Rhubarb-crumble Cake

Earlier this year, I set myself a challenge to tackle the art of baking...much to the delight of my colleagues, who have become spoilt rotten in the process :-). These days, their morning greeting is inevitably accompanied by surreptitious glances to check whether I happen to be carrying any boxes! My suggestion that baking cakes could be done in turns has so far fallen on deaf ears, but truth be told I am glad to have such a willing group of food critics (otherwise I might be tempted to eat all the pies myself!!!).

Here is tomorrow's cake delivery: rhubarb-crumple cake, the perfect way to adapt crumble for day-time eating.

Ingredients: 

For the dough:

25 g of fresh yeast

400 g flour

200 ml milk

80 g sugar 

1 medium-sized egg

80 g unsalted soft butter

salt

For the crumble:

150 g flour

50 g cornflour

100 g roughly chopped almonds

150 g sugar

150 g cold unsalted butter

For the topping:

1 kg rhubarb

2-3 tablespoons of sugar

Preparation: 

1. Place the flour in a large bowl and form a well in the middle. Heat the milk until it's just slightly warm. In a glass, mix the yeast, the sugar and about 1/4 of the milk until all ingredients are dissolved. Pour the yeast mixture and the remaining milk in the well, adding the egg and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Start mixing the ingredients using a fork, working from the inside to the outside. Once the dough starts coming together, add the butter and, using your hands this time, start kneading the dough until it is smooth but still slightly sticky (this is best done on a well-floured work surface). Return the dough to the bowl, cover and allow to rest for 1 hour in a warm draft-free spot. 

2. Place all ingredients for the crumble in a second bowl. Rub the butter, flour, sugar and almonds together until you have achieved that crumbly consistency. Place in the fridge. 

3. When the dough has risen, deflate it and place it in the middle of a baking tray (either well greased or covered with some baking paper). Spread the dough (using your hands) to the edges of the tray. The dough is going to be quite elastic, so you are going to have to put in a bit of an effort :-)

4. Wash and (where needed) peel the rhubarb and cut it into 5-7cm long sticks. Place these on the dough (pressing down slightly) until it's entirely covered. Sprinkle with the sugar and allow to rest for another 15 mins before adding the crumble. 

5. The cake goes into the pre-heated oven (180°C) for 35 mins. Then turn on the grill and allow to bake for an additional 5 mins until the crumble has that lovely golden color. 

Recipe adapted from: www.essen-und-trinken.de