Rhubarb crumble cake

I had grave doubts about this recipe but they were all unfounded (although I did adapt it a bit).  Hubby says the only thing it's missing is a great big dollop of custard.


You will need a 23 or 25cm square tin.  The recipe I had said 23cm but I used 25cm tin.
The recipe says serves 8 and, for pudding, I'd agree, but for a little treat with coffee you can cut into 16.
Ingredients

• 300g rhubarb
• Juice of half a lemon
• 175g caster sugar (I'm pretty sure granulated will work too)
• 175g softened unsalted butter or soft marg (I used soft marg)
• 175g self raising flour
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsps vanilla extract

and for the topping

• 25g unsalted butter
• 4 tbsp self raising flour
• 2 tbsp caster sugar (or granulated, or soft brown)
• 2 tsps ground ginger

Method

• When the cake goes into the oven you need it heated to 160˚C.
• Grease and line (or use Lakeland magic baking parchment and don't grease) your 23cm or 25cm tin
• Wash and trim rhubarb into 3cm pieces.  I had chunky rhubarb so cut it into 3cm lengths and then chopped the lengths so they were about 1.5cm max wide.
• Pop rhubarb in a bowl with the lemon juice.  I might omit this next time as I have no idea how this helps the recipe.
• In a separate bowl rub the flour and butter for the topping together and then add topping sugar and ginger.  Mine looked like this.

• In a separate bowl beat together (using the all in one method) the flour, butter (or marg), eggs, and sugar.  This needs to be light and well beaten.  It can probably be overbeaten but I have no idea how you know when to stop.
• Fold in half the rhubarb.  This is a ridiculous instruction - just do your best.
• Put the resultant mixture in your tin and spread it around using a spatula.  This was also ridiculous and I ended up shoving the rhubarb around the tin to try and make it evenly spread around the tin.
• Scatter the remaining rhubarb over the top in a random but evenly placed way.  (Just do your best.)  My random evenness looked like this.

• Spoon the crumble topping over the top and it should look a bit like this.

• Bung it in the oven for about 40 minutes.  You need to use your eyes to judge whether it's turned a gorgeous colour before you whip it out.
• Now the recipe contains pretentious twaddle about dusting with icing sugar and serving with créme fraîche and honey.  In this house we're happy with either cream, custard, ice cream or just the cake on its own.

Lovely. Yum.