At the risk of over-doing it on the rhubarb front...

Officially my last rhubarb entry (for now) or people will begin to worry...
I was a little surprised to find so few existing recipes which mixed chocolate and rhubarb as I couldn't see why the flavours of a rich chocolate would not work with the bitter-sweet rhubarb. But I had half a bar of chocolate in the cupboard, and a barrel load of rhubarb and I was determined to give it a go. A little hesitant perhaps of this flavour combination, I decided to try and bridge the flavour gap with a bit of orange - a flavour which compliments both beautifully. The result was really quite good. Although I was hoping to create a more brownie-like consistency, actually the firmer, crisper cake provided a better base for the rhubarb compote and meant that it sliced easily.

Chocolate and Orange Tower Cake, with a Rhubarb filling

The Cake:
150g Dark Chocolate
200g Butter
200g Self Raising Flour
200g Sugar
4 eggs
Zest of 1 Orange

The Filling:
6 Rhubarb stalks
3 tbsp of sugar
Juice of 1 orange

Grease and line 3 cake tins (15 cm diameter) and Pre heat the oven to 180.
In a heatproof bowl place the chocolate and butter and melt over a saucepan of boiling water, stirring regularly. Once melted, set aside to cool slightly.
In a seperate bowl, place the eggs and sugar, beat until firmer and paler in colour, gently fold in the flour and the orange zest. Then fold in the chocolate mixture.
Quickly divide between the 3 tins evenly and put in the hot oven for 20 mins, or until the cakes are firm to the touch.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Chop the rhubarb finely and place in a saucepan with the orange juice and sugar, heat gently until the rhubarb is soft and breaks easily. Place the contents in a sieve and allow to drain and cool.

Once both components of your cake are cool, take one of the three cakes, put on a plate and pierce holes through it. Spoon half of the rhubarb filling over it and place the second cake gently on top. Repeat the process. Dust the top of the complete cake with a little icing sugar.

Serve as a teatime treat, or a delicious desert with a little cream or natural yoghurt.