Recipe Sharlotka Rhubarb Cake

Lighter than a cloud, this sweet cake is filled with tangy rhubarb, creating a lovely balance of tangy and sweet. Only 6 ingredients. Perfect for teatime!

Trditionally, this recipe calls for 5 or 6 eggs, no raising agents like baking powder or baking soda, the rise of the sponge comes from the air being beaten into the eggs.

This is a classic sponge cake, used in many European countries. The version that survived in Russia does not contain butter.

INGRÉDIENTS

• 5 eggs
• 1 cup/ 200 g sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup/ 120 g flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups/ 300 g rhubarb, chopped

PRÉPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C
2. Grease a 9-inch baking pan and dust with flour, set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the room temperature egg, sugar, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer until thick, pale, and tripled in volume. Allow between 7 and 10 minutes depending on the power of your mixer.
4. Mix the flour and baking powder, then fold them into the egg mixture in three additions using a flour sieve. Gently fold in the flour with a spatula after each addition, being careful not to deflate the batter, or the sponge will not rise.
5. Gently fold in the chopped rhubarb with a spatula and place in the prepared tin.
6. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a cake tester comes out clean.
7. Sprinkle with icing sugar before serving.