I love rhubarb more than most people I know. But even people who aren’t as rhubarb-crazy as me think this is pound cake is amazing! It’s moist, tender, tart, and a touch sweet. Add cardamom (OR almond extract if you’re not a cardamom person), and it goes into even MORE delicious territory. It comes together in a snap, so you can make it when you get home from work or on a lazy weekend morning. No need to get the expensive slice at the coffee shop when this beauty is waiting for you at home!
I made this recipe adding both the cardamom and the almond extract, but the flavors competed a bit too much for me. The good news is EITHER is super delicious. So, I’ve added the amounts of each in the recipe, just use one OR the other, depending on your taste (or what you’ve got in your cupboard).
You will need:
- 1/2 C butter, softened
- 3/4 C sugar
- EITHER 1/4 t almond extract OR 1 t ground cardamom
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 C yogurt
- 1/4 t salt
- 1/2 t baking powder
- 1 1/2 C flour
- 2 stalks rhubarb
Optional glaze: 1/2 C powdered sugar, 2 T water
Preheat the oven to 350F. Clean and chop your rhubarb, and spray a loaf pan with baking spray.
Cream your butter, sugar, and either cardamom or almond extract. (Do yourself a favor and buy the ground cardamom if you’re going that route. Splitting the tiny pods and grinding the seeds took me FOREVER. Long enough to actually make me hate cardamom a little.) Once it’s lightened in color, add your first egg and mix it thoroughly. Scrape down the bowl, add the second egg, and mix that until it’s uniform.
Now add about half of the flour, the baking powder, and the salt, and mix it in. Then add the yogurt, and mix that in. Add the rest of the flour and mix until it’s all incorporated. If you’re the kind of risky baker who will taste batter with raw eggs in it, salmonella be damned, try a taste now. (OMG it is delicious!! You are SUCH A GOOD BAKER.)
Stir in your rhubarb, then scoop the batter into your pan. Put it on the center rack in the oven for 60 minutes.
When an hour is up, test the loaf with a toothpick. It shouldn’t come out covered in batter, but a few crumbs are OK. Take the loaf out of the pan (I use two oven mitts) and put it on a rack to cool.
If you like your glaze to kind of soak in, stir it up right away, adding a touch more water, then pour it over the loaf. If you prefer more of an icing drizzle, wait until the loaf has cooled, then drizzle it over the loaf with a spoon or fork. (I had a little rhubarb syrup, so I used that instead of water, which is why my glaze is pink.)
When the loaf is room temperature, cut off a slice or two (or three) and enjoy! Wrap leftovers in foil or plastic wrap; it will keep at room temp for 4 days (if it lasts that long).
Enjoy your taste of spring!
Patty Adams
I didn’t have any plain yogurt, so I used peach. IT was amazing!