Rhubarb in season

G'day, sweet bloggers and friends, have you had a good week? I've had a full one. I'm in the process of painting my hutch, buffet and dining furniture white, I paused for a while for some snaps snaps on my camera. I figured I wouldn't have the "unfinished paint finish" background for long, so I had to take photos, didn't I? It really did help having such co-operative subjects as these autumn lovelies though. I had so much fun putting these together, and so much more fun taking pictures! They are very photogenic, I must add. Roses used here: Perfumed Perfection (Mauve, Floribunda), Anne Boelyn (Pink apricot blend, David Austin) and Sheena Gold with lilac flowers(Hedge plant, can't remember the cultivar's name).Notice the two-tone pink on these roses? They tend to do that naturally in autumn. I love them like that since I love striped roses and I haven't added any in my garden yet. Pink roses: Sir Edward Elgar (David Austin English Rose) and Pink Simplicity(Floribunda)Tamora (David Austin) apricot I'm a sucker for rhubarb desserts. So I also took time out to bake a Rhubarb Crumble-topped Teacake. It's so good I had to share with you. The topping really makes it special and I love the nuts in it. The aroma while baking was unbelievable! You can have it with whipped cream, I didn't want it with cream this time so I had it plain with..........roses! Very low calories, lol! And of course a cup of tea has to be called for, what is a teacake without tea? These are Pink Simplicity arranged a bit wildly, the two-tone is even more obvious here. Recipe for Rhubarb Crumble-topped Teacake:
125g butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups plain flour
1 tsp bicarb soda 1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup (200-250ml) sour cream
2 cups rhubarb, finely sliced

Topping:
5 Tbsp plain flour
25-30g butter (diced and softened)
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup slivered or flaked almonds ( I used both)

(1) Preheat oven to 180C. Grease a 20cm springform tin. Line base with baking paper. (2) Beat butter and brown sugar together until pale and creamy. Add egg and vanilla and beat well. Sift flour, bicarb soda and cinnamon together. Add to butter mixture with sour cream and fold through until well combined. Add 2/3 of rhubarb to batter and stir well. Transfer to cake tin and smooth top. (3) To prepare Topping: Rub butter into flour until mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add brown sugar, cinnamon and almonds into the mixture. (4) Add reserved rhubarb on surface of batter and then layer Topping mixture on top of rhubarb. (5) Bake for 1 hour or cooked when tested. Enjoy your weekend, my sweet friends, hope you get to try the teacake.