Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter room temperature, plus 1 Tbsp for greasing the pan
• 1 cup firmly packed Light Brown Sugar
• 2 Tbsp Poppy Seeds
• 1 Tbsp Lemon Zest
• 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 2 Eggs room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups Unbleached White All-Purpose Flour
• 1 cup Almond Flour
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
• 8 oz fresh Rhubarb cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1/3 cup Sliced Almonds
• 1 Tbsp Sugar for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and line the base with parchment paper.
2. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and airy (about 2 minutes). Using a spatula, scrape the sides of the mixing bowl. With the mixer on low, add the poppy seeds, lemon zest and vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, stopping to scrape the bowl after each addition. Mix until just combined.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the all purpose flour, almond flour, baking powder and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture, taking care to not overmix the dough. The batter will be rather stiff, but that’s okay.
4. Using an offset spatula, evenly spread half of the batter into the prepared cake pan. Scatter half of the rhubarb over the batter, leaving a 1-inch margin from the edge of the pan (this is so the rhubarb doesn’t stick to the side of the cake pan and burn).
5. Evenly spread the remaining batter over the rhubarb layer and arrange the remaining half of the rhubarb on top of the cake. (Note: you can also lay strips of thinly sliced rhubarb across the top of the cake for a different decorative look.) Sprinkle the top of the cake with the sugar, followed by the sliced almonds.
6. Bake the cake for 40-50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean and the top of the cake springs back to the touch. Let the cake cool for 20 minutes before releasing it from the springform pan.