Method

• Position an oven rack mid-oven, and preheat oven to 170 degrees C.
• Grease and line the bottom of an 8 inch cake pan with baking paper. Set aside.

Method

• Melt together in a shallow pan and over a moderate reduce by half.
• As with any sugar work watch like a hawk, and don’t stir, but rather swirl the pan.
• Meanwhile wash, de-string and cut your rhubarb into appropriate lengths to fit the bottom of your pan in a snug single layer. Bear in mind the rhubarb will shrink a little as it poaches. Carefully lay the rhubarb into the hot syrup and remove pan from the heat.

Prepare batter:

• In a small bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.
• In a large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, cardamom, cloves and vanilla essence until light and doubled in volume. Then stir in 3 eggs, one after the other. Tip a third of the dry ingredients into the creaming bowl and incorporate fully.
• Gently fold in the remainder, half at a time, with a gentle hand or mixer on slowest speed. Scrape down the sides of your bowl as your work.
• If the batter is too thick add a little milk at a time, until only just loose enough. It seems counter intuitive but adding milk to ‘lighten’ cake batters actually makes for a tougher finished product, because it enables the gluten in the flour. So use as little milk as you can get away with.

Bake cake:

• Line your prepared tin with a single layer of your poached rhubarb, and tip over enough syrup to fill any small gaps. Reserve the remaining syrup for serving.
• Tip in your batter, smooth it down, and gently tap the tin on the work surface to knock out any large air bubbles. Place in the oven and set a timer for 30min.
• From this point check your cake regularly through the oven door to ensure it isn’t colouring up to much; if it is cover with baking paper or foil.
• At 45min press the top of your cake lightly; if it springs back it is done; if not return to oven and check at 5 min intervals. Remove and allow cake to stand in its tin for 30min.
• To plate, cover the top of your cake tin with serving plate, and holding it in place, invert your tin. If the tin doesn’t immediately lift off, hold it firmly to the plate and give a couple of short sharp shakes. Lift the tin off and if necessary peel the baking paper from your cake.
• Drizzle a little of the reserved syrup over the top and allow to stand for a moment while you whip up labneh/creme fraice with icing sugar and rose water. Serve dollops along slices of your cake. Best enjoyed fresh with friends and family.