Recipe Rhubarb Chiffon Cake with Pét-Nat Frosting

This rhubarb chiffon cake is a classic chiffon cake infused with rhubarb juice and a hint of lemon. The cake is coated in a Pét-Nat glaze and garnished with whipped cream rosettes and bourbon-soaked cherries.

Prep Time: 30 min
Bake Time: 1 hr
Cool Time: 4 hr
Serves: 10

INGRÉDIENTSRhubarb Chiffon Cake

• 1 lb. coarsely chopped rhubarb
• 1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• ⅛ teaspoon pink gel color (optional)
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar

Pet-Nat Frosting

• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons pet-nat

Topping

• ½ cup unsweetened whipped cream
• 8-10 bourbon-soaked cherries

PRÉPARATIONFor the Cake

• In a skillet, place the rhubarb, 1/3 cup sugar, water, lemon juice, and vanilla bean paste. Stir to combine and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes or until rhubarb begins to break down.
• 1 lb rhubarb, 1 1/3 cups sugar, 1/4 cup water, 1 lemon, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
• Pour rhubarb into a fine-mesh strainer suspended over a bowl. Press rhubarb with the back of a wooden spoon to extract as much juice as possible. You should have about 3/4 cup. ** Set aside to cool.
• Separate yolks from whites into two bowls. Let them come to room temperature.
• 6 large eggs
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, remaining sugar, salt, and baking soda. Whisk to blend and set aside.
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 1/3 cups sugar
• Add the cooled rhubarb juice to the egg yolks and stir in the oil, milk, lemon zest, and pink food coloring gel if using. Whisk to blend and set aside.
• ½ cup canola oil, ¼ cup milk, 2 tablespoons lemon zest, ⅛ teaspoon pink color gel
• Add the cream of tartar to the egg whites and, using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whisk until stiff peaks form.
• ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
• Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the egg yolk mixture. Stir until a cake batter forms. Add the egg whites to the batter in three parts, gently folding in each addition until no streaks remain. Pour the batter into an ungreased Bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted into the center of the cake and removed cleanly. Remove the cake from the oven and invert it onto a cooling rack. Let it cool completely upside down in the pan. Run a butter knife along the edges of the cake and give the pan a good rap on the counter. The cake should loosen. For the Pét-Nat Icing, sift the sugar into a bowl. Add the Pét-Nat and whisk until smooth. Pour the frosting over the cake and let it sit for 30 minutes.
• 1 cup powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons pét-nat

Serving

• Pipe the whipped cream on top of the cake in rosettes and decorate each with a bourbon-soaked cherry. Serve immediately.
• 1/2 cup unsweetened whipped cream, 8 to 10 bourbon-soaked cherries

Notes
** Save the rhubarb pulp for pancakes – it makes a great topping.