I am crazy for both Strawberries and Rhubarb, which are often served together.  The problem is that rhubarb has to be cooked, but I HATE to cook fresh strawberries.  I like them fresh and unaltered.  So, while in the process of making our favorite strawberry shortcake recipe, we decided to solve this problem by putting the rhubarb IN the shortcake.  It came out very moist and took forever to cook, so I’ve adjusted the recipe a little for you.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup softened butter
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• zest of one lemon
• 1 cup rhubarb
• 1 Tbsp. honey (wild if you have it)
• juice of the same lemon
• Fresh strawberries
• Whipped cream

Cream butter in mixer.  Add sugar followed by eggs, beat well after each addition.  Add vanilla, flour and salt, and lemon zest.  In a separate bowl, combine rhubarb, lemon juice, and honey.  Stir into cake batter.  Bake in a round cake pan at 325 for about an hour and 15 minutes, or until it seems done.  Ours took a long time.  Serve with fresh strawberries and whipped cream.  A small slice of this one will do you, it’s rich and sweet.

To make the original version of our favorite strawberry shortcake, eliminate rhubarb and honey, and use 2 cups of sugar and 5 eggs.  For a crowd, double the recipe and cook in a bundt pan.