Old-Fashioned Rhubarb Cake

Come springtime, when the rhubarb plant in the corner of our backyard sends up its pink shoots and prehistoric-looking leaves, we turn to this old-fashioned rhubarb cake recipe over and over. The easy buttermilk batter, fragranced with vanilla, cradles chunks of chopped rhubarb and bakes to a soft crumb filled with pockets of the melting fruit. A shower of cinnamon-sugar on top gives it the same homey feeling as a slice of cinnamon toast. A pour of sweetened vanilla milk is a unique topping that soaks into the cake for a bite with the same lush texture as tres leches cake. It’s lovely for dessert and also for breakfast with a dollop of honeyed yogurt. Don’t let rhubarb season pass by without giving it a try.

Ingredients for Rhubarb Cake

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• Butter and sugar: Creaming softened butter and sugar together adds tiny pockets of air that aerate the batter. It gives this rhubarb cake recipe a light, appealing texture.
• Egg: Beaten eggs provide the cake batter with structure and elasticity. Note that it’s best to use room-temperature eggs when baking.
• Buttermilk: Buttermilk is the primary liquid in the cake batter. Its acidity helps keep the batter tender and its flavor balances the sweetness from the sugar.
• Vanilla extract: Rhubarb has a mild flavor so the vanilla extract is important. Pick up one of our recommendations for the best vanilla extract brands or use homemade vanilla extract.
• All-purpose flour: Versatile all-purpose flour is the base of this rhubarb cake recipe. Check out our guide on different types of flour and when to use them. You can substitute a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend if you like.
• Baking soda: Baking soda reacts with the acidity of the buttermilk to contribute lightness and lift to leaven this rhubarb cake.
• Rhubarb: Chopped rhubarb is the star ingredient for this simple cake. You can use fresh or frozen rhubarb stalks for this recipe. Don’t eat the leaves—they contain oxalic acid and are considered poisonous to humans.
• Cinnamon: Mixed with sugar and sprinkled on top of the cake, cinnamon heaps of warm aroma to the rhubarb cake batter.
• Whole milk: Sweetened with sugar and flavored with vanilla extract, whole milk is the base for a finishing drizzle for each slice of rhubarb cake. You can use any dairy or non-dairy milk you like.

Directions 

Step 1: Cream the butter and sugar for cake batter

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Preheat oven to 350°. In a bowl, cream butter and 1 cup sugar. Add an egg and beat well. Combine the buttermilk and vanilla; set aside.

Step 2: Add dry ingredients and rhubarb

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Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with buttermilk and vanilla to the creamed mixture. Stir in rhubarb. Spread in a greased 13×9-inch baking pan.

Step 3: Bake rhubarb cake

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Combine the remaining sugar with cinnamon and sprinkle it over batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes.

Step 4: Drizzle rhubarb cake with milk topping

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For the milk topping, combine all the ingredients and pour over individual squares.

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Rhubarb Cake Variations

• Add a different fruit: Rhubarb pairs so well with strawberries, apples, blueberries and raspberries. Consider replacing some volume of the chopped rhubarb with any of the above.
• Change up the spices: Swap the ground cinnamon for ground ginger, ground anise seed or pumpkin pie spice.
• Add nuts: Replace the vanilla extract with almond extract and add a handful of sliced almonds to the top of the batter to give rhubarb cake a little crunch.
• Add whip: Replace the old-fashioned drizzle of sweetened milk with vanilla whipped cream, ice cream, whipped topping or a dollop of vanilla or strawberry Greek yogurt.

How to Store Rhubarb Cake

Store leftover rhubarb cake at room temperature in an airtight container for up to two days or store for up to five in the refrigerator. Store leftover milk topping in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Can you freeze Rhubarb Cake?

Absolutely. Cut and wrap individual squares of cake tightly in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container or a freezer bag. To freeze a whole rhubarb cake, bake it as directed and let it cool completely. Then wrap it in plastic wrap (two layers helps prevent freezer burn) or store it in a large, resealable plastic freezer bag. You can also freeze the rhubarb cake directly in its pan. Just wrap the pan entirely in plastic wrap, then add a layer of aluminum foil over the top of the plastic. Defrost squares of cake or the entire cake by letting them warm up on the counter for about three hours or in the fridge overnight.

Rhubarb Cake Tips

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What is the best time of year to make rhubarb cake?

Fresh rhubarb has a relatively short harvest season and it can be impossible to find it in grocery stores or farmers markets outside of the spring and early summer months. Frozen rhubarb will taste very close to fresh rhubarb, which is why we using either in this recipe. You don’t need to defrost frozen rhubarb before adding it to the cake batter.

When is the best time to serve rhubarb coffee cake?

Because it’s a homey cake that’s not too sweet this rhubarb cake is equally good as a dessert or alongside a cup of coffee or tea in the morning for breakfast. It’s a welcome addition to a weekend brunch spread too.

Does it make a difference if the rhubarb for rhubarb cake is red, pink or green?

Believe it or not, there’s no significant flavor difference between red and green rhubarb. Instead, rhubarb’s color actually indicates the variety and the growing method. There are six common types of rhubarb which range between bright red, soft green and speckled stalks. Forced rhubarb is deprived of light in a growing method similar to that of white asparagus. This method can accentuate the rhubarb’s innate red color as the chlorophyll in the stalks doesn’t develop. Learn more about rhubarb here. You can make this rhubarb cake with any type of rhubarb and it will still be delicious.