There’s something about strolling past stalls of locally produced food in the warmth of the summer sun that gets my family truly excited about farmers’ markets. Whether in our little suburban city, out in Vancouver, or on vacation in a foreign country, we make the effort to pay a visit to the farmers’ market. There, we are dazzled by the array of neatly lined local produce and gawk at all the prepared food that we wish our stomachs had the space for. Between the seasonal fruits and vegetables and the items from food trucks and stalls, I gather inspiration for the next radiant recipe.

Last Saturday, my parents attended a church retreat out in Vancouver. With an entire morning to spare, I took the opportunity to stroll the Trout Lake Farmers’ Market, the first of many summer market adventures. To lure my brother out of bed in time, I told him we could get crepes for breakfast. That always does the trick.

We made a beeline to the crepe truck immediately after arriving at the market. Possibly twenty or so minutes went by before we got to the front of the line. “One Ali Baba and one Rhubarb with Ricotta please.” Each crepe was adorned with care and precision; an even layer of spread, perfectly spaced dollops of cheese, methodically lined vegetables, and delicately drizzled sauce.

A few snaps of our breakfast later, for I am a food blogger afterall, we each noshed down half a crepe then switched so we could sample both. Being the systematic person he is, my brother insisted on starting with the savoury crepe, meaning that I ate the rhubarb crepe first. Lo and behold, I instantly fell in love with the flavour combination. The fresh ricotta was luxuriously creamy and the drizzle of honey danced with the tartness of the rhubarb-apple compote. If only we didn’t agree to switch at the half-eaten point!

Tummies full from buckwheat crepes, we proceeded to wander around the bustling market for another hour. Rhubarb and ricotta were on my mind and I was eager to tie that pairing into a recipe. Rhubarb was available at just about every produce stall, but unfortunately, by the time a found a truck advertising a daily special of fresh ricotta, they were sold out for the day. There is this lovely stall that sells the freshest herbs and most darling edible flowers. I picked up a bunch of assorted mini roses in red, pink, and cardinal yellow just for this photo shoot. They are currently perfuming my mom’s kitchen with a pleasant rose scent. Next time, I plan to purchase a bunch of lemon balm just because it smells so fresh and calming. Do any of you know how to utilize lemon balm?

These adorable Mini Rhubarb Ginger Ricotta Cakes are hearty and moist, sweetened with honey without stealing the spotlight from the rhubarb. I added a teaspoon of freshly grated ginger, as I had a delicious rhubarb ginger streusel ice cream just days before. The addition of streusel topping on this cake would be divine!

I developed this cake recipe with seasonal fruits in mind. If rhubarb is too sour for your liking, or is not available in your area, switch out the rhubarb for whatever fruit you fancy or is currently in season. Ricotta pairs well with just about all fruits. Pears or grapes in the winter, mangoes or rhubarb in the spring, berries, cherries, or peaches in the summer, and persimmons or apples in the fall. I’m really looking forward to making these cakes again with peaches, nectarines, and BC berries! My mom suggests chopping up the fruit and mixing it into the batter, that way you get a piece of fruit with every bite. So give that a go if that sounds good to you!