Italian rhubarb cake

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 500 g rhubarb, preferably equally thick stalks
• 150 g butter
• 250 g natural yogurt, creamy
• 150 g sugar
• 185 g soft wheat semolina
• 1 packet of vanilla sugar
• 2 tsp, crushed cream of tartar
• some butter for the mold
• 2 tbsp soft wheat semolina for sprinkling
• 2 tbsp sugar

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 50 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 20 minutes

without egg, without flour, with semolina

Trim the ends of the leaves and stalks from the rhubarb stalks and wash them thoroughly. If the rhubarb is young and tender, i.e. at the beginning of the season, I don’t peel it. If it’s stringy, I peel off the skin. Unfortunately, this causes it to lose its red color, but the pattern is still clearly visible after baking. If you want to create the graphic star pattern (see photo), cut the rhubarb into even diamond shapes. The stalks should be as evenly thick as possible and cut diagonally into equal-length pieces (e.g., 4 cm). For the diagonals, I use a set square, which you can easily cut along at a 45-degree angle. If the pattern is too complicated for you, you can of course cover the cake with random patterns or other designs, such as tile-like patterns. Once the rhubarb pieces have been cut, set them aside. Now preheat the oven to 180°C (fan). Meanwhile, melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat, making sure it doesn’t get too hot. Pour the yogurt into a mixing bowl, add the melted butter, and mix with a wooden spoon. Combine the sugar, semolina, vanilla sugar, and baking powder in a second bowl and add it to the butter and yogurt mixture. Mix everything well until you have a smooth batter. Grease a 26 cm springform pan or tart pan and sprinkle the edges and base with a little semolina. Pour the batter into the pan and spread it evenly. Place the rhubarb pieces on top of the batter. For the graphic pattern, start in the center and create a hexagonal star. Then work outwards, placing the adjacent stars around it. Note that all the points of the central star are also parts of the adjacent stars. It may take a little practice at first. I brought this recipe back from our vacation in Tuscany years ago. The batter is quick and easy to mix with a wooden spoon. Tips: First, lay out the pattern with the rhubarb pieces on a cutting board. The cake should then bake in the hot oven on the second rack from the bottom for about 45-50 minutes. Halfway through the baking time, sprinkle the remaining sugar over the fruit to reduce its acidity. The result is fresh and delicious. Enjoy! Tip for using up leftovers: You’ll usually have a few pieces of rhubarb left over that won’t fit on the cake. Cook them in a few minutes with 2-3 tablespoons of water and a little sugar to make a compote, which is delicious with natural yogurt, for example.