Millicent Taplin for Wedgwood & Rhubarb Almond Cake

A cake for a spring weekend on Millicent Taplin for Wedgwood. Pinky-bronze hand-painted luster floral decoration on pale celadon ground - an incredible and scarce example of her restrained modernism and mastery of color. Produced in the British Arts & Crafts-inspired workshop at Etruria in partnership with Alfred and Louise Powell.

Rhubarb Almond Cake
adapted from National Trust Book of Cakes by Linda Hollister

For the rhubarb:
275 g trimmed rhubarb, washed and cut into chunks (I upped this amount a bit & used 4 large stalks)
2 Tbs granulated sugar

For the almond mixture:
150 g unsalted butter, softened
150 g granulated sugar
2 eggs
100 g self-rising flour
200 g ground almonds
1 tsp baking powder
A good pinch of salt
2 Tbs sliced almonds

To finish:
powdered sugar

Grease and line an 8” square baking pan (I couldn’t find mine, so used a rectangular tart pan with a removable bottom and it worked just as well). Preheat the oven to 350.

Place the rhubarb chunks in a bowl and add 2 Tbs sugar and stir well. Set aside.
To make the almond mixture, place the butter and sugar in a standing mixture and beat with the paddle attachment until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each one and scraping down the sides. The mixture will probably look a little curdled, but don’t worry about it.

In a medium bowl, stir together the self-rising flour, the almond flour, the baking powder, and the salt. Add to the egg and sugar mixture and slowly beat in until fully incorporated. The batter will be quite stiff. Spread half the batter in the prepared pan, then place half the rhubarb on top. Spread the remaining batter on top of the layer of rhubarb (I found it easiest to dollop it on then spread with my fingers), top with the remaining rhubarb and sprinkle the 2 Tbs sliced almonds on top.

Cover the cake pan with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the center is just set, approximately another 25-30 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack. To serve, dust with powdered sugar and cut into squares or slices.