Rhubarb Thyme Cakette with Lemon Zest Crumble
Our friend Rick lives just north of Boston on a beautiful farm and keeps our fridge stocked with fresh chicken eggs. Friday, we got an extra bonus when he brought us nearly 5lbs of RHUBARB. ‘Tis the season for all things rhubarb! This Cakette is kind of like an upside down lemon pound cake “topped” with deliciously tart rhubarb and a buttery crumble crust that is loaded with zest. Using a 7oz large muffin tray, this recipe will yield approx. 8 cakettes. You may also use a 9″ round spring form pan and increase the cook time accordingly (approx 1 hour).
INGREDIENTS:
For the Crumble:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs Lemon Zest
4 Tbs butter, melted
For the Rhubarb:
Macerated Rhubarb with Thyme
1 lb Rhubarb, sliced on the diagonal 1/4″ thick
1 Tbs fresh Thyme, minced
3/4 cup sugar
For the Cake:
1 stick butter, unsalted (plus more for buttering the tins)
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs lemon zest
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup greet yogurt, I like Fage 2%
PREPARATION:
Cakettes- Ready for the Oven
For the Crumble:
Mix together the dry ingredients with a fork. Toss in lemon zest. Add melted butter. Stir with fork until mixture is a crumbly consistency.
For the Rhubarb:
Place sliced rhubarb in a medium mixing bowl. Add thyme and sugar. Toss to evenly distribute and let sit a minimum of 5 minutes to release juices, mixing once.
For the Cake:
Preheat oven to 350F
Generously butter the muffin tin.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer combine butter and sugar. Beat on medium speed with the paddle attachment until the mixture is pale and creamy. Beat in lemon zest and juice. Add eggs, one at a time. Continue mixing on medium until mixture is beautifully
Ready to flip and cool:)
smooth. Scrape down sides when necessary.
Turn the mixer to low. In three increments, add the flour mixture and yogurt- alternating between the two and scraping down the side of the bowl when necessary. Be careful not to over mix. Turn up to medium-high for 3 seconds to smooth out mixture, then immediately stop.
Place 1 layer of rhubarb in the bottom of the muffin tin. Add approx 1/2 cup of cake batter and top with a solid layer of lemon zest crumble.
Bake for 25 min. When a tooth pick comes out clean, immediately remove from oven and run a thin blade knife around the edge of each cakette. Allow to cool for 2 minutes in the tin before gently flipping over onto cooling rack. Enjoy with afternoon tea or with a dollop of greek yogurt or vanilla ice-cream for a spring-come-summer dessert.
