Rustic Rhubarb and Almond Cake

    I told you I'd be back with more rhubarb recipes... I am being very aggressive this year cutting and using the stalks of our eight enormous rhubarb plants.  They become so large that the leaves shade and kill surrounding grass.  Unfortunately, those conditions also provide the perfect habitat for slugs.  So I'm using up the rhubarb as fast as I can.  Yesterday I made a quadruple batch of Rhubarb Syrup (recipe HERE).  This evening friends of ours, who just returned from Italy, will join us for an al fresco dinner that will begin with glasses of Rhubarb Syrup and Prosecco.            
    Tomorrow I will make Rhubarb Chutney (recipe HERE) in an attempt to use up even more rhubarb.  And when I run out of any desire to eat another rhubarb dessert, bread/muffin or condiment, I will dice it and freeze it.

     This rustic Rhubarb and Almond Cake is my kind of dessert.  It's full of ground almonds and tart rhubarb; a dense cake that bakes for close to 80 minutes.  I made it late last night, and when I walked into my kitchen this morning, the intense almond scent made me feel as though I had just walked into a French patisserie.  Not a bad way to start the day!

    
    I have sampled (as my husband has also) a few small bites (I had to be sure it tasted as good as it smells).  The cake will finish our dinner tonight outdoors (most likely with a little whipped cream that has been sweetened with rhubarb syrup). 
   Yes... this is definitely my favorite time of the year!

+  adapted recipe | Alison Roman | Bon Appétit, April 2015

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
• 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, plus more for pan
• 1 pound rhubarb stalks, trimmed
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup blanched almonds (I substituted just slightly less almond flour)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

SPECIAL EQUIPMENT:  One 11x8-inch tart pan or one 9-inch diameter tart pan, both with removable bottoms.

1.   Preheat oven to 350°. Butter tart pan and sprinkle with sugar, tapping out excess. Slice rhubarb in half lengthwise (quarter if very large). Set 8 of the prettiest pieces aside for the top of the cake; chop remaining rhubarb into 1/2" pieces. Pulse flour, almonds, baking powder, and salt in a food processor until almonds are finely ground (texture should be sandy).
2.  Place 1 cup butter and 3/4 cup sugar in a large bowl. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; reserve pod for another use. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to blend first egg before adding second. Beat until mixture is pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes.
3.  Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients, followed by yogurt. Beat, scraping down the sides of bowl as needed, just to combine (batter will be thick). Fold in chopped rhubarb and scrape batter into prepared pan. Smooth batter and arrange reserved rhubarb over top; sprinkle with remaining 3 tablespoons sugar.
4.  Place tart pan on a large rimmed baking sheet (to catch any rogue juices) and bake, rotating once, until cake is golden brown and rhubarb on top is soft and beginning to brown, 70–80 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cake cool before removing from pan.
DO AHEAD:  Cake can be baked 3 days ahead. Keep tightly wrapped at room temperature.

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