Rhubarb Cake

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.

Let’s Talk Rhubarb

The experts will recommend “choose stalks that are fresh looking, crisp and blemish free…look for smaller leaves, which is also an indication of a younger stalk. Avoid limp stalks and stalks with split ends.” That’s fine and dandy if you are aiming to be the next Martha Stewart, but not how we do it.

I don’t look for perfection, I don’t mind a few blemishes, and there is nothing wrong with a large leaf or a split end. You cut those off anyway! I’ve 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?