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Rhubarb Cake

Prep
20 min
Bake
45 min
Rest and cook
1 hr
Total
2 hr 5 min
Makes
12 slices

Ingredients

Yeast dough

  • 2 ⅓ cups300 gall-purpose flourIn German recipes plain flour means soft wheat flour Type 405 unless stated otherwise. In the US use all-purpose flour; in the UK, plain flour.
  • ⅓ cubeyeastfresh. 1 cube = 42 g, so ⅓ cube is about 14 g. German recipes use either a 42 g cube of fresh yeast or a 7 g packet of dry yeast; one cube equals about two packets. In the US use active dry or instant yeast (one ¼ oz (7 g) envelope replaces half a cube of fresh yeast); in the UK, fast action dried yeast (7 g sachet per half cube), or fresh yeast from a supermarket bakery counter.
  • 7 tbsp100 mlmilkwarm
  • 1large eggGerman size M (US large)
  • 3 ½ tbsp50 gunsalted buttersoftened. German butter is unsalted and has about 82 percent fat. In the US use unsalted butter (European-style unsalted butter is closest); in the UK, unsalted butter.
  • 1 pinchsalt

Filling

  • 2 cups500 mlmilk
  • ¼ cup50 gpudding riceShort-grain rice for creamy rice pudding cooked in milk. In the US use arborio or another short-grain rice (not long-grain); in the UK, pudding rice.
  • 5 tbsp60 ggranulated sugar
  • 25 oz700 grhubarbtrimmed and peeled
  • 3large eggsGerman size M (US large)
  • ½ cup100 ggranulated sugar
  • 1 cup250 gquarkA fresh, mild and slightly tangy cheese with a spoonable texture, used in German cheesecakes, doughs and creams. In the US use full-fat Greek yogurt strained overnight, or farmer's cheese; in the UK, quark from the supermarket chiller (choose a full-fat one if you can find it).
  • ½ cup plus 2 tbsp80 gcornstarchA fine starch, usually made from corn, used to thicken creams and lighten cakes. In the US use cornstarch; in the UK, cornflour.
  • 2 tspvanilla sugar1 packet = 2 tsp (8 g). Sugar flavored with vanillin (artificial vanilla), sold in small packets of about 8 g. In the US use 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar for each 8 g packet; in the UK, vanilla sugar sachets, or 1 tsp vanilla extract plus 2 tsp sugar per sachet.

Method

Yeast dough

  1. For the yeast dough, make a well in the flour, crumble in the yeast, add a little sugar and cover with the warm milk. Let it rest for a few minutes until the yeast starts to foam.

  2. Add the remaining dough ingredients and knead for about 10 minutes into a smooth, elastic dough, then cover and let it rest for about 1 hour. The best time to cook the rice pudding is while the dough rests.

  3. After the rest, take off about ⅓ of the dough and roll out the rest on a floured work surface, then lay it in the greased springform pan.

Rhubarb rice pudding filling

  1. Trim and peel the rhubarb and cut it into thumb-sized pieces. Bring the rhubarb to a brief boil once, pour off the cooking water and set the rhubarb aside until the rest of the filling is ready.

  2. Cook the pudding rice with the milk, sugar & vanilla sugar according to the package directions. Then let it cool for about 30 minutes.

  3. Stir the quark, cornstarch, eggs, sugar & rhubarb into the rice pudding. Pour the filling into the springform pan, roll out the reserved dough, lay it on top and brush with a little egg if you like.

  4. Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (170°C) convection (fan) for about 50 minutes, then let it cool completely before releasing it from the pan.

From German Pastry Chef. Full recipe with photos: germanpastrychef.com/recipes/rhubarb-cake/