Strawberry-Rhubarb Ice Cream and my mom's Rhubarb Cake

Okay, I know someone is going to argue with me on this next one, but it is absolutely the truth- I have the best Mom that has ever lived on this planet. Hands down. No competition.
Sorry folks, it is just a fact.

My mom is amazing. She is awesome. She is nice. She is my best friend. Sometimes I wish she could raise my kids because she would probably do a better job of it.
She listens, she cares, she is soft-spoken and she is my hero. I can only hope that I will turn out as great as she is.

I feel lucky that she always made healthy food for us to eat. I remember when she weaned us down to skim milk. We ate lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains, a little meat/poultry and minimal sweets.
I feel so blessed to have grown up eating this way because I really think it has made a difference in my own family's way of eating.
We were lucky to live close to my grandparents who had a huge garden and my dad had one too, so we always had tons of fresh things to eat. We canned them too, so they would last all year.

Rhubarb was one of the items we grew up eating. I remember this cake and when I bought rhubarb and was debating what to make with it, the final thing I thought about was this cake. I was also very curious about the Strawberry-Rhubarb Ice Cream in Cooking Light Magazine, so we made both.
First, the ice cream. It was really, really good. I was surprised because sometimes lower fat ice creams don't taste great, but this one used egg yolks and actually was made with a custard, so I knew it would probably turn out yummy. It did. I used cran-raspberry juice instead of wine to cook down my rhubarb (a suggestion included in the recipe) and my girls helped me make all the different parts.
I made the cake that afternoon and we invited some friends over to play, with this being our little treat. It was enjoyed by everyone. The little bit of ice cream that survived, was devoured by my girls the next morning for breakfast. (Fruit + dairy + eggs =Breakfast. Right?)

The cake originally called for shortening, but I don't use that, so I have adapted it to use butter instead. It is more like a coffee cake or upside down cake than anything else and sometimes the cinnamon-y topping sinks to the bottom. It is so delicious. I think it might be passed down from my grandma, but just call it my mom's cake because she always made it for us. You should give it a try- you won't be sorry. I promise.

Happy Mother's Day!


My mom's Rhubarb Cake
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup +2 Tbls buttermilk
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups chopped rhubarb
Topping:
2 Tbls butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 or 11x7-inch pyrex/glass pan with baking spray (with flour).
Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
Cream together the butter and sugar in a large bowl, until fluffy and well combined. Add the egg and vanilla. Mix well.
Add half of the flour mixture and beat until combined. Add half the buttermilk and beat until combined. Add remaining flour and then remaining buttermilk. Gently fold in the chopped rhubarb.
Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.
Combine topping ingredients in a small bowl with your fingers, until mixed. Sprinkle evenly over the batter.
Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes, until the top is golden and the middle is cooked through.
Serve immediately or let cool and serve later.
This cake is good the next day too.


Recipe for Strawberry-Rhubarb Ice Cream from May 2010 Cooking Light
*Note- I did not strain the strawberry-rhubarb puree before I stirred it into the custard
and I used cran-raspberry juice instead of the wine