My sister and I popped into the local farm market the other day and I picked up some beautiful fresh rhubarb. It was so bright pink/red that I could not wait to use it! I had in mind to make a cake of some sort.
I was going to make a Rhubarb Upside Down Cake, which would have showcased the red color of the rhubarb perfectly, and then I remembered this delightful cake!
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The recipe for this cake comes from the pages of my Big Blue Binder and it is quite simply a fabulous recipe. Its a pretty basic no frills cake, but don't let the simplicity of it fool you into thinking its not special!
This is a beautiful cake with a soft delicate crumb. It melts in the mouth. Top that with the earthy tang of tart rhubarb and the sweet crunch of sugar and almonds and you have a pretty unbeatable combination!
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There are no bells and whistles with this cake. No frills. No streusel crumb, or custard filling. Its just a simple cake.
You might even be tempted to overlook it, but that will all change once you bit into it. Each mouthful is a delightful combination of flavors and textures.
Its equally at home on the breakfast table with a hot drink for breakfast or brunch, or for elevensies . . . but add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or some softly whipped cream and it is transformed into a delicious dessert with the taste of spring in every mouthful!
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Rhubarb is a really hearty perennial, and has always been a real favorite with me. When I was a child my mother would treat my siblings and I to a stalk each of it in the spring and a small bowl of sugar.
We loved it. We would sit there dipping the cut end of our stick of rhubarb into the sugar and biting it off, sucking all the sugar off as we went. What a treat that was for us. Our cheeks would be aching with the tartness of it, but every bite was pure delight!
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE NORWEGIAN RHUBARB CAKE
Other than the rhubarb you will only need basic store cupboard/baking cupboard ingredients, and if you are lucky enough to grow your own rhubarb, you won't need to pop to the store for anything!
- 1 1/2 cup (210g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup (150g) butter
- 3/4 cup (150g) fine granulated sugar
- 2 large free range eggs
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
- 2 cups (250g) fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 TBS granulated sugar
- 2 TBS flaked almonds
- icing sugar to dust
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My sticks of rhubarb were not overly large. Its still young rhubarb, and so very tender, and brightly colored. I used roughly three sticks.
If you don't have fine granulated sugar, you can give it a quick whirl in the food processor to break it down a bit.
Just use regular all purpose flour. (plain flour in the UK) I use large eggs, always free range. There is no need to add any flavoring, but if you wanted to you could add 1 tsp vanilla. Its not really necessary though.
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HOW TO MAKE NORWEGIAN RHUBARB CAKE
This is a very delicious and simple to make cake. You best prepare to fall in love.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a deep 8-inch round cake tin and line the bottom with baking paper. (A spring-form or other loose-bottomed pan works great here.)
Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs a bit at a time until well combined.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add to the creamed mixture, alternately with the milk, making three dry and two wet additions. Blend well together and then spread in the prepared tin.
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Arrange the pieces of rhubarb over the top of the cake pushing them in a tiny bit. Try not to overlap them. Sprinkle with the 2TBS of sugar and the almonds. (I try to do the rhubarb in a circular pattern.)
Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.
Dust with icing sugar and serve warm, cut into wedges. Cream or ice cream are awfully nice with this.
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If you are lucky enough to have a glut of rhubarb, you may find that these other rhubarb recipes will come in handy!
RASPBERRY AND RHUBARB EVE'S PUDDING - A delicious fruit filling which bakes beneath the thatch of a lush rich cake topping. This is excellent served with ice cream or pouring cream. Raspberry and rhubarb are great mates!
ROLY POLY RHUBARB PUDDING - Biscuit (scone) dough is wrapped around a rhubarb filling, jelly roll style, cut and sliced and then baked in a pan with a sweet sauce poured over top. This is a fabulously hearty and delicious dessert!
ROASTED RHUBARB AND PROPER CUSTARD - A quintessentially most British dessert. Much beloved. The rhubarb is all soft, tart and sweet and the custard spooned over top adds a really special touch. The two flavors set each other off perfectly.
I adore rhubarb season! Don't you???
Norwegian Rhubarb Cake
Yield: Makes one 8-inch round cake
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 55 Min
Nothing fancy here. Just an incredibly delicious, simple cake with a delicate crumb. The tang of rhubarb on top, plus the crunch of almonds and sugar make this the ideal cake to enjoy with a hot drink!
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup (210g) plain all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup (150g) butter
- 3/4 cup (150g) fine granulated sugar
- 2 large free range eggs
- 1/2 cup (120ml) whole milk
- 2 cups (250g) fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 TBS granulated sugar
- 2 TBS flaked almonds
- icing sugar to dust
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a deep 8-inch round cake tin and line the bottom with baking paper.
- Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs a bit at a time until well combined.
- Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together. Add to the creamed mixture, alternately with the milk, making three dry and two wet additions. Blend well together and then spread in the prepared tin.
- Arrange the pieces of rhubarb over the top of the cake pushing them in a tiny bit. Try not to overlap them. Sprinkle with the 2TBS of sugar and the almonds.
- Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing.
- Dust with icing sugar and serve warm. Cream or ice cream are awfully nice with this.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
I have to say right up front that I think my recipe for my mom's pancakes is the best pancake recipe ever. I know everyone thinks that their mom makes the best pancakes! But I am not kidding you when I say that this recipe is the best.
It makes the lightest, fluffiest pancakes on earth. They are so light and fluffy they practically float off the plate. They are also very easy to make. There is nothing complicated here. They also turn out perfectly each and every time you make them! I guarantee!
Once you try this recipe you may be so happy with the results that you simply won't want to try another recipe again, but then again . . . can you ever have too many pancake recipes? I think not!
What you have here though is a bare bones, no-nonsense, no fuss no muss, basic pancake recipe. The bar against which you will judge all others.
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My mom was a bare bones, no-nonsense kind of a cook. If something needed special ingredients she wouldn't give it the time of day. There was nothing like vanilla in her pancakes. They were plain and simple, and they were delicious.
What made them even more so was the fact that we only got them once a year. On pancake day. We would so have loved them at other times but that was mom. She didn't want to spoil us.
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She would cook them on this large circular aluminum griddle pan she got with her Wear-Ever cook set back in 1954. Those pans lasted my mother all of her lifetime, and my sister still uses them.
These are the original papers that came with the set of pans. Mom still had it. You can see on the receipt that they cost my parents $298.25. That was a considerable amount of money in 1954.
My mother never parted with money easily, so you can be sure that she felt these pans were worth it, and I can tell you she used them for over 60 years! A few of them warped a bit on the bottom, but for the most part they remained useful for all that time.
Like I said my sister still uses some of them, in particular the turkey roaster. That roaster oven roasted over 100 turkeys in its lifetime! And every one of them perfect!
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MOM'S PANCAKES
Mom never went in for anything fancy. Just plain simple, every day ingredients.
- 2 cups (280g) plain all purpose flour
- 2 TBS sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups (420ml) whole milk
- 2 large free range eggs
- 2 TBS melted butter or vegetable oil
- butter for cooking
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Mom would have never added vanilla to her pancakes. She never added anything else either. Not blueberries or lemon zest, nada, zip.
You can always add blueberries or other fruits if you wish. Just make sure whatever you add is cut small enough to cook in the allotted time.
If you like your pancakes a bit sweeter, by all means add more sugar.
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You can replace 1/2 cup of the flour with whole wheat flour if you wish. (70g) These will not rise quite as much as they would when using all white flour.
HOW TO MAKE MOM'S PANCAKES
Nothing could be easier. Yours will turn out perfectly if you follow this recipe.
Whisk the milk, eggs, and melted butter together in a beaker. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Make a well in the center. Add the wet ingredients and whisk together until combined. Lumps are okay! The mixture should be thick but pourable. If you think it is too thick, add a bit more milk.
Preheat a large flat bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add some butter to the pan. Once the butter begins to foam ladle in the pancake batter using 1/4 cup measure for each pancake.
Cook on one side over medium heat until bubbles form on the surface and begin to pop. (this will take about 2 minutes) Flip over and cook on the other side until golden brown. (a further 2 minutes)Serve with butter to melt over top and pure maple syrup.
Just look at how light and fluffy they are! Now that's what I call a perfect pancake. I can tell you, they say that the first pancake is always a throwaway? I never have throwaways with mom's recipe.
They really do turn out perfect every time!
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My children loved pancakes and they were something which I prepared for them fairly often. Some of their favorites were:
SILVER DOLLAR PANCAKES - small bite sized pancakes. Light and fluffy. The size of a silver dollar and crisp edged these are fabulously tasty and so much fun to eat! These are real family favorites!
BLUEBERRY BUTTERMILK PANCAKES - Tangy with buttermilk, light and filled with an abundance of fresh berries! I like to scatter the finished pancakes with even more berries when they are done!
BLUEBERRY & LEMON SHEETPAN PANCAKE - these delicious pancakes bake on a sheetpan. They have a lemon curd swirl and are stuffed with fresh berries. Very easy to make, leaving your hands free to get on with something else!
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You can easily make these ahead and freeze them for future use. Just separate each cooled pancake by a small square of waxed paper and stack them in a tightly closed freezer bag. Easy to remove one at a time an quickly reheat in the microwave, toaster or even the oven.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: theenglishkitchen@mail.com
Mom's Pancakes
Yield: 4
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 3 MinTotal time: 13 Min
These pancakes are light and fluffy. So easy to make from scratch. This is the best pancake recipe ever.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (280g) plain all purpose flour
- 2 TBS sugar
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 3/4 cups (420ml) whole milk
- 2 large free range eggs
- 2 TBS melted butter or vegetable oil
- butter for cooking
Instructions
- Whisk the milk, eggs, and melted butter together in a beaker.
- Whisk the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Make a well in the centre. Add the wet ingredients and whisk together until combined. Lumps are okay! The mixture should be thick but pourable. If you think it is too thick, add a bit more milk.
- Preheat a large flat bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add some butter to the pan.
- Once the butter begins to foam ladle in the pancake batter using 1/4 cup measure for each pancake. Cook on one side over medium heat until bubbles form on the surface and begin to pop. (this will take about 2 minutes) Flip over and cook on the other side until golden brown. (a further 2 minutes)
- Serve with butter to melt over top and pure maple syrup.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
Mostly I have spent time in Maine however. When I lived in New Brunswick we were always skipping across the border to go shopping and whatnot. It is a state with some of the most beautiful scenery and delicious seafood in the world.
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This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
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Usually when we went across shopping the day would include lunch or dinner at a local restaurant. Usually a Diner. I love adore New England Diners!
They serve the most delicious humble food in the most delicious and humble way! Usually their specials are written on paper place mats and stuck on the walls for all to see. At least the ones I went to were.
Beautiful meals, at affordable prices and everything is homemade. The pies . . . don't get me started on the pies.
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One thing Maine is famous for (as is Nova Scotia) is their seafood. Lobster, clams, scallops, haddock. Oh my the haddock. I come from a long line of fish and chips aficionados. Seriously.
Every time someone in my family goes out to dinner or lunch at a mom and pop type of place we get the fish and chips! We, simply put, are nuts about fish and chips!
This is not fish and chips, although if you are looking for fish and chips I do have an excellent recipe here. The batter is crisp and as light as air, and the chips are beautiful. Twice fried, which is the proper way to do them.
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One of the things I have always enjoyed in Maine is the Haddock Burger. They were everything you could ever want in a fish sandwich and more.
Soft toasted buns. Crisp crumb coated perfectly cooked fish. Rich tartar sauce. Plenty of sour pickles and lettuce. What more could you ask for in a sandwich? Not a lot!
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We are not quite up to travelling yet. I know lots are, but Covid still has me afraid to go very far. I know, that's sad, but its me and that's just how I roll.
I tend to be overcautious most of the time anyways, but am really not feeling like taking chances just as yet.
I did want to treat myself to a New England Haddock Burger however and so I did the next best thing. If the mountain won't come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain.
I made my own. From scratch.
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WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A NEW ENGLAND HADDOCK BURGER
It may look like a lot, but I can promise you it isn't. Just simple ordinary things
- 2 (4 oz) pieces of fresh haddock
- 1/4 cup (60ml) buttermilk
- 1/2 cup (45g) panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- oil for frying (canola or grapeseed, about 1/4 cup/60ml)
For the tartar sauce
- 1/2 stalk celery, trimmed and finely minced
- 1 TBS finely chopped sour pickles
- 1/2 TBS prepared horseradish
- 1 TBS coarsely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
- 3 TBS good quality mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- salt and black pepper to taste
You will also need
- 2 Kaiser buns, toasted and buttered on the cut sides
- lettuce leaves
- sliced dill pickles
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You could of course use frozen breaded fish for this, but I happen to be lucky enough to have a fish processing plant right around the corner from my house that sells fresh haddock daily. Its beautifully fresh and so delicious!
If you can get good fresh fish, I say make them from scratch.
I also like to make my own tartar sauce. It tastes infinitely better than anything from a jar. Trust me on this. Once you make your own, you will never want anything else.
I used Oh Snap crisp dill slices. I am addicted to those things. They are seriously crunchy and crisp.
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HOW TO MAKE NEW ENGLAND HADDOCK BURGERS
Pour the buttermilk into a shallow bowl and add the fish, turning it to coat. Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes. Make the tartar sauce by combining all of the ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Set aside.
Place the panko into another shallow bowl and mix together with the salt and pepper, tossing well together to combine.
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Heat the oil in a shallow, heavy bottomed skillet. While the oil heats, remove the fish from the buttermilk, allowing any excess to drip off. Season the fish lightly and dredge it in the panko bread crumbs until thoroughly coated.
Pan fry the fish in the hot oil, cooking it for 5 minutes per side until golden brown. Do not flip until the fish is ready and golden brown on the first side. Turn carefully, but don't worry if some of the crumb falls off. Drain on paper toweling and sprinkle with a bit of salt.
To assemble slather both of the cut sides of the buns with some tartar sauce. Layer with the lettuce, pickles and fish. Sandwich together and enjoy!
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I was in Haddock Burger heaven. I enjoyed every morsel of this tasty hot sandwich. The next best thing to travelling to Maine, and a whole lot cheaper. I really hope you will be inspired to want to make one for yourself!
Crisp potato chips or French fries would go very well on the side. As do a few extra pickles!
New England Haddock Burger
Yield: 2
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 30 Min
These tasty sandwiches go down a real treat, with their soft toasted buns, crisp perfectly cooked fish, tangy homemade tartar sauce and crunchy dill pickles!
Ingredients
- 2 (4 oz) pieces of fresh haddock
- 1/4 cup (60ml) buttermilk
- 1/2 cup (45g) panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- oil for frying (canola or grapeseed, about 1/4 cup/60ml)
For the tartar sauce
- 1/2 stalk celery, trimmed and finely minced
- 1 TBS finely chopped sour pickles
- 1/2 TBS prepared horseradish
- 1 TBS coarsely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
- 1/4 tsp dry mustard powder
- 3 TBS good quality mayonnaise
- 1/2 tsp lemon juice
- salt and black pepper to taste
You will also need
- 2 Kaiser buns, toasted and buttered on the cut sides
- lettuce leaves
- sliced dill pickles
Instructions
- Pour the buttermilk into a shallow bowl and add the fish, turning it to coat. Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
- Make the tartar sauce by combining all of the ingredients together in a bowl until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning as required. Set aside.
- Place the panko into another shallow bowl and mix together with the salt and pepper, tossing well together to combine.
- Heat the oil in a shallow, heavy bottomed skillet.
- While the oil heats, remove the fish from the buttermilk, allowing any excess to drip off. Season the fish lightly and dredge it in the panko bread crumbs until thoroughly coated.
- Pan fry the fish in the hot oil, cooking it for 5 minutes per side until golden brown. Do not flip until the fish is ready and golden brown on the first side. Turn carefully, but don't worry if some of the crumb falls off.
- Drain on paper toweling and sprinkle with a bit of salt.
- To assemble slather both of the cut sides of the buns with some tartar sauce. Layer with the lettuce, pickles and fish. Sandwich together and enjoy!
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