Rhubarb Cake

Here's a recipe for another rhubarb treat that you probably have never tried. This desert uses the tartness of rhubarb to accent the sweet flavor of the cake. Cover that in streusel topping and a rich vanilla sauce and you'll have one unique, delicious desert that will both impress and surprise those you serve it to.


Rhubarb Cake

2 T butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
2 cups chopped rhubarb

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar; beat in the egg. Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt alternately with the milk. Fold in rhubarb. Pour into a greased 9 inch baking dish.

Streusel Topping

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 T melted butter

Combine ingredients and sprinkle bits of streusel over the cake batter. Bake the cake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean; cool.

Vanilla Sauce

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Melt butter in saucepan. Add sugar and milk; bring to a boil. Cook and stir until sauce is smooth. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Serve sauce over slices of cake.

Rhubarb Nutrition

You may often hear about how some foods are powerhouses in a specific nutrient. For example, you might reach for a banana to get potassium or an orange for some vitamin C. Rhubarb isn't a superfood in any particular nutrient, but it does provide a modest amount of many different nutrients.

For one thing, rhubarb is a good source of dietary fiber. It provides about 2 grams of fiber in every 100 gram serving. It is also a good source of vitamin C, vitamin K, potassium, and manganese. The calcium content in rhubarb is high, but it isn't in a form that can be used by the body.

With less than 30 calories in a 1/2 cup serving, rhubarb doesn't really have a huge impact on your daily caloric intake. I'm not suggesting that there should be a rhubarb diet (there are already plenty of fad diets out there). Just enjoy it like every food should be enjoyed--in moderation.

Rhubarb Nutrition

Rhubarb Cookies

Oh yes, I'm just getting started with these recipes. You would be surprised how many great treats can be made using rhubarb. This recipe is for a soft, chewy cookie with a rhubarb jam-like topping that goes perfectly with the sweetness of the cookie. You need to try this one out!


Rhubarb Cookies

1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
4 eggs
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Filling:
1 3/4 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb (thaw frozen rhubarb)
3/4 cup sugar
3 T water, divided
2 T cornstarch
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. For filling, combine the rhubarb, sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets. using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in the middle of each cookie; fill with a rounded teaspoon of filling. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Yields about 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

Rhubarb Cookies

Rhubarb Crunch

You may be familiar with a popular dessert called apple crisp. A somewhat similar dessert can be made with rhubarb in lieu of the apples. This is a deliciously tart-yet-sweet rhubarb treat under a layer of sweet pastry. It goes great with some vanilla ice cream.


Rhubarb Crunch

4 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup flour

Mix above ingredients together and spread evenly in an 8" X 8" or 9" X 9" pan.

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup oats

Mix above ingredients thoroughly and spread over the rhubarb mixture. Press down gently. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Rhubarb Crunch

Is Rhubarb Poisonous?

It seems to me that a lot of people hear about the rhubarb plant being toxic. Rhubarb does contain a toxic chemical compound called oxalic acid. However, most of this oxalate is in the leaves. An average person would have to eat a huge amount (over 10 pounds) of the toxic leaves to cause death. You would obviously get quite sick from eating just a fraction of that amount, so I wouldn't really recommend eating the leaves for any reason.

The rhubarb stalks contain a negligible amount of the oxalic acid, so they are completely safe for consumption. To be safe, be sure to cut the leaves off of the rhubarb when you harvest it and instruct children to eat only the stalk.

Is Rhubarb Poisonous?

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Recipe

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Recipe

Though making a delicious pie is not the only use of rhubarb, it seems to be the most popular and best loved. The key to any successful rhubarb food is using fruit and sugar to balance and complement the strong tart flavor of the rhubarb. The following is the recipe for the strawberry rhubarb pie that I grew up with and loved. I have made this pie for many different groups and it never fails to impress. Even rhubarb skeptics have been pleasantly surprised by the unique, wonderful flavor this pie has to offer. I have even included a tried and true recipe for the pie crust.


Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Crust:

2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

4 to 5 tablespoons cold water

Cut shortening into flour and salt until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle in water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons water can be added if necessary).

Gather pastry into a ball; divide into halves and shape each half into a flattened round on lightly floured surface. Roll pastry 2 inches larger than inverted 9 inch pie plate with floured rolling pin. Fold one round into quarters; unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.

Filling:

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 cups strawberries, cut into quarters

2 tablespoons margarine or butter

.

Mix sugar and flour. Turn half of the rhubarb and strawberries into pastry-lined pie plate; sprinkle with half of the sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining fruit and sugar mixture; dot with butter. Cover with top crust that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. Sprinkle with sugar if desired. Cover edge with 2 to 3 inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Bake at 425 degrees until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, 40 to 50 minutes.

You may also omit the strawberries and use 4 cups of rhubarb for an all rhubarb pie. In that case, you may want to increase the sugar to 1 2/3 cups.

The Rhubarb Plant

The Rhubarb Plant

Not much is commonly known about rhubarb, though many people have experienced the bliss of eating a slice of strawberry rhubarb pie. The rhubarb plant is botanically considered a vegetable. It is a perennial plant, regrowing its stalks and leaves from the root each growing season. The thick stalk, colored with different shades from crimson to light green, is the edible part of the plant.

By itself, rhubarb has a very strong tart, sour taste. However, when used with sweet fruit, like berries, its tart taste is a great complement to the flavor of a dish. Although known as a pie plant, it can be used in many different foods, such as cookies, jams, and juice. Rhubarb is a wonderful, unique vegetable that should be used in every cook's kitchen.

The Rhubarb Plant