When it comes to baking, I like to keep things simple and use fresh and in season ingredients. When I was planning this recipe, there was so much beautiful local rhubarb at my local Fred Meyer, all cute and all sorts of shares of pink and red. So I was excited to make something delicious for you guys. A perfect spring cake that is also gluten free.
First, prepare the rhubarb. Slice the rhubarb into 2 inch pieces, and place into a small frying pan, with the sugar and liquid of your choice, I used a white wine, but you can use orange juice or water. Bring to a simmer, and cook over a very low heat, until the rhubarb is just tender, but still very much holding its shape, it takes less than 10 minutes, keep an eye so you don't over cook it. Remove the rhubarb from the liquid, and set both aside.
To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350 F.
Butter 2 0.6 quart oval baking dishes and place on a cookie sheet.
Beat the butter and sugar together until very pale and fluffy. Mix together the almond meal, polenta, and baking powder, and add it a third at a time, alternating with the eggs. So, mixing on a low speed, add some dry ingredients, then an egg, then dry, then an egg, until it’s all used up. Mix in the vanilla.
Divide the batter between the two dishes, leaving about a cup of batter out, you can add it into a smaller baking dish to make a small portion, it seemed like it would be too much for this size of a dish, so that's what I did. The recipe can also be made in a larger baking dish if you want one large cake.
Arrange the rhubarb pieces on top of the batter, and press them in slightly. Place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. It will be ready when a skewer inserted comes out with only a few crumbs clinging to it.
When the cake comes out of the oven, leave it to cool for at least 10 minutes on a cooling rack, before scooping it straight from the pan and serving it (it’s delicious warm) with a dollop of cream or yogurt and a drizzle of syrup.