Rhubarb Pudding Cake - Testing

https://www.seasonsandsuppers.ca/rhubarb-pudding-cake/
https://commonsensehome.com/rhubarb-pudding-cake/
http://qc.allrecipes.ca/recette/5547/pouding---la-rhubarbe--facile.aspx

1 - I may simply not have baked it long enough. But while putting the batter on was challenging because the water from underneath kept pushing up, so that when I put the sugar on top, it got wet and baked into a pale crust. But the sweet and sharpness of the rhubarb is well balanced and the cake baked well.

1.1 - I haven't made this again, but I was thinking about the liquid layer which is a pain. I would like to try applying the Pouding Chomeur physics to this recipe and see if it works. It makes sense, right, if there's a layer of boiling water? Why else would it be there?

2 - Why did I think boiling water with the fruit was a better idea. I looking at the recipes, the boiling water goes on top. This worked very well and was very good. What I doubt is the arrowroot in the topping. I think I will try to use just flour next time. The original recipes ask for cornstarch, which is likely why I thought arrowroot would be better. 

3 - Trying it just with corn starch, since I've never actually made the original recipe as-is. However, I forgot the 1⁄2 cup of sugar on the rhubarb, and I put the batter on top. So I poured the sugar on top of the batter, and tried making holes in the batter to let the sugar through to the bottom. We'll see how it goes... it went fine! Turns out the cornstarch doesn't really seem to behave that differently from arrowroot.

Fruit
2 1⁄2 cups (12oz to 1lb) rhubarb, diced
1⁄2 cup white sugar
Batter
1 cup flour
1⁄2 cup white sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1⁄4 tsp salt
1 egg
3 Tbsps butter, melted
1⁄2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

Topping
1⁄4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp arrowroot flour (just regular)
2⁄3 cup boiling water

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Cover the bottom of a glass 8" square baking dish with the fruit, and sprinkle with the sugar. 
3. In a bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
4. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, butter, milk and vanilla.
5. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the egg mixture. Gently fold the two together just until they are combined.
6. Pour the batter over the fruit. 
7. For the topping, in a small bowl, combine the sugar and flour arrowroot. Sprinkle on top of the cake. 
8. Pour boiling water over the top.
9. To avoid a mess from the boiling filling during baking, place the baking dish on top of a parchment or foil-lined cookie sheet.
10. Bake for 45 minutes