Nigel Slater Rhubarb cinnamon polenta cake

Yield: Serves 8, 1 springform tin Ø 20 cm

Gritty, sugary crust meets slithery rhubarb. Enjoy it with the reserved juices from the cooked rhubarb.

Ingredients:

for the filling
• 500 grams rhubarb
• 50 grams golden caster sugar
• 4 tablespoons water

for the crust
• 125 grams coarse polenta
• 200 grams plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch ground cinnamon, freshly grated
• 150 g golden caster sugar
• 1 small orange, grated zest
• 150 grams butter
• 1 large egg
• 2-4 tablespoons milk; Ulrike: 30 ml

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Lightly oil or butter a 20 cm loose-bottomed cake tin, preferably springform. Set the oven at 180 °C/Gas 4 and put a baking sheet in it to get hot. Trim the rhubarb, cut each stem into short pieces and put them in a baking dish. Scatter over the sugar and water and bake for thirty to forty minutes, till the rhubarb is soft but still retains its shape. Remove the pieces of fruit from the dish and put them in a colander or large sieve to drain. Reserve the rhubarb juice to serve with the cake.
2. Put the polenta, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and caster sugar in a food processor. Add the grated orange zest and the butter, cut into smallish pieces, then blitz for a few seconds till you have something that resembles breadcrumbs. I sometimes prefer to do this by hand, rubbing the butter into the polenta with my fingertips as if I were making pastry. An extraordinarily peaceful thing to do if one has the time. Break the egg into a small bowl and mix with 2 tablespoons of milk, then blend into the crumble mix, either in the food processor or by hand. Take care not to over mix; stop as soon as the dry ingredients and liquid have come together to form a soft, slightly sticky dough. If it is not a little sticky, then add a touch more milk.
3. Press about two-thirds of the mixture into the cake tin, pushing it a couple of centimetres up the sides with a floured spoon. Make sure there are no holes or large cracks. Place the drained rhubarb on top, leaving a small rim around the edge. Crumble lumps of the remaining polenta mixture over the fruit with your fingertips, and don’t worry if the rhubarb isn’t all covered. Scatter over the Demerara sugar. Place on the hot baking sheet and bake for forty-five to fifty minutes, then cool a little before attempting to remove from the tin. Serve in slices, with the reserved rhubarb juice.

total: 1 hour 30 minutes
preparation: 10 minutes
cook: 75 minutes