Be-bop-a-Roo-bop-a-Rhu-Barb-Pie

That funny little song that Garrison Keillor intones on Prairie Home Companion runs a continuous loop in my mind whenever I cook with, as one of my young student chefs calls it, “that red celery stalk.” That doesn’t happen too often, and it usually manifests in this lively tart dessert.

Adapted from a recipe that I found in the April 2007 issue of Gourmet, it is wonderfully simple and delicious. I have made it for dinner parties with roaring success. We teach this recipe to the kids in our cooking camps, who gleefully bring the cake home to the adulation of their families.

It’s a cross between cake-cobbler-pie-clafoutis; a little gooey, fruit-juicy, and yet cake-crumby, the pudding cake name dubbed by Gourmet is probably its best moniker.

Let me stress its wonderful simplicity. Scan the recipe ingredients: other than the fruits, you’ve got Bakery 101 stuff: flour, sugar, butter, vanilla….one egg! Prep time is an easy 15 minutes. The rhubarb-strawberry pudding cake then bakes for about 30 minutes. So, in under an hour, you’ve got a fresh springtime dessert.

Lovers of rhubarb will be elated. Deniers of rhubarb will be pleasantly surprised. Or not know.

Typically baked in an 8″x8″ square pan, (and later cut into square sized pieces) I chose this time to make it in a 9″ springform pan. I wanted a round shape, with batter and fruit expanded over a slightly larger area, making it not as tall and cakey, but more pie-like. Both ways work well.

You can serve your pudding cake garnished with creme fraiche, or lightly sweetened whipped cream. But it is soooooo good just by itself, enjoyed with a nice cup of coffee.

Rhubarb-Strawberry Pudding Cake adapted from Gourmet, April 2007
¼ cup water
1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
1/3 and ½ cups sugar
3 cups chopped fruit—I prefer 2 cups chopped rhubarb, 1 cup strawberries, -
any variation you choose
1 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
½ cup milk
1 stick butter—melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and put oven rack in the middle position. Butter an 8”x8” ceramic or glass baking pan. Stir together the water, cornstarch, and 1/3 cup sugar in a saucepan and heat. Stir in the rhubarb, if you are using it—but not the strawberries. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about three minutes. Remove from heat and add the strawberries.

Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, salt, and the remaining ½ cup sugar. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients: egg, milk, butter, vanilla.

Now add the dry ingredients to the wet, and stir in until well combined. Do not overbeat.

Coat the bottom of the baking pan with ½ of the fruit mixture. Spread the batter over that, then dollop the remaining fruit mixture on the top. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick—if it comes out clean, it’s done!

Allow to cool on a rack for at least 5 minutes before serving. This can be served warm or served later at room temperature. Wrap and refrigerate leftovers, if there are any.

Makes 8-10 servings.

1. Judy Says:
   June 10th, 2009 at 5:34 am

   This looks so delightful and appealing for any meal, even breakfast. Bravo, Nancy!

2. BAN Says:
   June 11th, 2009 at 6:42 am

   I was both sad and relieved when I ate the last piece of this cake-tart. Now I don’t have to think about it, knowing that there’s none left to tempt me. I don’t need these calories! Very very good and not too sweet.

3. veg head Says:
   June 12th, 2009 at 6:25 am

   Pucker UP! Yum. I love rhubarb!

4. patti Says:
   June 15th, 2009 at 6:29 am

   I’m not in love with rhubarb; would this work with other fruits, like peaches?

5. goodfoodmatters Says:
   June 15th, 2009 at 6:59 am

   You can make this recipe exclusively with strawberries—-just don’t cook them in the simple syrup.
   I suspect that blueberries or peaches would be rather splendid rhubarb substitutions.

6. claudia (cook eat FRET) Says:
   June 18th, 2009 at 12:15 pm

   oh i’d LOVE this one
   because i love cake
   and i love pudding
   and this would solve ALL MY PROBLEMS

7. Heather Says:
   June 22nd, 2009 at 12:04 am

   Beautiful pictures!

8. Kelly H-Y Says:
   June 23rd, 2009 at 3:04 pm

   My mouth is watering just reading the recipe and looking at the pictures!!!

9. Sarah Frances Hardy Says:
   June 25th, 2009 at 8:02 am

   Absolutely delicious! My favorite combo is sweet and tart. My daughter and I had a great time cooking this.

   Loved meeting you last week, and I am still in awe over all that you do.

   Sarah Frances