Rhubarb Almond Lemon Cake
Ingredients
1/2 cup salted butter softened to room temperature
Zest of 1 lemon
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 large eggs
1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoons salt
½ cup full-fat sour cream
2 cups rhubarb, diced into small cubes
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375ºF. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan (or springform pan) with cooking spray and set aside. If you plan to completely remove the cake from the pan to serve, line the pan with parchment paper before adding the cake batter.
Place the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl, for use with a hand mixer). Zest the lemon into the sugar. Use a rubber spatula to press the zest into the sugar, until evenly distributed. Remove ¼ cup of the sugar and zest mixture and set aside for later use.
Next, add the softened butter to the bowl with the zested sugar and whip together the butter and 1 cup of the sugar (the other ¼ will go on top) until pale and fluffy, about five minutes.
Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Beat in the lemon juice and almond extract.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar and butter mixture, alternating with sour cream. Try to begin and end with the flour mixture, mixing until just combined after each addition.
Gently fold the diced rhubarb into the cake batter using a rubber spatula. Spread the batter in the prepared baking pan. Sprinkle the reserved ¼ cup of sugar evenly over the top of the cake batter.
Bake for ~40 minutes, until the top is crackly and lightly browned and the center still jiggles just a bit. A toothpick inserted in the center will have moist crumbs.
Let the cake cool completely in the pan and then serve.
Recipe modified from www.tastesoflizzyt.com by Alex Chesney, RD