Quick Rhubarb Cake with Crumble Topping and Vanilla Pudding

Steps

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1. 1
   Wash the rhubarb thoroughly. Young rhubarb can be used with the skin; for older or very fibrous rhubarb, peel it. Remove the leaves from the top, then gently pull down the first layer of skin along the stalk, and trim the bottom.
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2. 2
   Cut the rhubarb into approximately 1-centimeter pieces—not too thin, to keep it from becoming too soft during baking. Mix the rhubarb with 2 tablespoons of sugar, which draws out moisture and concentrates the flavor. Drain off the collected juice to keep the cake base crispy.
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3. 3
   Prepare the vanilla pudding by mixing 2 tablespoons of sugar with the pudding powder and whisking it smooth with a little cold milk. Heat the remaining milk in a pot until it boils, being careful not to scorch it. Remove from heat, whisk in the pudding mixture, then return to heat and simmer for 1 minute to fully cook the starch and eliminate any starchy taste. Set aside to cool.
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4. 4
   Make the shortcrust dough by combining dry ingredients—flour, vanilla sugar, sugar, baking powder (sifted if lumpy), salt, and lemon zest—and mixing thoroughly to distribute the baking powder evenly. Add the cold butter and rub it between your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add one egg.
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5. 5
   Continue rubbing the dough until it becomes a crumbly mixture. Remove about one-third of the mixture to use as crumble topping and refrigerate it. Gently knead the remaining dough together into a cohesive dough.
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6. 6
   Generously butter a 26-centimeter springform pan. Place the dough in the pan and spread it evenly with your fingertips, pressing it up along the edges. Refrigerate the pan for 10 minutes to prevent shrinkage during baking while preheating the oven to 170–180°C (convection or conventional).
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7. 7
   Drain off any accumulated rhubarb juice. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and spread the cooled pudding evenly over the base. If the pudding appears slightly lumpy, this will smooth out during baking. Distribute the drained rhubarb pieces evenly over the pudding.
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8. 8
   Generously top the cake with the chilled crumble mixture. Bake in the preheated oven at 170°C for about 45 minutes. Halfway through, increase the temperature to 180°C. The cake should turn golden brown on top.
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9. 9
   Once baking is complete, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool. After a few minutes, you can remove the springform pan sides. Once completely cooled, dust with powdered sugar if desired.
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