Rhubarb, almond and blood orange cake

Method

Step 1

Use a little melted butter to brush a 23cm round cake tin and line it with a disc of greaseproof or silicone paper.

Step 2

Wash the rhubarb and slice two thirds of it into hazelnut-sized pieces. The shape does not matter, but they should be evenly sized. Mix with the orange zest and most of the juice. Set aside.

Step 3

For the topping, slice the remaining rhubarb into 5cm-long sticks and finely shred. Place in a small bowl and sprinkle with a little sugar.

Step 4

In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter, sugar, soured cream and eggs until foamy. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, almonds and a pinch of salt, and pass through a sieve.

Step 5

Heat the oven to 180°C/fan oven 160°C/mark 4. Pour the liquids into the flour and mix together, quickly but carefully. Finally add the chopped rhubarb, folding all together quickly and gently until blended. Do not over-stir, as this will make the cake heavy.

Step 6

Scoop the mixture into the cake tin and use a large knife or a spatula to smooth the top. Sprinkle the shredded rhubarb on top in one layer. Bake for 45-50 minutes until puffed and golden. Test with a skewer – it should be clean when removed from the centre. Cool a little, then remove from the tin and peel away the paper.

Step 7

To make the icing, stir a little of the remaining blood-orange juice into the icing sugar until smooth. Drizzle the icing over the top of the cake, allow to dry a little and then dust with extra icing sugar.

Step 8

Serve with coffee or tea, or as a dessert with slices of blood orange and a scoop of vanilla ice cream or clotted cream