Prep time:

Cooking time: 1 hour

Total time:

Serves: 8

175g Softened Butter

175g Caster Sugar

3 Medium Sized Eggs, beaten

225g Self Raising Flour

75ml Milk

1tsp Vanilla Essnece

Stewed, Tender Pink Rhubarb

This is a sensible grown-up cake – an antidote to all the chocolate. Madeira is somehow more refined and ‘cakey’ than bouncy sponge cake and this one goes very well with just a hint of the first tender shoots of the pinkest rhubarb marbled through it (please note: this cake has been tested on some lifelong rhubarbaphobes and they both asked for another slice…)

  1. Grease and line a 1lb loaf tin and preheat the oven to gas 3/150°C (ie cooler than for the cupcakes)
  2. Beat the butter and sugar together for 5-10 minutes until the mixture is white and fluffy, then gradually add the eggs as you continue beating (I tend to add a little flour as I go to stop the mixture curdling).
  3. Carefully fold in the flour and vanilla essence, adding the milk until you have a thick, but dropping consistency.
  4. Spoon in the rhubarb (make sure it’s smooth with no lumps) and swirl around a little to make a marbled effect, but don’t over mix.
  5. Pour into the loaf tin and bake for around an hour, depending on your oven (check with a skewer near the end of the cooking time – if it comes out clean, the cake is ready). This cake will keep well in a tin for several days.

  • words:
  • pictures: David Merewether

You may also like

Peach & pistachio cake

This is an end of summer take on a Victoria sandwich, using peaches and mascarpone instead of jam and cream. Rose and lemon drizzle keeps the cake moist and rich, while pistachios add colour and a luxurious crunch.

Beetroot & feta salad

Beetroots are very easy to grow, and the great thing about home grown is that they can be picked when the roots are nice and small, which will make them sweeter when cooked (I roast them unpeeled in a low...

Grilled mackerel with roasted vegetables

It is the height of the mackerel season around our shores and this is such a tasty and very healthy fish, really easy to prepare and served on a simple dish of colourful Mediterranean vegetables.