Rhubarb Croissant Bread and Butter Pudding Cake

This gorgeous cake will puff up as you cook it and is delicious served straight away or at room temperature. It's perfect with a dollop of cream or vanilla ice cream.

INGREDIENTS

700g rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 3cm pieces
⅓ cup caster sugar
zest of ½ an orange, grated finely
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
1 ¼ cups caster sugar
¾ cup whole milk
1 cup cream
5 quality, large stale croissants, each torn into 3–4 pieces
⅓ cup flaked almonds
1 tablespoon caster sugar
23cm spring form cake tin, lined with baking paper.

Make sure the cake tin you use is a really water-tight spring form tin - if it's old or a bit leaky, it'll leak everywhere and make a mess in the oven. Check it first by filling it with water or place a larger tin underneath and watch it closely.

METHOD

Preheat oven 180˚C and put rhubarb in a single layer in a baking dish. Sprinkle over sugar, zest and vanilla extract and bake for 15 minutes until tender then leave to cool.

In a big jug, beat eggs, yolks, sugar, milk and cream until pale. Layer half of the croissants into the prepared tin, covering the base fully. Sprinkle over half of the rhubarb. Layer up with the remaining croissants and top with the rest of the rhubarb in big blobs. Press down gently, but leave a few bits of pointy croissant sticking up - they'll go lovely and crunchy.

Pour the cream, sugar and egg mixture over the croissants, coating everything fully. Leave to stand for 20 minutes and preheat the oven to 160˚C. Sprinkle with flaked almonds and sugar and bake for an hour.

The custard will probably puff up a little in the oven, then sink when you remove it - this is fine, it will set into a delicious creamy mix with the croissants. Leave to cool for at least half an hour before serving with whipped cream and/or vanilla bean ice cream. Serves 8 - 10.

This recipe has been reproduced with permission from Sarah Tuck, from her beautifully photographed food blog, Stuck in the Kitchen. For more recipe ideas and cooking inspiration, like her Facebook page. To read a little more about her and find out how Stuck in the Kitchen began, read our story on her.