Rhubarb cake with a special topping

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 200 g flour
• 100 g butter, cold
• 75 g sugar
• 1 tsp, heaped baking powder
• some vanilla extract, or 1/2 sachet of vanilla sugar
• 1 pinch of salt
• 3 egg yolks
• Legumes (lentils or peas) for blind baking
• 750 g rhubarb, washed, sliced
• 1 tbsp, heaped sugar
• 1 packet of vanilla pudding powder
• 1 tsp, heaped cornstarch
• 450 ml milk
• 3 egg whites
• 300 g sugar
• 100 ml water
• 1 pinch of salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 40 minutes; Rest time approx. 30 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 40 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 50 minutes

A little more effort for the meringue, but it’s worth it.

First, wash the rhubarb, peel it, and cut it into approximately 1 cm pieces. Mix it with the tablespoon of sugar and let it rest. For the dough, dice the butter and mix it with the flour and sugar. Add the vanilla and salt, and finally the egg yolks. Quickly knead it by hand or with a food processor until you have a smooth dough. Roll it out into a 2 cm thick disc, wrap it in cling film, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 180°C (top/bottom heat). Line the bottom of a 26 cm springform pan with baking paper. It’s best to roll out the dough thinly between the layers of film, place it in the pan, and form a rim at least 3 cm high. Place baking paper on top of the dough and fill the pan with pulses (lentils are ideal). Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. After baking, let the dough cool briefly and remove the pulses (pulses can be used several times for blind baking). For the filling, mix the pudding mix with the cornstarch and a few tablespoons of the cold milk. Bring the remaining milk to a boil and stir in the mixed mix. Let it boil for one minute to make a fairly thick pudding. Drain the rhubarb juice and stir the rhubarb evenly into the pudding. Spread the “rhubarb pudding” over the shortcrust pastry, smooth it out, and bake in the oven for another 25-30 minutes. Mix the water, sugar, and salt in a saucepan and heat. Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Heat the sugar mixture to 118°C (235°F). Check the temperature with a thermometer. Once the temperature is reached, beat the egg whites again and slowly pour in the sugar mixture in a thin stream. This works wonderfully with a food processor. Be careful not to burn yourself when using a hand mixer. Continue beating until the egg whites have cooled to a comfortable temperature (40-50°C). This may take a few minutes. The egg whites will then have a firm but creamy consistency. Transfer to a piping bag and cover the slightly cooled cake with it, if desired. Finally, blast with a blowtorch or briefly place under the oven broiler under supervision until the meringue begins to brown slightly. Then let it cool completely and remove it from the tin later. Note: When making Italian meringue, the egg whites are pasteurized, making it safe for everyone. It has a creamy consistency and doesn’t crack like some baked meringues do. Making it is relatively easy; you just need to have some courage. Tools that will help: a candy thermometer or waterproof digital thermometer, a food processor, and a blowtorch.