Rhubarb & Poppyseed Cake with Burnt Meringue
Rhubarb season is here! This soft rhubarb and poppyseed cake with burnt meringue is the perfect combination of tart and sweet. This cake will melt in your mouth!
Rhubarb & Poppyseed Cake with Burnt Meringue
Cake:
100 g butter (room temperature)
1 cup (2.5 dl) sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
zest of 1/2 orange (finely grated)
2 cups (5 dl) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup (1.25 dl) sour cream
1 tbsp of black poppy seeds
1-2 stems of rhubarb
Swiss meringue:
4 egg whites
1 cup (2.5 dl) caster sugar
Preheat the oven to 190C. Whisk the butter and sugar together in a bowl. Add one egg at a time and whisk to combine.
Add vanilla extract and orange zest to the batter and mix.
In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking soda. Add the flour mixture and sour cream to the batter by turns. Add the poppyseeds.
Slice the rhubarb into thick slices. Add to the batter and mix to combine.
Grease and flour a small cake tin. Pour the batter into the tin and bake the cake in the oven for about 45 minutes. Don’t leave the cake raw, but just a bit under so it stays moist and a bit sticky in the middle. Leave the cake to cool before finishing with the meringue.
Make the Swiss meringue: Separate the egg whites into a (heatproof) metal or glass bowl. Add sugar.
Bring a saucepan with a few inches of water to a simmer. Set the bowl over the simmering water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.
Continuously whisk until the egg whites are very warm to the touch and the sugar has dissolved (the mixture shouldn’t feel grainy if you try it between your fingers).
Lift the bowl off the heat and continue beating the meringue on medium-high speed until you achieve a stiff peak and the meringue has cooled down a bit, for about 4-5 minutes.
Spread on top of the cake and torch (moving the torch in circular pattern) to get a beautiful golden brown colour. Enjoy!
