Rhubarb Confetti Cake

I don't know what happend last season but somehow my husband & I totally missed the rhubarb window. We were in New York, maybe they don't have a season? Now we're in Honolulu the first stalks have appeared! To make up for last year's lack, our fridge has been stocked with stalks for the last few weeks. As delicious as rhubarb pie is, I've been getting tired of that baked-out jelly flavor and finding the crisp tartness of fresh rhubarb much more alluring. I tried to put together a cake that somehow managed to capture that. I made a pretty good one, but I think I failed on the overall crisp-tart thing. Cake just may not be the perfect vehicle. The search continues.



Cutting the rhubarb really small helps it cook quicker, and letting the vegetable (yes, vegetable) soak for a while draws the juices out, lets you skip adding liquid elswhere and prevents the whole thing from getting too soggy.

Rhubarb Confetti Cake

2 cups rhubarb, finely diced
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs

Throw the rhubarb, lemon juice & sugar together in a bowl & let sit for 30 minutes to an hour.

Butter & flour a 9x9 baking dish. Preheat your oven to 400˚F. Melt the butter & let cool. Mix together the flour, baking soda & salt. Lightly beat the eggs with the cooled butter and stir in the rhubarb mixture. Add the liquid mixture to the dry and blend until just combined. Pour into baking dish, sprinkle with a little more sugar perhaps, & bake for 25-30 minutes until almost done (a cake tester comes out with a few crumbs, no globs) & just golden around the edges. Since this cake isn't turned out to cool, it continues to cook quite a bit more once it's out of the oven.

Cardamom Limeade

The subtle cardamom flavor complements the lime nicely. I like my limeade a little on the strong side & served with a glassful of crushed ice. As the ice melts its crisp, cold taste swirls with the limey-ness & dances on your tongue without ever becoming watery.

The finished beverage gets it’s slightly tea-colored hue from the turbinado sugar I like to use. It’s less refined than white sugar and therefore a little more healthy. Plus I prefer the taste: it’s more round and carmel-y without having an overbearing brown sugar flavor.



It is helpful to roll the limes on the cutting board to loosen the juices. Some people zap the fruit in the microwave for a few seconds, but not having a microwave I haven’t personally tested this method.

Whisking the sugar is tiresome & could be avoided if you have a little simple syrup (one part water, one part sugar boiled together for a few hours) on hand. I did not. In any case, letting the cardamom steep overnight will dissolve whatever sugar crystals remain.



This recipe also makes for a killer Arnold Palmer! Usually half-lemonade, half-iced tea, subbing this limeade really kicks it up a notch. I would recommend some simple sun tea for the other half: four bags Lipton in one gallon of water left in the sun for an afternoon.




Cardamom Limeade

1/2 cup lime juice (6 to 8 limes)
1/2 cup raw turbinado sugar
2 cups cold water
6 pods green cardamom

Juice the limes into a medium mixing bowl. Be sure to keep a few thin slices for garnish!

Whisk the sugar into the lime juice.

Add the water & throw in the cardamom pods whole. Leave to soak for a few hours or overnight.

Strain & serve in a tall glass filled with crushed ice and a thin slice of lime.

Makes two to four servings.