Makes 2 cakes – 12 x 5 ½ inch baking pans

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ pounds unsalted butter – room temperature
• 3 cups brown sugar
• 10 extra large eggs (separate 5 for whites only)
• 5 cups sifted AP flour
• 2 tablespoons vanilla
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups rhubarb, chopped
• 1 cup orange, chopped (rind and flesh)
• 10 slices orange
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Start by making simple syrup: combine sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat and stir until clear. Add the orange slices and simmer for 5 min. Remove slices and hold on a flat plate. Add chopped orange and simmer for 5 more minutes. Drain the orange. Save both, the orange and the syrup. Set aside at room temperature.

Pre-heat oven to 350°F

In a dry bowl combine sifted flour (measure after sifting) with baking soda, and baking powder.

In a kitchenaid mixer with paddle, combine soft butter with brown sugar.
Add 5 whole eggs (beaten in advance)
Add buttermilk
Add vanilla
Run mixer on slow until smooth
In a separate bowl beat 5 egg whites until almost peaking.
Incorporate whites with the butter mixture gingerly by hand.

Returning to the mixer combine the butter mixture with sifted flour in small batches adding ⅓ of each at a time on a low paddle setting.
Finally add the rhubarb and candied, chopped orange by hand.

Prepare the 2 baking pans by cleaning and drying first, then spray with a thin coat of oil and dust with flour. Now fill each pan a little more than ½ way, smooth the top with a spatula and tap each pan on the countertop to remove air bubbles.

Place both in oven for 1.5 hours, check after 70 minutes with a toothpick. Remove when toothpick pulls out from center clean.

As the cakes bake, prepare the icing:  Combine 1/2 cup simple syrup with 1 cup powdered sugar in a bowl with a fork, when smooth set aide.

After cakes have cooled for an hour, remove from pan, top with candied orange slices and drizzle with the icing.

Serve with rhubarb sauce

Boil 1 cup chopped rhubarb with 5 tablespoons of sugar in ¼ cup of orange juice for 5 minutes, then drain and add 1 cup of diced fresh strawberries.

Plate a slice of cake with a spoon full of rhubarb sauce and a spoon full of whipped cream.