Rhubarb & Almond Loaf Cake

Preheat the oven to 190C/170CFan/375F. Line a 900g (2lb) loaf tin with baking parchment.
Dice the rhubarb into small pieces and set aside. Take one extra stem of rhubarb and cut it into 5 short batons to decorate the top of the cake.
Place the sugar and butter into a large mixing bowl. Using an electric hand whisk, beat the butter and sugar together until light, pale and fluffy.
Now add the eggs, one at a time, beating really well after each egg. Add a tablespoon of flour with the last egg and beat until smooth (the flour stops the cake batter from curdling or splitting).
Sieve the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt into the bowl and fold in the ingredients gently.
Add the almond extract and milk, and fold that through the cake batter.
Finally, add the diced rhubarb and fold that through the cake batter.
Carefully spoon the mixture into the lined loaf tin.
Place the 5 batons of rhubarb on top of the cake and scatter over the flaked almonds. Do not press the rhubarb into the cake or it will disappear when baked.
Place the cake into the hot oven and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes in the tin. Now remove the cake from the tin, and cool completely on a wire cooling rack.