarb! Your little cake looks delicious! Beautiful clematis! I lost all but 4 of mine. I am giving up on them.
    Yes, busy time in the yard this time of year. Hard to keep up with it all! That 's why people move to condos, lol!

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    1. Why am I not surprised - LOL. Have you ever tried any of the group 3 clematis, Kathleen? Like Etoile Violet? She's very hardy. The earlier flowering types - group 2 - are too temperamental for me too. The only one like like is The President.

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  12. Looks delicious! Just typed a long comment and it came back service unavailable.

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  13. No, I don't store mine in abc order. Reminds me of a book I read years ago, The Armchair Traveler? Where he had all his food in abc order!
    Lost all but 4 clematis this wintet. Yours are beautiful!

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  14. It does look tempting Susan. We are always looking for new ways to use rhubarb. I also enjoy the addition of the orange peel.

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  15. wow this looks fab and must get me some of that orange peel

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  16. I've eaten many pieces of strawberry rhubarb pie but never a cake but I can imagine it is very good.

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  17. First, I must comment about the photos of your flowers, they are quite lovely. I'm doing good to keep the spices in my cabinet in a half way organized order but you are something else having them alphabetized like in a library. The cake sounds good and would be nice with a cup of tea for breakfast or for an afternoon break.

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    1. Thank you, Karen! It was really nice as an afternoon snack.

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  18. I confess .... I have never eaten rhubarb, I have to look for it and make your delicious recipe,the photos of your flowers are so lovely Susan ! Have a great week my dear, a warm hug

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    1. I've heard that rhubarb is hard to find in Italy, Chiara. It is so nice in baked sweets. Thank you, and same to you :)

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  19. Looks very, very tasty to me! That rhubarb-strawberry-orange combo...never fails! Great cake!

    ela h.
    Gray Apron

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  20. Great combinations of flavors in this beautiful cake. I'm so happy to know that you can buy orange peel too.
    Sam

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    1. I'm sure you would love it in some of your citrus salads, Sam! Thanks!

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  21. Rhubarb! My favorite! What striking photos, too. It almost looks like a clafoutis, doesn't it? So moist looking. Fun idea to use orange peel, Susan. I've got about 6 more rhubarb recipes to post...I go crazy when I see it in the market in the spring, the hothouse kind, which is usually deeper in color.
    I remember my mother's rhubarb patch, we had it stewed for lunch all the time.
    (What happened to the jam?)

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    1. I think you hit the nail on the head with clafoutis, Barbara! I know you love rhubarb and I love your rhubarb Pinterest page :)

      The jam wasn't jam it was syrup :(

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  22. I can't resist anything with rhubarb, and this looks like my ideal breakfast cake!

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    1. I think you'll like my next recipe - it's really great for breakfast :) Thanks, Sue!

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  23. The cake looks yummy!..........and so do your flowers.

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  24. What a wonderful recipe! And, your photos are stunning! What kind of camera do you use? Love your botanical garden. Gorgeous!! xxoo

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    1. Thank you, Ladies! I use a Nikon DSLR. I've owned various models of Nikon since 1990!

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  25. I'm so happy that you have chose one of my recipes and have shared it. I really like your blog!
    P.S. my english is not very good, sorry for the mistakes... Susy

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    1. Thank you for your visit, Susy! I loved your recipe and have many others bookmarked to try :) I think your English is very good!

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  26. Susan, this looks delicious. I have some orange peel from KAF that I need to use so this is perfect! Maybe I could use all strawberries or a mixture of other berries, since I don't have rhubarb. Your presentation is beautiful. Your last picture of your peony is the same one that I have!

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    1. Thank you, Penny! You could absolutely use other fruit in this. The last photo is of peony Krinkled White. I love the large, single flowers of this one.

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  27. I love rhubarb and wish it grew better around here. Your cake is inspiring me to find some in the grocery. :)

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    1. I feel fortunate that mine is so happy here :) My parents grew rhubarb so I grew up having it often!

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  28. That is a beautiful cake! And I love seeing rhubarb recipes! I have never tried rhubarb before, and I was so curious about it, so much so that I got some seeds all the way from UK. But sadly, the seeds did not sprout at all. I still have some left, will have to try it again!
    Have a great week!

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    1. I'm sorry that your seeds didn't sprout :( Good luck with the rest of the seeds!

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  29. Susan, it looks like a delicious mosaic of spring!

    I'll admit that just two short years ago, I did not care for rhubarb, mainly due to the fact that it reminded me of celery (which I've always hated). Still, I felt rhubarb deserved another chance, so I tried it again. And lo and behold, I loved it. And even made a rhubarb cake, but never blogged about it – maybe someday. Ha.Ha.
    In any case, Next time, I'll add strawberries to the mix.

    Your beautiful flowers look so delicate. I yearn to have a green thumb.

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  30. Wow, this cake is a beauty! I love everything strawberry this time of the year!

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  31. This cake is so gorgeous! i love how it is quite simple, but also stunning and so rich in warm citrus rhubarb flavor.

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  32. We have so much rhubarbe in the potager, I don't know what to do with it all! Your cake looks delicious and certainly worth a try with the orange peel.
    ronelle

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    1. I am always looking for new ways to use it so I don't let mine go to waste! Thank you, Ronelle!

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  33. Oh this looks yummy! You can see how moist it must be - beautiful crumb! Love your clematis too - gorgeous garden!

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  34. This cake looks delicious Susan...and yes, the orange peels together with the strawberry and rhubarb must give an extraordinary flavor to this cake...yum!
    Thanks for the recipe...hope you are having a super week :D

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  35. Oh my goodness. This looks delicious! I have never baked with rhubarb, but I have always wanted to!

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  36. Your photos are always so beautiful. I wish I could get a grip on my camera and learn everything there is to know about it. I just need to find the time to take a class.

    Nice recipe. I rarely cook with Rhubarb but when I do, it's always so good. I look forward to trying your recipe.

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    1. Thanks so much, Vicki! I still don't know everything about my camera either :)

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  37. This looks yummy, can't wait to try it. Someone just gave us a rhubarb plant, so we'll look forward to lots of rhubarb next year. I loved your comment about your spices being in alpha order, mine are, how else can you find anything in a cooks cabinet?? Otherwise you end up with 3 Oregano containers and don't realize you ran out of Poppy seeds!

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  38. I saw this recipe on your sidebar. What a great recipe to use rhubarb! Perfect for spring which is such a delicious time of year!

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