Forced rhubarb is my favourite type of rhubarb. By growing it in the dark {or under a rhubarb forcer in the garden}, you get sweeter tasting, bright pink coloured rhubarb. We have an abundance of the regular stuff at our allotment right now and it's good for baking {it's a lot sharper so needs a lot more sugar} but this forced pink stuff is the creme de la creme for baking with. I've blogged about rhubarb once before but I found a new Waitrose recipe to try out {which has been requested by a few of you on Instagram} which I made last weekend and can't stop thinking about ever since. A firm new favourite for us I think, whether it's for elevenses at the weekend, afternoon tea or used for a pudding, warm with ice cream, you have to try this cake. Super easy too and it turned out exactly like the picture. Exactly, not often that happens with a recipe so kudos to Waitrose.

I used this recipe, found in a Waitrose Spring ideas magazine.

You will need:

- 400g pack Rhubarb {preferably forced but regular stuff will still work fine, it just won't be quite as pink}, trimmed and cut into 2cm lengths

- 225g caster sugar

- 250g slightly salted butter, softened

- 3 medium eggs

- 175g self-raising flour

- 50g custard powder

- 100g ground almonds

- 500g tub Vanilla Custard

- 12 sugar cubes, crushed

Method:

- Preheat your oven to 230c/gas 8. Line a baking sheet with greasproof paper and spread the rhubarb out in a single layer on the baking tray. Sprinkle with 25g of the sugar and bake for 20 minutes until the rhubarb is lightly caramelised and softened. Remove from the oven and leave to cool while preparing the cake. {I started preparing the cake whilst this was in the oven to save time}

- Reduce your oven temperature to 180c/gas 4. Grease and line a 28cm x 22cm shallow baking tin with baking paper. Beat together with the remaining sugar, butter, eggs, flour, custard powder, ground almonds and 100g of the custard until pale and creamy. {an all in one cake, easy peasy just weigh it all out and chuck it in}

- Turn mixture into your cake tin and spread in an even layer. Press deep cavities in the mix with the back of a dessertspoon and pour the remaining custard into the tin. {I dip a few dips in the mix but mostly just swirled it through with a spoon}

- Then scatter your cooked rhubarb on top.

- Bake for 45-50 minutes until risen and the sponge feels firm to the touch {do the skewer test} but the custard is still quite wobbly in the middle. Scatter with the crushed sugar cubes and leave to cool in the tin until you're ready to serve. {I made mine the day before dinner at my Parent's so kept it covered and then heated it gently in the oven before serving for dessert with ice cream and some stewed rhubarb}.

Yum! I'm on baking duties again this week with three cakes to make for lots of Birthday celebrations in the family.

Let me know your favourite bakes.