Sitting in the kitchen, on the last day of the long weekend, I wanted to bake something, but I didn’t have a clue as to what. So I made something that didn’t know what it was. You see, there were tapioca pearls on my counter, and still some rhubarb from my neighbours (I’ve only been taking from the first plant, and still haven’t made a dent in it!). There was lots of time, and a tweet from Olga in my head, mentioning the best thing she’d baked in months. So, I did the only sensible thing that a teenage food blogger would do – I smushed some recipes together to create something. I wasn’t sure what it would turn out to be, but excited about the possibilities. That’s all you need (maybe a sense of adventure and being willing to fail too!), but it turned out that I didn’t have to worry about failing, as it came out absolutely lovely.
You see, this cake is still sort of in it’s “thing” stage. It’s sort of like a cobbler, crumble, muffin, pudding, cake, tapioca pudding, fruit yogurt, thing mix. But it’s delicious and didn’t last 24 hours. You can just call it good, or a strawberry rhubarb tapioca pudding cake, if a label must be adhered :). If you have a fun name for it, do let me know!
Strawberry Rhubarb Tapioca Pudding Cake
Inspired by this cake and this pudding recipe. Created by Lauren of Celiac Teen.
Ingredients
1/2 cup tapioca pearls
3 cups milk (I used skim)
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups thinly sliced rhubarb
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup chopped strawberries
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup millet flour (2.80 oz)
1/4 cup cornstarch (1.50 oz)
1 tbsp sweet rice flour (0.30 oz)
3/4 tsp xanthan gum
2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup sugar
Steps
Soak the tapioca pearls in the milk for 2 to 3 hours.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and butter an 8 inch square glass baking dish.
Remove 1/2 cup of the milk from the soaking tapioca mixture and place into a bowl for later.
Place the tapioca mixture and salt over medium high heat. Stir until boiling. Add rhubarb and simmer for 5 minutes, adding sugar gradually. Reduce heat and stir for several minutes at al low simmer until you have a fairly thick pudding, and the tapioca pearls have lost most of their white colour. Stir in strawberries and remove from heat.
Whisk together the reserved milk, butter, egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients. Combine the wet and the dry ingredients, until you have a fairly smooth batter.
Place half of the warm tapioca pudding into the prepared baking dish. Spread the batter over the entire tapioca pudding, trying not to lift up any of the pudding into the batter. Evenly pour the rest of the tapioca pudding over the batter.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Enjoy!
This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays and Gluten-Free Wednesdays.
You want it a little more done than this. Those big white pearls, they need to become small white pearls. Although, I didn’t mind the touch of texture (not quite toughness) that they brought.
I think it comes out quite lovely. Very rustic, with the “cake” part absorbing some of the pudding.
It has almost-layers. Some of the tapioca pearls sank to the bottom. That’s good though :).
Remember: Pudding Cake. Unless it’s been cooled, it will come out a bit like this. But that’s okay, because it’s deliciously moist. You want some.
Step outside to look at the flowers. It is almost summer after all!
Go ahead. You can take a bite. Really, you can.
Tell me about your favourite random recipes in the kitchen! I do believe that necessity (as well as boredom and inspiration) is the mother of invention.
xoxo
Lauren
Twitter, Facebook, Foodbuzz and Flickr.
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Rhubarb is great inspiration, isn’t it? I spent the afternoon playing with my rhubarb and coming up with a yummy muffin recipe. I say you call this Rhubarb Bliss, it sounds dreamy!
OH MY!! Olga and Elise are pure inspiration, and you fusing their recipes and making it gluten free is not only genius- it’s also VERY inspirational. I don’t know how you do it, but you do! Great post, Lauren!
So glad your creation turned out well! I think that is one of the greatest satisfactions in cooking – creating something new.
Love it! It’s as if you did a mash-up of all my favorites. Yummmm.
Lauren, I love reading your posts! You tell us so much about your experience baking whatever it is you’re sharing with us. Thanks! I think this would also be dreamy during raspberry season. Though I’m terribly addicted to anything raspberry so maybe I’m biased 🙂
What an interesting and creative idea! I’ve never seen tapioca pearls used for something other than pudding.
That’s just awesome – I’m so glad you put together something GF!! Looks amazing and I loved that recipe from Elise as well!! Good memory!
So this is the “thing” that you kept tweeting about. I kept thinking of the movie, but you sounded so happy about it. Now I see why. I would be happy with that coming out of my oven, too. I really feel as though I need to get some rhubarb. Or at least grow some of my own. I remember it growing everywhere in my mom’s garden when I was younger. But, alas, she only made jam. Your creations always make me hungry.
BTW, I have noticed I use the word lovely so much since I have started following your blog. I don’t recall using it that much before. Thanks for that, too. It’s a fabulous word.
You know, I’ve never cooked with tapioca. Maybe I should remedy that. Your pictures are great, and this looks tasty!
Looks delicious Lauren! I love combining recipes and using up what I have. You did a great job.
Bravo, Lauren! I’m all about new creations, choosing a little from this recipe and a little from that recipe. 😉 Adore that photo of the mixture in the pan! I have a tapioca lover at home . . .
Shirley
that looks so good Lauren!!! Wow.
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