An Easter surprise! Friends and I were going to have an egg-themed party during the long Easter weekend (side note: but it was great to have a 3-day weekend and a 4-day work week – petition to make that a norm please!).
I wanted to incorporate rhubarb into the recipe as the forced rhubarb season is coming to an end. I bought a few stalks and made a compote with it, adding freshly grated ginger and some crushed cardamom. I love how the ginger lifted the tanginess of the rhubarb.
As for the cake, it was initially going to be a cupcake, with the compote as a filling, but then I remembered that my flatmate has an egg-ring mould, so I ended up baking 2 cakes in a square pan and pressing the cake rounds out with the mould. To make it look like fried eggs, I used apricot halves and it turned out pretty realistic!
'Egg' cake with ermine frosting & rhubarb compote
- The rhubarb compote needs to cool in the fridge to thicken, so make it a few hours before assembling the cake or even better, the night before.
- I wanted some distinct pieces of rhubarb and because they all tend to disintegrate when cooked, which I stirred into the hob after the compote is cooked. It will soften in the jar.
- I drastically reduced the sugar in the rhubarb compote and it was sweet enough for me – best to taste the compote when it’s done and see if it is sweet enough for you. If not, add more sugar and stir over medium heat until dissolved.
- I baked the cake in two 8×8-inch square baking pans, and to make the circles, I used an egg ring mould to press them out.
- Leftover cakes can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge. Let the cake come up to room temperature before serving.
- Cake recipe adapted from Kim’s Cravings, rhubarb compote recipe adapted from BBC Good Food. Frosting recipe can be found here
Ingredients
Rhubarb compote:
- 350g (3½ thick stems) pink rhubarb
- 150g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
- Zest and juice ½ a lemon
- Thumb-sized fresh ginger, finely grated
- After cooking: 50g (½ thick stem) pink rhubarb, chopped into 1cm pieces
Cake:
- 240g (2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 115g (½ cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 160g (¾ cup + 1 tablespoon) white granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 225g (1 cup) sour cream
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Assembly:
- 2½ cups of Ermine frosting
- 4 apricot halves
Directions
Rhubarb compote:
- Wash the rhubarb under cold running water and slice into 1cm pieces. Set 50g of the rhubarb pieces aside to be stirred in at the end. Tip 350g of rhubarb into a plastic bowl and add 150g (¾ cup) sugar, zest and juice of half a lemon. Finely grate the peeled ginger directly over the rhubarb. Give it a good mix and cover with a plate/cling film, leaving it at room temperature for around 2 hours to allow the sugar to dissolve into the rhubarb juices.
- Set a saucepan over the hob at medium heat and scoop the 350g of rhubarb and all the sugary juices into it. Increase the heat to medium-high to bring the mixture to a boil. Continue to cook at a fairly swift pace, stirring frequently, until the rhubarb is really tender. When bubbles become larger and more rhythmic and start sputtering slightly violently, and the surface of the liquid is glossy and jewel-like, test the set. The compote should slide off the spatula in sheets or clumps or try to cling to the spatula when you bring it to eye level.
- Switch off the heat and stir in remaining 50g chopped rhubarb pieces. Leave on hob for 2-3 mins before pouring into a clean jam jar. Seal tightly and once cooled, place in the fridge.
Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F) and grease two 8×8-inch square baking pan with cooking spray or line with parchment and set aside.
- Whisk together 240g (2 cups) flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder and ½ teaspoon salt in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl, add 115g (½ cup) unsalted butter and 160g (¾ cup + 1 tablespoon) sugar. Use an electric mixer on medium speed to combine ingredients for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Scrape sides as needed and then add 2 large eggs, 225g (1 cup) sour cream and 2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix for 1 minute until combined and smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and gradually add the flour mixture. Mix until just combined and smooth, again, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Transfer half the batter into each prepared baking pan. Spread it out with a spatula. It will seem very thin, but don’t worry, it will bake up nice and fluffy.
- Bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until the cake is set and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. My cake was done in 30 minutes.
- Remove cake from oven and place pan on a wire rack to cool completely, about 15 minutes.
Assembly:
- When the cakes are cool, use the egg ring mould and stamp the rounds out from the cake.
- Spoon 2 tablespoon of frosting and smear to cover the surface. Spoon a tablespoon of compote at the centre of the cake.
- Cover another cake round with frosting and place on top of the cake with compote. Place an apricot half, faced down on the frosting.
earl grey thursday 