Ahh, it’s spring, it’s spring, it’s FINALLY spring here in Philly! Among the many, many things I’m happy about with the warmer weather is the new crop of produce I’m now seeing at farmers markets, which means rhubarb.
Serena & I have both waxed poetic about rhubarb on this blog – here and here– primarily because we both grew up with it (she from her home farm in Montana – me from what my Dad transplanted from his family’s Pennsylvania farm to our suburban garden.) For some Rhubarb 101, check out this In Season: Rhubarb post from Cooking Light giving lots of background on this red beauty.
Rhubarb plant from Serena’s garden last year:
Now I admit, I wanted to give rhubarb a savory turn with this post and was planning on trying La Cucina Italiana’s Tagliatelle with Rhubarb & Fresh Dill but in the end, dessert won out (and hopefully you know by now, Serena & I are definitely dessert loving dietitians.)
So Light Rhubarb Strawberry Shortcake it became. My healthier twists:
- Less sugar in the sauce and cake
- Added in whole wheat pastry flour
- Cut down on the butter and upped the buttermilk
- Instead of whipped cream topping, used nonfat Greek yogurt
Light Rhubarb Strawberry Shortcake
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- Zest of one small orange, divided
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
For the sauce:
- 2 cups chopped rhubarb
- 4 cups sliced strawberries, divided
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/8 teaspoon almond extract
For the topping:
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons nonfat plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
- Fresh mint leaves, optional
Instructions
- For the cake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, mix flours, 1/4 cup sugar, powder, soda, salt and half of the orange zest.
- Mix in olive oil, buttermilk and almond extract until just incorporated.
- Spread mixture into a 9-inch square pan coated with cooking spray. Bake for 14 – 16 minutes or until just starting to turn light brown. Let cool in pan 10 minutes before cutting into 9 squares.
- For the sauce, add rhubarb, 2 cups strawberries, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water to a large saucepan.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently or until sauce is smooth.
- Remove from heat; mix in remaning strawberries, remaining orange zest and 1/8 teaspoon almond extract.
- For serving, split each square in half. Pour rhubarb strawberry sauce over bottom half, place top half of square on top and drizzle more sauce over top half. Top with 2 tablespoons of yogurt and fresh mint leaves, if desired.
Time for a ruby red Rhubarb Recipe Roundup!
Rhubarb recipes from Teaspoon of Spice:
Rhubarb Slump: A Tribute to My Dad
Orange Rhubarb & Cheddar Crostini
A few so many I got super side tracked rhubarb searches on Cooking Light, Healthy Aperture and Pinterest got me to some more yummy, healthier and gorgeous rhubarb recipes that I’m itching to make:
Rhubarb & Ginger Cocktail – Emilie @ Scarborough Food Fair
Rhubarb & Apple Spread – JJ @ 84th & 3rd
Rhubarb Lentil Soup with Crème Fraîche – Cooking Light
Rhubarb Yogurt Granola Parfait – Tara @ Noshing with The Nolands
Rhubarb & Chipotle Grilled Salmon with Just Picked Greens – Reneé @ Sweet Sugar Bean
Rhubarb & Strawberry Lemonade – Hélène @ Tartelette
Do you like rhubarb? Any favorite recipes to share?
World Baking Day & My Return To The Secret Recipe Club
Friday 5th of September 2014
[…] K and a great source of fibre. Their recipe is not vegan though, so I changed up the Original recipe. The fragrant, blushing strawberries brightened up a (typically) dull sky, English day. […]
EA Stewart
Saturday 13th of April 2013
Just pinned to my "Make Me Gluten-Free" board. Looks delicious! I don't think I've eaten rhubarb since I was a kid and my parents grew it in our yard. My mom would make cobbler out of it, and I always loved the sweet/sour combo. Looking forward to trying it again :-)
Deanna
Saturday 13th of April 2013
Ahhh, rhubarb cobbler is to die for! Let me know if you enjoy some rhubarb this spring - you must :)
Vanessa
Friday 12th of April 2013
Love rhubarb! Espcially with strawberries. This looks delicious. My favorite way is either simply as a crumble or as a compote, over ricotta as crostini, Mmm.
Deanna
Friday 12th of April 2013
Oooh over ricotta as crostini - that sounds divine, will have to try that!