This was a last minute improvisation cake after I was offered some rhubarb and quite frankly, I did not know what to do with it as I never used it in any of my recipes before. When I decided to make a cake, I did not want to do it from scratch. And so I bought one of my favourite sponge cakes to satisfy my sweet tooth; Madeira cake. This fabulous British dessert has the firm texture that I love and is moist. You can use it instead of ladyfingers to prepare a tiramisu` and it’s great for trifles too. This recipe is great as a treat to your kids and will impress any last-minute guests. No matter what ingredients you add, whether fresh fruits, nuts or just cream-filled, it will always taste divine!

A square glass tray of 21 x 21 cm serve 12 people

Ingredients

A long loaf of Madeira cake, sliced (about 12 tick-cut slices)

500g fresh rhubarb, chopped

2 medium size bananas, round cut

Half a glass of Port (or water if the cake is for children)

60g sugar (to be added a little at a time as you may need less or a little more depending on your taste)

For the Diplomat Cream

300ml fresh double cream

2 medium egg yolks

250ml whole milk

60g sugar

Vanilla extract

1tbsp. caster sugar for the double cream

40g cornstarch (or a little flour to be added a little at a time)

To Decorate

Cream spray

Method

Take the Madeira loaf, cut it into thick slices and arrange the first layer in the glass tray as you see in the picture.

Take the bananas, peel them, cut them into round bite-size pieces, and put them aside.

In a medium-sized saucepan, add the rhubarb, the port, the sugar, and cook on low to medium heat until tender.

When cooked, pour the contents into a bowl, puree with a hand blender, and let it cook down.

To prepare the diplomat cream

Pour the milk into a saucepan and add a splash or two of vanilla extract.

Put it on the stove and let it heat over a medium-high heat.

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized bowl, mix the egg yolks with the sugar, add the corn starch (or flour to be added a little at a time), and whisk energetically until you don’t see any lumps.

Pour the mixture into the hot milk slowly and stir constantly until it thickens. This process should take 5 minutes or less.

When your pastry cream is ready, remove it from the heat, pour it into a container and cover it with a sheet of cling film to prevent the milk proteins from forming a thin crust on top when refrigerated.

Let it cool well in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.

When the pastry cream is ready, take the fresh double cream which you have previously stored in the fridge, pour it into a bowl, add the caster sugar, and whip the cream with an electric hand mixer until it holds its shape and the cream feel solid (you will know that the cream is well whipped when placing a teaspoon on its feet it will not fall 😉).

Time to build the cake

Take the glass tray where you have previously arranged the sliced Madeira cake.

Pour the pureed rhubarb on top of the slices and with the help of a spatula or knife, spread the fruit all over the cake as you see in the picture.

Arrange the sliced bananas on top of the rhubarb, and add to it another layer of sliced Madeira cake.

Take the diplomat cream from the fridge, pour it on the cake, and spread evenly over the top.

Let it rest in the fridge for an hour or so and enjoy your cake. Yummy!