Classic Victoria Sponge with Rhubarb and Custard

I suppose that's a bit of a misnomer for a start.

After all, a classic Victoria Sponge, as beloved by the Queen it's named after, is filled with raspberry jam and cream.

But I had some rhubarb lurking in the fridge that I wanted to find a use for. I'd bought it at the weekend. An impulse buy. Partly initiated by the fact that I'd never actually prepared rhubarb myself before.

I remember my mum cooking it when I was little. My granddad used to grow it on his allotment, and so at this time of year, some of the crop would find its way home on the back of his bike.

Sometimes it would go into a crumble. More often than not, though, it would simply be stewed to an inch of its life alongside the Sunday roast. The rosiness of the rhubarb would glow against it's usual companion of pale golden custard.  

As a child, I didn't really enjoy the taste. Now, though, I can appreciate its tartness, especially when tempered with a light sweetness of sugar.

This cake takes a classic sponge and pairs it with rhubarb and some sweetened whipped cream, flavoured with a hint of custard powder. For me, it was just the right balance of sweet and tart. It's adapted from a recipe in Rachel Allen's Cake.

Something I'll definitely be making again.

Classic Victoria Sponge with Rhubarb and Custard

Ingredients

175g softened unsalted butter
175g golden caster sugar
3 medium eggs, lightly beaten
175g plain flour
1 tspn baking powder

For the filling
100g sliced rhubarb
50g caster sugar
100ml water
150ml double cream
1 tbspn custard powder
1 tbspn icing sugar

A little extra icing sugar, to dust

Preheat the oven to 160 Fan / 180 conventional / 350 Fahrenheit / Gas 4. Grease and baseline two 7 inch / 18cm loose bottomed cake tins.

First, prepare the rhubarb by placing it into a saucepan with the sugar and water. Bring to a boil and then simmer gently until softened (about 10 minutes). Turn the heat up a little and boil until it has thickened. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.

To make the sponges, cream the butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer, using the paddle, until light and fluffy. Gradually add the egg a little at a time, until it has mixed in. Sift the flour and baking powder into the bowl and gently fold it in until the mix is just incorporated but smooth.

Divide between the tins and smooth the surface. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 20 minutes, until risen and golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack and allowing to cool completely.

To complete the filling, beat the double cream with the custard powder and icing sugar until it is thick, but still spreadable. Swirl through some of the rhubarb, and then spread over the top of one of the sponges. Add a thin layer of the rhubarb (see picture), and then place the second sponge on the top. Dust with a little icing sugar.

Enjoy,

Susie


As the theme for this month's Alphabakes Challenge is 'R', I'm sending this over to Ros at the More Than Occasional Baker and Caroline at Caroline Makes. This month's host is Ros and the round up will appear on her blog at the end of the month.

As it's clearly rhubarb season, I'm also entering it into Simple and In Season, run by Ren at Ren Behan.