The Cooking Cardiologist, Dr. Richard Collins, shows us how to make Blueberry Rhubarb Buckle.
Rhubarb is an “industrial plant”, growing heartily and coming up in the spring with little effort. It is known as the “pie fruit” as it can be made into all sorts of fruit desserts from cobblers, crumbles, sauces to strudels. Indeed, it is tart so sugar is required. Some recipes can reduce the amount of sugar by combining with other fruits or natural sugar substitutes.
Rhubarb is rich in fiber, anti-oxidants due to the dark red color, Vitamin K and A as well. The leaves are toxic and contain high amounts of oxalic acid, not suitable for human consumption. The stalks are fine.
Blueberry Rhubarb Buckle
Here is a great recipe perfect for breakfast or as a summer picnic dessert. The “buckle” term comes from the appearance of the surface, the texture appears buckled. It is different from a fruit crisp due to the cake texture on the bottom. One could call this a crumble cake too. There are varieties of fruit dishes from tarts to strudels as the recipes were all due to what type of flours, grains, baking dishes and ingredients early settlers had on hand. The blueberries add a beautiful balance to the tartness of the rhubarb. Stevia, a natural sugar, also reduces the amount of free sugar in the recipe by ½ with the blend from Truvia…so enjoy.
Total fruit ingredients:
4-cups fresh sliced rhubarb, sliced into ½ –inch pieces, divided for cake
and rhubarb. 1# will make approximately 2 cups (4-5 stalks), so 2# will
be needed (8-10) stalks total.
3-cups blueberries, divided for cake and sauce. 1½ cup is approximately
one 6-ounce package of fresh blueberries so at least 12-ounces will
be needed.
For the cake
Non-stick cooking spray
10” spring form pan
9-ounces of cake flour (best to weigh rather than measure) or 2-cups C4C gluten free flour may be used. If cake flour used, omit baking powder.
1t baking powder
½ t salt
½ t ground ginger
3-ounces unsalted butter (6 T)
¾ cup sugar. Note Truvia Baking Blend can be used with ½ as much, but for the cake base, I prefer regular sugar
1 large whole egg
½ cup of 2% milk, additional made be required if the cake base is too firm
For the fruit:
2 cups fresh rhubarb, sliced into ½ inch pieces
1½ -cups fresh blueberries
½-cup Truvia Baking Blend. 1 cup of sugar could be used as an option
For the topping:
2/3-cup brown sugar
1/2-cup cake flour, C4C can be used
1t fresh ground nutmeg
2 ounces (4T) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
Preheat oven to 3500F. Spray sides and bottom of a 10-inch spring form pan. In a medium bowl, prepare fruit by adding the rhubarb and Truvia. Let macerate for 30 minutes before adding the blueberries.
Prepare the cake batter. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and ginger. Set aside.
In a stand mixer, using a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well to cream.
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and combine on slow speed. Add 1/3 of the milk. Continue alternating until batter is smooth and all ingredients added. Add more milk in small amounts if batter is too thick (gluten-free flour sometimes requires more liquid). Place the mixture into the spring form pan. Combine the fruit making sure the sugar has dissolved. Pour over the batter.
Prepare the topping in a small bowl adding the sugar, flour and nutmeg. Combine the ingredients by adding the butter and crumbling with a fork. Sprinkle the mixture over the top.
Bake for 60-80 minutes until cake is golden brown and center has set. Remove and cool. Serve with ice cream or fresh yogurt of choice with the blueberry rhubarb sauce. Sauce recipe below.
Blueberry Rhubarb Sauce
2 cups rhubarb cut into thin slices
1½ -cup fresh blueberries
½ cup Truvia Baking Blend or 1 cup of sugar as an option
¼ water
Pinch of nutmeg
In a small saucepan, add all ingredients and simmer for 15-20 minutes until a thick sauce forms. Serve warm or chilled. Makes 1½ cups of sauce.
Nutritional information:
Serves 16. 1 wedge: 1/16 size with 1½ tablespoons of sauce
Nutrition Info: Calories: 250, Total Fat: 8 g, Saturated Fat: 5 g, Trans Fat: 0 g, Cholesterol: 30 mg, Sodium: 115 mg, Carbohydrate: 43 g, Fiber: 2 g, Protein: 3 g
Diabetic Exchanges: 3 Starch, ½ Fat