Rhubarb Cake is a soft, moist, and flavorful cake full of diced rhubarb and topped with granulated sugar that is simple to make and a dessert everyone will love! If you love baking with rhubarb, be sure to try my Rhubarb Bars next!
Rhubarb Cake
This Rhubarb Cake recipe was a recipe given to me by my friend, Elizabeth (who also gave me this Swedish Meatballs recipe). It was passed down from her grandmother, who got the recipe from a member of her church circle. It is a simple recipe to make, but it is a cake that never fails and the perfect dessert to make to use up all the rhubarb that grows in abundance around here!
Rhubarb Cake Ingredients
Rhubarb: You will need 3 cups of diced rhubarb in this rhubarb cake recipe. For reference, a pound of rhubarb will yield about 3 cups when diced. You could also use frozen rhubarb.
Buttermilk: The original recipe called for ‘sour milk’, which is just milk with vinegar added. So, I used buttermilk instead. If you don’t have any on hand, make your own buttermilk to use.
Topping: Just some sprinkled granulated sugar is all you need for the topping. It gives each bite a little extra sweetness.
Letโs Talk Rhubarb
The experts will recommend โchoose stalks that are fresh looking, crisp and blemish freeโฆlook for smaller leaves, which is also an indication of a younger stalk. Avoid limp stalks and stalks with split ends.โ Thatโs fine and dandy if you are aiming to be the next Martha Stewart, but not how we do it.
I donโt look for perfection, I donโt mind a few blemishes, and there is nothing wrong with a large leaf or a split end. You cut those off anyway! Iโve used big huge stalks and small stalks. They all add something amazing to whatever dessert you are preparing. All rhubarb is good rhubarb in these parts.
We have not tested this recipe with frozen rhubarb, but you can either let it thaw and drain before adding. Or, simply add the rhubarb frozen.
Can I Freeze Rhubarb Cake?
Yes! This is an easy dessert to freeze. And, it will still taste great after it has been frozen. To freeze the cake, double-wrap it in plastic wrap and store it in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Be sure to label and date the container.
More Popular Cakes
Rhubarb Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1ยฝ cups (300 g) brown sugar, packed
- โ cup (145 g) vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (245 g) buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2ยฝ cups (312.5 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 cups rhubarb, diced
Topping
- ยผ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ยฐF. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- To a large mixing bowl, add brown sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, buttermilk, salt, baking soda, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
- Stir in the flour.
- Fold in diced rhubarb and pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle the sugar over the top of the batter.
- Bake 45-50 minutes.
- Let the cake rest for about 30 minutes before cutting and serving. Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped topping (optional).
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
This is more like a scone or coffee cake rather than an actual dessert (I was looking for rhubarb desserts). It’s moist enough (not super moist), not overly sweet, and pairs well with coffee.
My first time baking with rhubarb. I made a few substitutions, which probably wasn’t a good idea. I made it sugar free and didn’t have buttermilk so I used heavy cream with a little vinegar. It still turned out pretty good though.
Got to try this
I want to ice the cake with vanilla buttercream
Would this work?
You can definitely try it.
The top browned much more than the photo and it fell in the middle. Whatโs up with that?
Sounds like your oven may be running a little hot and have hot spots.
your baking powder is probably old, buy a new can!
This cake was delicious and easy to make! It wasnโt too sweet, eitherโthe sugar on top added just the right touch. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
This recipe is delicious! I have also made it with blueberries instead of rhubarb!
Really good! I substituted buttermilk with plain yogurt and it was delicious
I can’t wait to try all these recipes, they all look so good. I got a recipe cpl weeks for a rhubarb uoside down cake. It had marshmallows in it and I used raspberry jello, and it was so delicious. I got it from my sister when I gave her some rhubarb. It was ลo delicious and very easy to make.