Rhubarb Polenta Cake

My humble little rhubarb plant has been quite the producer this season. Before the really warm weather sets in and slows down her production, I plan to make this Rhubarb Polenta Cake at least one more time. I discovered the recipe in Tender, Volume II by Nigel Slater and it's one of the best rhubarb recipes I've come across in a very long time. If you prefer your rhubarb with a few strawberries, I'm sure the recipe would not suffer from a combination of both. 


Rhubarb Polenta Cake
serves 8

filling:
500 g rhubarb
50 g sugar
4 tbsp water

crust:
125 g polenta or yellow cornmeal*
200 g flour
1 tsp baking powder
pinch ground cinnamon
150 g sugar .634 cups
zest of one orange
150 g butter
1 large egg
2-4 tbsp milk
1 tbsp Demerara or raw sugar

Lightly butter a 20cm (8 or 9-inch) loose-bottomed cake tin, preferably springform. Set the oven at 180C/Gas 4/350F 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 30-40 minutes, until 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.

Put the polenta, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and sugar in a food processor. Add the grated orange zest and the butter, cut into smallish pieces, then pulse for a few seconds until you have something that resembles breadcrumbs. You can also do this by hand, rubbing the butter into the polenta with your fingertips or a pastry cutter. Break the egg into a small bowl and mix with 2 tablespoons of the milk, then blend into the polenta mixture, 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 isn't a little sticky, add a touch more milk.

Press about two-thirds of the dough into the cake tin, pushing it up the sides slightly. 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 dough 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 45-50 minutes, then cool a little before attempting to remove the tin. Serve in slices, with the reserved rhubarb juice.

*I used locally grown and milled cornmeal from Breakneck Acres in Ravenna, Ohio.