Satsuma Rhubarb Adventure

The penultimate Saturday in September was a warm, sticky affair. The preceding week I had obtained some Rhubarb from my local dealer, who is a mad-keen horse-rider, at one of our branch offices. 

Having once before made a Rhubarb and Yoghurt Cake I settled upon a similar recipe that involved stewing the Rhubarb with some fresh Satsuma Juice for a unique taste.  

As preparation ensued I listened to "Cookin' at the Plugged Nickel" Miles Davis, excellent live album culled from a mid sixties gig, which was compiled and released officially in 1990. It is interesting to note the much better sound quality in this live Jazz offering than in live Rock albums of the time such as the Kinks' Live at Kelvin Hall and the Stones' Got Live if you Want!. Both the latter albums are a lot of fun and remain listenable but their production is muddy. What sets out Miles Davis' "Cookin' at the Plugged Nickel" is the strong production and clear mix in which typically powerful trumpeting, kick ass drumming and mellow pinging on the piano are all rife. Davis' other sixties live albums "Miles in Berlin" and "My Funny Valentine" are just as good as this one and worth seeking out. 

The Ingredients for the cake are: 

Eight Ounces of Fresh Rhubarb.
The juice of One Satsuma.
Five Ounces of Icing Sugar
Two Ounces of Caster Sugar. 
Five Ounces of Unsalted Butter.
11 Ounces of Self- Raising Flour.
Two Eggs, beaten.

The Method that can be used for this recipe is as follows:

1. Cream the Butter and Sugars until light and fluffy. 

2. Add the Eggs and stir them in gradually to the Butter and Sugar.

3. Stew the Satsuma Juice and Rhubarb in a saucepan with some Butter for five to ten minutes on a medium heat until soft.

4. Add the Satsuma Juice and Rhubarb to the Cake Mix and stir in thoroughly. 

5. Fold in the Flour gradually and stir until you have a fairly thick paste.

6. Spread the mixture into a greased cake tin and cook on Gas Mark Four for one hour.

7. Pierce with a skewer to ensure it is cooked.

Rhubarb and Orange often go together and in this case they went together like Cider and a hot summer night. The Satsuma juice added a sweetness to a cake that felt, much like a peripheral figure in my life, light and fluffy. 

Taking a slice- a cross section of the cake. 

Golden Brown- fresh out of the oven and cooling down.