The perfect cake for the hay harvest

My dear farm story readers!

Today, summer has also arrived in Gastein, and almost every farmer in the valley is taking their tractors out of the barn and starting with the first hay or silage harvest. With the mountains still dusted with snow above, it’s wonderful to smell the freshly mown grass, and one is truly happy that the weather is stable and the harvest is possible.

Mostly hungry from working, everyone comes into the kitchen after a day’s work, and besides a proper snack / Brettljause, there’s usually a cake.

Since the rhubarb is thriving so splendidly in the garden right now, I immediately set out to use Mom’s oil cake recipe and made a redcurrant-rhubarb cake. The cake is easy to make, tastes good, and keeps for a few days. It’s also good for freezing.

Mom’s Rhubarb-Redcurrant Cake

> 5 large eggs

> 200 g sugar

> 500 g wheat flour

> 1/8 l rapeseed or sunflower oil

> 1/8 l milk

> 1 pkg. baking powder

> 200 g redcurrants (frozen ones work well too)

> 200 g rhubarb (fresh from the garden, cut into small pieces, with the skin)

Preparation:

Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites until stiff. Then, in a bowl, beat the egg yolks and sugar until very frothy, then alternately add the oil, wheat flour, baking powder, and milk, and briefly mix everything together. Finally, fold in the stiffly beaten egg whites. Spread the dough onto a baking sheet and then sprinkle and distribute the fruits. Bake at medium heat (180 degrees Celsius) for approx. 25 – 30 minutes. Good luck!!!

All the best from Zittrauerhof in the beautiful Gastein Valley. Katharina Schwaiger