Gluten free rhubarb and rose cake

Yet another Rhubarb recipe, this one is combined with rose cordial in a gluten free cake mixture, satisfyingly tasty and better eaten the next day this a great recipe for lunch boxes in the summertime. Not overtly sweet the rhubarb really sings with the subtle hint of rose.

Currently in the garden rose "Gertrude Jekyll" is flowering prolifically,so this is the inspiration for this bake, a deep rose pink highly fragranced David Austin rose with ample double blooms. Roses always mean summer to me, their luscious fragrances and ample flowers and also quintessentially English.

A delicious bake with a good crumb studded with tangy juicy chunks of rhubarb.

What you need

• 3 or 4 talks rhubarb, washed and chopped into 1cm ish chunks
• 1 1/2 cups of ground almonds
• 1 cup of gluten free plain flour (I used Doves Farm)
• 150g softened butter
• 3/4 cup light brown soft sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 1 tbsp rose syrup
• 4 eggs - free range

23 cm cake tin, base lined (ideally loose bottomed or spring form)

What you do 

• Pre heat the oven to 180c
• Toss the prepared rhubarb into the flour and ground almond mixture
• Beat the sugar and softened butter together until light and slightly fluffy, add the vanilla and rose syrup
• Add the eggs one by one , don't worry to much if the mixture curdles slightly keep mixing, add a little of the flour / almond mixture
• Now fold in the rest of the flour, almond and rhubarb mixture
• Scrape into prepared cake tin and bake for about 45 mins or so , bake until golden, slightly risen and done when tested with a cocktail stick.
• Allow to cool in tin
• Wrap and store once cool, its has a better flavour if kept for 24 hours.

I am linking up this post to this month's Tea time treats , hosted in turn by Karen over on Lavender and Lovage and Hedgecomber. This month's theme is Floral, I think this more than qualifies.

                                                                 

I am also linking up to Ren Behan with her Simple and in Season campaign. As this is a very seasonal recipe as it features rhubarb from the garden and is decorated with fallen petals from Gertrude Jeykll rose.

                                             

CCC No 16 - Strawberry and rose swiss roll for South Lancashire CCC visit to Thru the Looking Glass, Wheelton (16th)

Summer is in full swing in Lancashire and we have been really lucky to snaffle a great venue for our June clandestine cake club meeting. Our meeting was hosted at the delightful vintage tearoom "Thru the Looking glass" tea room is situated in the quaint Lancashire village of Wheelton, just outside Chorley. This gorgeous vintage tea room is so cute and so beautiful, delightfully quirky and has beautiful teas, coffees and of course CAKE ! 

Lynn the owner is also a very talented Interior designer as well and she stocks a great range of fabrics and interior design products. Thru the Looking glass also prides its self in catering for gluten and lactose free diets as well. 

                                         

                           


                           

Delightful outside seating area

                                  

Our theme for our meeting was "Vintage Classics" taking its inspiration from the tea room and our members rose to the challenge wonderfully, producing an array of delightful summery vintage creations. My bake for this meeting was a Strawberry and Rose Swiss roll the recipe is below.

The cakes we enjoyed

• Toffee apple cake
• Black Forest cake
• Caramel cake
• Pineapple upside down cake
• Victoria sponge with cream
• Battenburg
• Cherry cake (apologies to Anne as I missed photographing your cake)
• Weetabix
• Strawberry and rose swiss roll

We had a wonderful time sipping tea and munching cake on a lovely sunny Lancashire evening, our members old and new had travelled from near and far and thoroughly enjoyed our hidden gem of a location. Many I am sure will be back in the near future to visit this lovely tea room.

What you need to make the strawberry and rose swiss roll

• 3 eggs - free range, separated
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 100g self raising flour - sifted 
• 170g caster sugar
• Fresh strawberries - hulled and halved and sliced
• 200ml double cream - whipped to soft peak stage
• 2 tbsp strawberry jam (thinned slightly with the cordial)
• Rose cordial
• Greased and lined swiss roll tin

What you do 

• Firstly pre heat your oven to 180c 
• Now whisk the egg yolks and vanilla paste with 3/4 of the caster sugar until pale, light and fluffy
• In a separate bowl now whisk the egg whites , gradually adding the remaining 1/4 of the caster sugar until you reach soft peak stage. I use my trusty Kitchenaid mixer.
• Now gently fold a large spoonful of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture to loosen it and the fold in most of the egg white mixture trying at all times to retain the air in the mixture, now sieve in the flour gently and fold in, finishing with the last of the egg white.
• Now that the mixture is well incorporated, pour into the prepared tin, smooth with a palette knife if necessary.
• Bake in the oven for 10 -15 minutes, until golden and well rise and tested cooked with a cocktail stick.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes in the tin
• On another piece of baking parchment turn out the sponge, quickly removing the top layer of paper.
• Using the remaining piece of baking parchment , gingerly roll the swiss roll up still containing the paper. This is so the roll can cool folded to prevent cracking.
• Whilst your roll is cooling, mix the whipped cream with the jam and rose cordial, just gently you are going for a ripple effect and prepare your strawberries.
• Once the sponge roll is cool, unroll and spread the whipped cream mixture across roll and the strawberries , then gently re roll using the paper to assist rolling it back up.
• When roll dust with icing sugar and decorate to your taste, I used strawberries and rose petals on a vintage plate inherited from my Nanna.

And here's a cheeky image of fellow blogger Rachel (Vintage Folly) suitably vintage styled enjoying the tea and cake !