....or rugbrodslagkage as it's know in Denmark (but I'm sure you knew that anyway ;-)
As you probably know, I love all things Scandi, and especially the dense, sour, nutty rye bread (rugbrod). It's obviously fab in open sandwiches, but I also discovered a recipe for it in a cake! - a bread cake, or brodtort.
The cake comes from Sonderjylland in southern Denmark, and is made of finely ground stale rye bread, mixed in to a fat-less sponge base. The result is less fine but more rustic and wholesome cake, which obviously means you can have more slices.
And as it's rhubarb season, I've combined this with some roasted rhubarb compote and rhubarb-infused Swiss meringue buttercream, which has a hint of cardamom and rosewater added.
INGREDIENTS
3 eggs separated
90g caster sugar
1.5 tbsp cornflour
1.5 tbsp plain flour or cocoa powder
1.5 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla essence
60g ground almonds
90g stale rye bread, ground
800g rhubarb
90g sugar
1/4 tsp cardamon seeds
2 tsp rosewater
300g Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Preheat the oven to 190c fan
1. Cut the rhubarb in to 2" chunks, place on a baking tray and sprinkle with sugar.
2. Cover with tin foil and cook for 15 mins.
3. Remove the foil, by which time the sugar should have dissolved, and cook uncovered for another 5 mins.
4. Remove from the oven and place in to sieve pushing through the juice into separate bowl - add the cardamon seeds to this and allow to infuse for 30 mins. Put the pulp in a separate bowl.
5. Sieve the juice back in to the bowl with the pulp in to remove the cardamon seeds and add the rosewater to taste.
6. Mix 150g of the rhubarb into the Swiss meringue buttercream and keep the remainder as a compote.
Lower the oven to 160c fan, grease and line three 6" cake tins
1. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl
2. In another bowl whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks
3. In another bowl whisk the egg yolks and caster sugar until thick and creamy. Add the vanilla and fold in the dry ingredients.
4. Fold in the egg whites being careful not to overmix (you don't want to knock out all of the air from the egg whites).
5. Split between the tins and cook for ~25 mins until the cakes are springy to the touch and have pulled away slightly from the side of the tin. Turn out on to a wire rack to cool.
6. Build up your cake with layers of the rhubarb Swiss meringue buttercream and compote, then dive in!