A forgotten classic inspired by Bake Off

Last night’s Bake Off has had us dreaming of delicious bakes all morning. Here’s a recipe to get your mouth watering!

RASPBERRY, RHUBARB AND CUSTARD DRIZZLE CAKE
A bundt drizzle cake with a difference! This is a gluten-free version as it is made with ground pistachios, polenta and ground almonds instead of flour, and it’s flavoured with fresh raspberries and pink rhubarb. As a final touch the cake is injected with a creamy egg custard and decorated with a rhubarb-pink glacé icing and frosted berries.

Serves 10

You will need:
1 x 20cm fluted, deep, non-stick ring mould/bundt tin, greased with butter;
a squeezy icing bottle
OR small disposable piping bag fitted with a small round nozzle

FOR THE RHUBARB AND SYRUP
250g young, thin stems pink rhubarb, cut into 1cm chunks
50g golden caster sugar
100ml water
finely grated zest and juice of 2 unwaxed limes

FOR THE SPONGE
100g unsalted pistachio nuts (shelled)
100g polenta or fine cornmeal
100g ground almonds
1½ teaspoons baking powder
good pinch of fine sea salt
200g unsalted butter, softened
200g golden caster sugar
3 medium eggs, at room temperature, beaten to mix
200g fresh raspberries

FOR THE CUSTARD
300ml double cream
50ml full-fat/whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
2 medium egg yolks, at room temperature
25g golden caster sugar

FOR THE DECORATION
50g unsalted pistachio nuts (shelled)
1 medium egg white
100g white caster sugar
100g fresh raspberries
9–10 fresh mint leaves
finely grated zest of 1 lime

FOR THE ICING
200g icing sugar
about 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

1. Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Start by poaching the rhubarb so it has time to cool. Set aside 50g of the rhubarb chunks for later, and tip the rest into a medium pan. Add the caster sugar, water and lime juice (keep the zest for the sponge) and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat slightly and simmer for 8–10 minutes until the rhubarb is just tender when pierced with the tip of a knife.

2. Using a slotted spoon, remove three-quarters of the poached rhubarb to a sieve and leave to cool and drain thoroughly. Simmer the rest of the rhubarb and syrup, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes until it has formed a fairly thick purée. Leave this to cool.

3. Next make the sponge. Tip the pistachios and polenta into a food processor and blitz until the nuts are finely ground. Add the ground almonds, baking powder and salt and ‘pulse’ a couple of times until combined.

4. Put the softened butter and grated lime zest into a mixing bowl, or the bowl of a free-standing electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat well using a hand-held electric whisk, or the whisk attachment, then add the sugar and continue beating, scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to medium and beat in the ground nut mixture, a heaped tablespoonful at a time, alternately with the beaten eggs. Using a large metal spoon or plastic spatula, fold* in the cooled poached rhubarb and the raspberries.

5. Transfer the mixture to the prepared mould/tin and spread evenly. Using the tip of a small knife, gently push the reserved chunks of uncooked rhubarb into the mixture so they are evenly distributed. Bake in the heated oven for about 1 hour until golden brown and starting to shrink away from the sides of the tin; a skewer inserted into the sponge halfway between the side and the central funnel should come out clean* (test in several places in case you hit a chunk of fruit). Check after 50 minutes and, if necessary, cover the top of the cake with a sheet of baking paper to avoid it over-browning. Remove the tin from the oven and set on a wire rack. Leave the sponge to cool and firm up for about 20 minutes before turning out on to the rack (the cake should still be warm when you inject the custard).

6. While the cake is baking make the custard. Heat the cream and milk with the vanilla paste in a heavy-based medium pan. As soon as the creamy milk starts to simmer, remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Put the egg yolks and sugar into a heatproof bowl set on a damp cloth (to prevent wobbling) and whisk with a hand wire whisk until very pale. Slowly pour the hot cream mixture on to the yolks in a thin, steady stream while whisking constantly. As soon as the mixture is smoothly amalgamated, tip it back into the pan. Set over low heat and stir the custard constantly with a wooden spoon until it thickens enough to just coat the back of the spoon – don’t allow it to come anywhere near boiling point or the eggs will scramble. Strain into a heatproof jug, then press a sheet of clingfilm on the surface (to prevent a skin from forming). Leave to cool, then chill.

7. To make the decorations, add the whole pistachios to the rhubarb purée and stir until coated. Remove the nuts with a slotted spoon and leave to drain thoroughly on a plate. Whisk the egg white in a small bowl until frothy, and tip the sugar on to a large plate. One at a time, carefully brush the raspberries and mint leaves with a thin coating of egg white, then roll/coat in the sugar, shaking off the excess. Leave to dry on a sheet of baking paper. Once set, chop about 4 of the sugared mint leaves; leave the rest whole.

8. To make the icing, sift the icing sugar into a bowl and add 1 tablespoon of the rhubarb purée. Mix gently, adding enough lime juice to make a smooth, pourable consistency. Keep covered until needed.

9. Using a skewer, prick holes all over the top and sides of the cake. Gently warm the remaining rhubarb purée, then spoon it over the cake so it trickles into the holes. Leave for 5 minutes for the purée to be absorbed.

10. Spoon about a quarter of the custard into the icing bottle or piping bag. Inject or pipe custard into the cake around the top edge at regular intervals. Leave the cake to cool completely. Pour the remaining custard into a jug.

11. To decorate the cake, drizzle the icing over the top so it flows down the sides and along the grooves. Decorate with the glazed pistachios, frosted raspberries and the whole and chopped mint leaves. Finish with a sprinkling of lime zest. Serve with the custard.

Taken from Great British Bake Off – Perfect Bakes and Cakes to Make at Home.