Rhubarb Custard Torte

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There are so many recipes for rhubarb. Many families have a recipe that their mother or grandmother made. I love rhubarb and was so happy when the rhubarb I planted in my garden several years ago was big enough to harvest. Always on the lookout for a new recipe to try, this past week I found one in a food publication email. What caught my attention was that it had originated from a cook in Wisconsin. Karma.

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The shortbread base, custardy filling and the meringue-like top were delicious! Meant to be eaten with a fork, I couldn’t help but cut off the corner after it cooled and eat it with my fingers. You know when that first bite is an ‘Ahhhh” moment! By the way, it holds together very well when eating it with your fingers 🙂 It truly needs no other enhancements like whipping cream or ice cream, but feel free.

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After taking these photos, and also eating the slice above, I quickly wrapped up the rest to take to my daughter’s home for our Mother’s Day dinner celebration before I could nibble it all up. The story behind this torte recipe is wonderful and a tribute to the author’s mother. Click here if you’d like to read it.

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The recipe makes enough for a 9 x 13 inch pan so would be perfect for a Memorial Day picnic or BBQ. Even my husband, who does not like rhubarb, ate two pieces! What was left, my daughter took to work to share today. Although she did confess it might not make it there 🙂

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day…I certainly did 🙂

Printable Recipe

Note: I adapted this recipe slightly by using part brown sugar in the custard and I also added fresh strawberries in addition to the rhubarb.

Makes 1 9-inch by 13-inch torte

For the custard:

2 eggs
1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups fresh rhubarb, preferably red, sliced into pieces about a quarter-inch wide

1 cup fresh strawberries, halved and sliced a quarter-inch wide

For the crust

3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 C flour
7 T sugar

Preheat the oven to 350F.

To make the custard, beat the eggs in a large bowl and add the sugar. Cream that combination slightly then add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Then, add the rhubarb and strawberries and mix together. Allow the mixture to sit for about 30 minutes, so the rhubarb and strawberries have a chance to release their juices slightly.

To make the crust, cut the butter into the flour and sugar, as you would a pie crust. The butter should be cold. You can use a pastry cutter or just blend with your fingers until it resembles course meal. Press this into a 9″ by 13″ pan.

Pour the custard over the crust and smooth it evenly. Bake at 350°F for 30–45 minutes (mine took a full 45 minutes). Bake it long enough so that the torte is set and slightly golden, but not toasty brown.

Adapted from Jan Coulson’s Rhubarb Torte