Bird's custard powder, the basis of so many oceans of yellow bliss, was invented by Alfred Bird, a Birmingham chemist in 1837, because his wife was allergic to eggs. Whilst Birds is now owned by premier foods, the Custard Factory still stands in Digbeth and is now a collection of creative and digital businesses, independent retailers and event venues.
I have been trying to find out when rhubarb and custard sweets were first introduced, but no conclusive evidence has yet to be unearthed. Dr Annie Gray, the food historian, tells me that boiled sweets became popular in the late 19th century, when the prohibitive tax on sugar was lifted in 1874
and small sweet shops sprang up around the country.
However, it appears that rhubarb and custard sweets do not contain rhubarb
Here is the classic combination, paired in a cake.
120g butter
120g sugar
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
80g custard powder
40g self raising flour
300g rhubarb
Extra sugar to taste.
Slice the rhubarb into 5cm lengths and place in a wide pan and add no more than 50ml water. Poach gently until just soft. Remove from the heat and add sugar to taste; some rhubarb is sweeter, some as mouth-puckeringly sour as you can possibly imagine, so be guided by your tastebuds. Just don't make it oversweet, it is going into a cake and you will need the flavour contrast.
Set aside to cool while you make the cake mix.
Pre-heat the oven to 165ºC and grease a 22cm cake tin
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and very pale in colour. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla.
Carefully fold in the custard powder and flour and spoon the mixture into the cake tin.
Lift the rhubarb out of its juice and lay it across the top of the cake.
Place in the oven and cook for 25 - 30 minutes, until the centre springs back when lightly pressed.
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then run a palette knife around the edge and invert the cake onto a plate, turn it over again onto a cooling rack.
Serve still warm or at room temperature with extra custard.
Here is the classic combination, paired in a cake.
120g butter
120g sugar
2 eggs
1tsp vanilla extract
80g custard powder
40g self raising flour
300g rhubarb
Extra sugar to taste.
Slice the rhubarb into 5cm lengths and place in a wide pan and add no more than 50ml water. Poach gently until just soft. Remove from the heat and add sugar to taste; some rhubarb is sweeter, some as mouth-puckeringly sour as you can possibly imagine, so be guided by your tastebuds. Just don't make it oversweet, it is going into a cake and you will need the flavour contrast.
Set aside to cool while you make the cake mix.
Pre-heat the oven to 165ºC and grease a 22cm cake tin
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy and very pale in colour. Beat in the eggs and the vanilla.
Carefully fold in the custard powder and flour and spoon the mixture into the cake tin.
Lift the rhubarb out of its juice and lay it across the top of the cake.
Place in the oven and cook for 25 - 30 minutes, until the centre springs back when lightly pressed.
Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then run a palette knife around the edge and invert the cake onto a plate, turn it over again onto a cooling rack.
Serve still warm or at room temperature with extra custard.
Netherton Foundry Shropshire 2019 ©
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