How it’s done
Makes one baking tray
Preparation time: approx. 45 minutes, plus baking and cooling time.
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C (static heat). Line a baking tray with baking paper and grease the sides with a little butter.
To make the batter, first scrape the seeds out of the vanilla pod. Mix them with the butter and sugar, and beat until fluffy. Gradually mix in the eggs and the ricotta. Blend the flour and the baking powder, and carefully add them to the mixture. Spread the batter evenly onto the baking tray. To make the crumbs, mix the flour with the softened butter and the sugar until they form a crumbly mixture, and then rub in with your fingers until the mixture resembles crumbs. Spread the crumbs over the batter. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for around 40 minutes (check with a skewer).
While the cake is baking, prepare the rhubarb and cut it into slices of around 1 cm thick. Place them in a pan and cover with the sugar. Leave to infuse for 30 minutes or so. Then bring the rhubarb to the boil in its own juice. Mix the cornflour with 4 tbsp of water until smooth and add to the rhubarb to thicken it.
Pour the mixture into a bowl and leave to cool. Mix in the mascarpone.
Once the cake has cooled, cut it in half and then slice each half through the middle. Spread the rhubarb filling onto the bottom half of the cakes and then place the crumb half on top. Leave the cakes to stand for a while before cutting.
