Ingredient: rhubarb, chopped

CELEBRATING MOTHER’S DAY!

Here in Canada, we set aside the second Sunday in May to honor our mother’s with expressions of love and gratitude.

As I grow older, I realize how many ways I unconsciously emulate my mother. I loved everything about her and as a kid I could never imagine life without her. But in the natural sequence of events, that’s not how it works. I guess along with many other things, I’m grateful for the fact that she was there through my childhood. She passed away at the age of sixty and although she is no longer on this earth, her wonderful memory will live on in our hearts forever.

We are fortunate to still have Brion’s mother, Dolores. We have been able to spend a bit of time with her recently, which was so precious.

This blog is especially to honor: the special memories of my mother for her endless giving of selfless love – my mother-in-law, Dolores, for her kind ways and raising that ‘special’ man I love sharing my life with –my sister Loretta who passed away 3 years ago and to my sisters, Marilyn & Rita, who give so much of themselves to be the great mom’s they are.

In honor of these special women, I’d like to post something to ‘celebrate’ this day. My choice this year is a rhubarb carrot cake with rhubarb cream cheese frosting.

Rhubarb has been a staple in Canadian history since the days of early European settlement, valued for its hardiness, versatility, and medicinal properties. Rhubarb was a reliable perennial for homesteaders and pioneers due to its ability to thrive in Canada’s cold climate. When the homesteaders moved on, and their farms crumbled back into the ground, the rhubarb patch often persisted. The same is true of modern-day cities; every time a house in an older neighborhood is demolished, the rhubarb often remains. The distinctive plants that remain on abandoned farmsteads across the country are a testament to this hardy heritage.

I recall with fond memory, my mother having at least six huge rhubarb plants that bordered her large produce garden on our family farm. At that time I really didn’t take a lot of interest in them, they were just always there and grew huge without anything more than rain and sunshine. Now, of course I love using rhubarb in everything I can think of, sweet or savory.

Vegetable cakes are great for making the most of the seasons. This recipe for rhubarb carrot cake is a recent, modern fusion of two older dessert traditions: carrot cake and rhubarb cake. The combination likely emerged in the late 20th or early 21st century as bakers experimented with popular seasonal flavors. What makes this rhubarb carrot cake so appealing is how the sweet, earthy carrots balance out the sharp tartness of fresh rhubarb. The carrots add this incredible moisture and natural sweetness, while the rhubarb provides these amazing tangy bursts that keep every bite interesting.

This ‘sophisticated’ cake features winter carrots and the first rhubarb of the year in a marvelous merging of two seasons. Of course, the rhubarb cream cheese frosting is truly ‘the icing on the cake’.

I hope anyone trying this recipe enjoys it as much as Brion & I did.

Print Recipe

Rhubarb Carrot Cake

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Rating: 5
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Course

dessert

Cuisine

Canadian

Keyword

rhubarb carrot cake

Servings

MetricUS Imperial

Ingredients

Cake

• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup (112 gm) butter, melted & cooled
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp cardamom
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups (175 gm) carrots, finely grated
• 1 1/2 cups (250 gm) rhubarb, thinly sliced, about 1/4" pieces

Rhubarb Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 cup (about 167gm) rhubarb, chopped
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
• 250 gm cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Course dessert Cuisine Canadian Keyword rhubarb carrot cake Servings MetricUS Imperial Ingredients Cake 3 large eggs 1/2 cup (112 gm) butter, melted & cooled 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed 1 cup buttermilk 2 1/2 cups flour 1 Tbsp baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp cardamom 1/4 tsp ginger 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 cups (175 gm) carrots, finely grated 1 1/2 cups (250 gm) rhubarb, thinly sliced, about 1/4" pieces Rhubarb Cream Cheese Frosting 1 cup (about 167gm) rhubarb, chopped 1 Tbsp sugar 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature 250 gm cream cheese, room temperature 1 tsp pure vanilla 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Votes: 1 Rating: 5 You: Rate this recipe!

Instructions

Rhubarb Frosting

1. Combine chopped rhubarb, sugar & a splash of water in a saucepan on medium low heat. Stir regularly until rhubarb reduces. Adjust heat to low & continue stirring for 20 minutes until rhubarb thickens into a jam. Transfer rhubarb jam to a glass bowl & cool in the refrigerator.
2. Whip butter & cream cheese on high until creamy. Add the rhubarb jam & vanilla to cream cheese mixture. Beat until combined. Add powdered sugar 1/2 a cup at a time & beat until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Butter either a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or 2 round 8-inch cake pans.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, sugar, brown sugar & buttermilk.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger & salt. Add to the egg mixture & blend well. Add the carrots & rhubarb, gently fold until evenly incorporated into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) & bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

Assembly

1. If baking cake in the 2 layer version, spread the bottom of one cake with a bit of the frosting then top it with the other layer. Frost entire cake with remaining rhubarb frosting & decorate as you wish.

Recipe Notes

• Since there is only the two of us, I only used one layer & froze the other one for another time.