Spring Recipe

RHUBARB! I love rhubarb! My grandma use to grow it and made strawberry rhubarb pie & stewed rhubarb. I have had a "history" trying to grow rhubarb. When they had to replace a septic system at my husbands grandmother's they had to dig through her large patch of rhurbarb so knowing how much I loved rhurbarb, my father-in-law kept as many plants as he could find containers for and brought them to our house. Even though it was not the time of year to transplant it, all of the plants made it through the first year. I figured I should put them in two different places just in case one location was not a good one. One was by the garden and the other was in a herb garden. I left them alone that first year, not wanting to tramatize them further by harvesting some. So I anxiously waited to see them come back up the next spring - which they did! I should also explain this is the rare very red rhurbarb - I do not know the name, but have not found any like it since! Well I carefully marked the patch by the garden with a bright blue pole and let a note for the man that was going to till up our garden "please do not till up the rhurbarb marked by the blue pole. When I pulled in the drive later that day I glanced out to the freshly tilled garden - THERE WAS NO BLUE POLE! He had ignored the note, removed the pole and TILLED THE RHURBARB UNDER! I was beside myself! It took it another year to come back up, but it was never the same.......the other patch did ok for a few years then it didn't come back up either. During that time I had taken two starts and given to a cousin that wanted some of "grandma's rhurbarb". Well both of those starts were either sprayed with weed killer &/or repeatedly mowed off by her husband. So unfortunately there is not any more of "grandma's rhurbarb" left. So I bought new plants when we moved, both of which said they were "red rhurbarb". This is the first year I could pick some - it is not red! Well anyway, my youngest (19) daughter has been asking for a rhurbarb cake......it is the only way she will eat rhurbarb. A very dear friend of mine (Maxine) gave me a recipe for rhubarb cake many, many years ago. She has long since passed away, but I think of her every time I make this cake along with a favorite aunt of my husbands (Norma Jean who is also gone). At every family reunion or get together, her first question to me was - "did you make rhubarb cake?" So I found the old, faded recipe card and made her a rhurbab cake. Below are the pictures.

                             The batter of this cake is very good! Probably because of the buttermilk!

Batter sprinkled with cinnamon/sugar 

Fresh out of the oven!

This is the well worn recipe card.

RHUBARB CAKE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1/2 cup margarine (I use butter)

1 1/2 cup sugar

Cream well then add:

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

Beat well, then add:

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

pinch of salt

Blend well then add:

2 cups rhubarb cut into 1/2" pieces

Pour into greased 9x13 pan. Mix together 1/4 cup sugar & 1 tsp. cinnamon, sprinkle on top of batter.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.

Enjoy!