Rhubarb – either you love it or hate it. I’m the lover kind and it’s one of my favorite spring vegetables. Yes it’s a vegetable, not a fruit but cooked with a little coconut blossom sugar and sun kissed raspberries, it’s super tart flavor turns into pure sweet and tangy goodness. And I’m putting that on top of a moist and fluffy coffee cake. The perfect Sunday afternoon treat.

I used a mix of spelt and buckwheat flour and a little almond meal. If you want to make this gluten free, just replace the spelt flour with either a gf flour mix or more buckwheat flour and almond meal. The mix of the flours gives this cake the perfect texture. And have I mentioned the lush pink colour of the raspberry rhubarb topping? The recipe is simple, but will also please a sophisticated palate. I promise!

WHAT YOU NEED {makes one small  loaf pan}

100 gr spelt flour or gf flour
100 gr buckwheat flour
50 gr almond meal
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp bourbon vanilla powder
150 ml almond milk
Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon 
2 tbsp coconut palm sugar {more if you like sweeter}
2 tbsp maple syrup
60 ml coconut oil melted
1 flax or chia egg {tbsp flax/ chia meal mixed with 3 tbsp water}
3 stalks rubarb, cut in equal long slices {about the length of the loaf pan}
4 tbsp coconut palm sugar
2 tbsp water optional
Juice of 1/2 lemon
125 gr fresh raspberries {keep some for decoration}
1-2 tsp coconut palm sugar for the top

HOW TO

1| Preheat oven to 175°C. Make the flax or chia egg in a large bowl and set aside. Heat up a pot or pan large enough to fit the rhubarb and add the lemon juice, water and sugar. Simmer for about 5-10 min or until the rhubarb is cooked through but not mushy. Set aside and let cool.

2| Add the liquid ingredients and the coconut palm sugar to the flax/ chia egg and mix well with a wisk until well incorporated. Mix all dry ingredients and lemon zest in a smaller bowl, then carefully add to the liquid ingredients. Don’t over mix.

3| Grease a small loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Pour in the cake mixture and top with raspberrries, pushing them a bit into the cake. Arrange the cooked rhubarb stalks on top of the raspberries and sprinkle with some more coconut palm sugar.

4| Bake for 40 min or until a wooden pick comes out clean. Cool, add fresh raspberries and serve just as is, with a dollop of vegan cream or vegan vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!