Spiced Rhubarb Cake (Vegan)

This is one of my favourite seasonal cakes. There is nothing quite like pulling the first bundle of rhubarb stalks from the garden! I used to make this a lot when I was vegetarian, so I wanted to see if it would work okay with an egg replacer. I'm pleased to say it does! It contains a lot of fresh rhubarb, so is a very moist, almost gooey cake that gets stickier after a day or so. It doesn't keep for long due to the fresh ingredient, but I've never had a problem with this as it's all eaten after a couple of days anyway!

Ingredients

5 oz Vitalite or vegan butter alternative

10oz Self-Raising Flour

2 tsp Allspice (or Mixed Spice if you prefer)

1 tsp Ginger

3oz Dark Muscovado Sugar

6oz Golden Syrup

1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda

Vegg (Baking Mix) equivalent to 2 eggs

10oz Fresh Rhubarb, chopped into half inch bits

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Heat oven to 180 C and put the kettle on. Grease and line a deep 20cm square cake tin (or loaf tin as I use).

In a large mixing bowl beat together the vitalite and sugar until light and fluffy. 

Beat in the golden syrup or use a mixer for ease.

Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in 200ml boiling water, then gradually mix into the vitalite mix. 

Sift in the flour and spices. Mix briefly before adding in the egg mix.

Once mixed well, gently stir in the rhubarb.

Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 50-60 mins, until the cake feels firm to the touch and springs back when pressed. It's difficult to check with the usual 'stick a knife in' method as even when cooked the rhubarb makes the middle quite wet. Try it anyway as it will be obvious if the centre to still too raw! My oven is rubbish, so it always take me longer to cook this than when I've made it elsewhere. I'd advise you to check on it regularly and be prepared to increase time if necessary.

Cool in the tin for 15 mins, then turn out and cool on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar if you want to, but I never bother. It's lovely served with soya single cream or vanilla ice cream!