Strawberry Rhubarb Cake Bake

Lately I’ve seen so many recipes for rhubarb that I was craving a crisp, muffin, or anything that contained the tart fruit. I had never baked with rhubarb before and was excited to try something new. Fortunately I found a beautiful bunch of rhubarb at the Copley Square Farmers’ Market last week. Since strawberry and rhubarb is such a popular fruit combination, I picked up some perfect strawberries at the Haymarket Farmers’ Market in Boston over the weekend too ($1 for a container of strawberries – can you believe it!? Love farmers’ markets).

I gathered four different strawberry rhubarb recipes, from crisps, to muffins, and cake bakes. I couldn’t decide which recipe to go with, so I wound up combining a few and tweaking them enough to create my own Strawberry Rhubarb Cake Bake. Funk and I had this straight out of the oven last night for dessert when the strawberries and rhubarb were piping hot and oozing throughout the cake. This recipe was so good, and with whole wheat flour and real fruit filling, it is good for you.

I think it’d make a great breakfast cake, and did a recipe analysis to make sure it met my breakfast approval. This cake has only 180 calories per slice, and is a good source of fiber with 3g. While the sugar content is a bit higher than I’d choose in say a breakfast cereal (I like to see 10g of sugar or fewer), I think this cake will make a great breakfast treat topped with some strawberry soy yogurt. And did you know? June 9th is National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day! Of course you knew that, right?! Bake this treat to celebrate and enjoy the fruit of spring.

Ingredients:
3T soy margarine
1 bunch rhubarb chopped (about 3 cups)
1 container strawberries, sliced (about 1.5 cups)
3/4t salt
¾ cup sugar
½ cup vanilla soymilk
1 egg substitute (I used 1T ground flax mixed with 3T water)
1.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2t baking powder

1. Melt 3T margarine and pour into pie pan
2. Mix rhubarb and strawberries with ¼ teaspoon salt and ½ cup sugar
3. Add fruit to pie pan and stir until coated with margarine
4. Add milk and egg substitute and mix well.
5. In a separate container mix flour, baking powder, ¼ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon salt.
5. Mix dry ingredients with the fruit mixture until well blended.
8. Bake at 375F for 25 minutes on a baking sheet. Reduce heat to 275F and cover with foil and continue baking another 20 minutes.

Nutrition Information per 1 slice (makes 8 slices): 180 calories, 2.5g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 410mg sodium, 38g carbohydrate, 3g fiber, 21g sugar, 4g protein