80 The Times MagazineBAKING WITH RAHUL
The classic combination of rhubarb, ginger and custard in a light sponge cake
love everything about the
combination of rhubarb,
ginger and custard and this is
the perfect flavour triangle, with
moist ginger sponges filled with
pink rhubarb compote and vanilla
crème mousseline. It is tangy from
the rhubarb with a subtle heat of
ginger and some vanilla crème to
mellow everything on your palate.I
JAY BROOKS
GINGER CAKE WITH RHUBARB
AND GINGER COMPOTE AND
PASTRY CRÈME
Serves 8-10
Preparation time: 45 minutes
Baking/cooking time: 1 hour-1 hour 15 minutesFor the cake- 4-5 stem ginger balls in syrup,
chopped into 1cm dice - 300g self-raising flour, plus 1 tbsp extra
to dust the stem ginger - 6 medium free-range eggs
- 300g soft brown sugar
- 300g baking spread, plus
extra for greasing - ¾ tsp baking powder
- 6 tbsp stem ginger syrup from the jar
For the compote- 250g rhubarb, diced
- 50g dark/light brown sugar
- 2 tsp grated fresh ginger
- Juice and zest of 1 lemon
For the crème mousseline- 300g whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 3 free-range medium egg yolks
- 50g caster sugar
- 30g cornflour
- 150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
To decorate- 100g rhubarb stems
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 35g crystallised stem ginger, diced
METHOD
To make the cake- Heat the oven to 160C (180C non-fan).
Grease and line three 20cm baking tins with
baking spread and baking paper. Toss the
chopped stem ginger in 1 tbsp flour and
set aside. - Add the remaining cake ingredients to a
bowl and whisk using an electric whisk for a
couple of minutes. Sprinkle the dusted stem
ginger into the batter and fold it in carefully. - Divide the batter equally between the
prepared tins and bake for 30-35 minutes.
Take out and leave to cool for 10 minutes,
then remove from the tins and place on a
wire rack to cool completely.
To make the compote- Set aside 50g diced rhubarb. Add the
remaining ingredients to a medium saucepan
and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and
simmer for 15 minutes, stirring from time to
time to ensure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. - After most of the liquid from the rhubarb
has gone, turn the heat off and add
the reserved rhubarb. Leave to cool to
room temperature.
To make the crème mousseline- Bring the milk and vanilla to the boil in
a saucepan. Once the milk starts steaming,
turn the hob off. Put the egg yolks, sugar and
cornflour in a mixing bowl and whisk until
the mixture is lighter in colour. - Slowly add the warm milk, whisking
continuously. Return the milk and egg mix to
the saucepan and turn the hob to a medium
heat. Keep stirring occasionally. In about
5 minutes or so, it will start to thicken. As
soon as it does, whisk vigorously to create
a silky smooth crème. - Pour into a heatproof bowl and cover with
clingfilm touching the surface to prevent a
skin forming. Let it cool to room temperature,
then transfer to the fridge. Once chilled, use
an electric whisk to whisk in butter to get a
smooth, spreadable consistency. Spoon into
a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and set
aside to be used later.
ASSEMBLE
- Place the first sponge on a cake board or
cake stand. Pipe kisses of the crème around
the edges of the sponge. Spoon half the
compote into the middle and top with the
second sponge. Repeat the same process to
sandwich the third sponge with crème and
compote. Place in the fridge to set. - Slice the rhubarb stems into slices about
3-4mm thick. You need about 8-10 batons of
different lengths. Arrange them in one layer
on a microwave-proof plate and sprinkle with
caster sugar. Microwave on high power for
1 minute to 1 minute 20 seconds, so they are
soft but not mushy.
Decorate the top of the cake with the
rhubarb slices, trimming as necessary. Pipe
another row of kisses around the edges of
the cake. Sprinkle over some crystallised
stem ginger to complete the decorations. n
You can find all Rahul Mandal’s recipes
for The Times at thetimes.co.uk