Iced Rhubarb Cake

From Barbara Fassbind

Ingredients for the cake:

- a little more than a pound of rhubarb, peeled if necessary and cut into small cubes

- 3 1/2 ounces of butter or margarine, softened

- 3 eggs

- a pinch of salt

- 1 cup sugar

- 1 tsp. vanilla

- 1 1/2 cups flour minus a rounded teaspoon

- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Beat the butter, eggs, salt, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of your mixer until it looks like mayonnaise about 3 - 5 minutes. The sugar should be dissolved by this time. Fold in the flour and baking powder. Add the rhubarb cubes, fold well, and put everything into a greased, floured and parchment lined 10" springform pan or a flower pan as in the photo. I think Williams-Sonoma sells something very similar. Bake for about 60 minutes on the lowest rack of a preheated 350° oven. When done, let the cake cool. When completely cool, turn it over onto a rack so you can pour over the icing.

Ingredients for icing :

- 1 1/2 bars of semisweet chocolate (this is about 5 1/2 ounces). I like the Lindt in the gray wrapper with blue writing, but any good chocolate will do.

- 1/2 cup cream

Melt the chocolate and cream over low heat and pour this over the cake. It shouldn't cover the sides of the cake completely. Just let it sort of drip down by tilting the cake. It does look really pretty with the decorations.

This cake is really moist and stays wonderfully fresh for several days. Make sure people taste before you tell them what it is! The recipe comes from Betty Bossi which is sort of the Swiss equivalent of Betty Crocker! I've been making this cake since 1988 and still love it as does everyone who's ever eaten it. The combination of sour rhubarb and sweet chocolate is delightful. You may have to fool around a little bit with the flour since I use a weight measure, but I think I got it pretty accurate. Anyway, this takes no time to do - it's easy as pie. Easier actually!