Rhubarb Blondies/Slacker Chickens Applesauce Rhubarb Blondies/Applesauce & Apple Cake

Adrian took some of the Rhubarb Blondies in to work today, and there has been a request for the recipe.  Knowing I will eventually lose my paper copy of this quick, easy, baked treat, I thought I should post it here:

*Disclaimer : this recipe was originally "Oregon Apple Cake" from somewhere on the Interwebs, but I have managed to lose the original source - and have altered the ingredients so much - needing to find a use for my lovely backyard rhubarb, and similarly available home made applesauce, that I consider it my own now.

Rhubarb Blondies
1/2 cup butter
2 cups sugar
2 eggs (or 1 egg and 1/2 cup of applesauce if your chickens are slackers)
2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour
2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp. cinnamon (or more, to taste - I generally eyeball it)

2 cups sliced fresh rhubarb (or chunks of apple. ***If you add more, the cake will be too wet)
*Optional - up to 1 cup of nuts

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla.  Beat. Add dry ingredients (the original required sifted flour, but I'm lazy and it's not necessary - just try and incorporate all of the flour). The mixture will seem dry and lumpy at this point, but will moisten a bit as you stir in the fruit (you may need to use clean hands to fold in the fruit if you've doubled the recipe and don't have a huge bowl), and will smooth out in the pan as you bake.

Makes 1 9x13 pan, at 350F for 45 minutes.  I always double and share - the oven's on and the bowls are dirty anyway.

And now, a picture of a bumblebee working hard to collect pollen in the garden...such a hard worker!