Description
Looking for an easy way to use up fresh rhubarb? I got you! My easy rhubarb cake has a fluffy, tender butter cake base, and is topped with chopped rhubarb. This throw together cake is perfect for an easy make ahead dessert, or any time you need a slice of delicious cake! It stays moist for days.
Ingredients
Rhubarb Topping
- 400g fresh rhubarb, chopped into 1cm pieces (cut in half lengthwise before slicing if you have chunky rhubarb stalks)
- 50g granulated sugar
Butter Cake
- 150g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 320g granulated sugar
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 2 large eggs (about 100g, not including the shell), at room temperature
- 165g sour cream, at room temperature
- 250g all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt (use less if you are using table salt or salted butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 330°f / 165°c. Grease the bottom and sides and line a 10" (25cm) round cake pan with a parchment paper circle. I like to add two strips of parchment paper underneath the round to form a little 'sling' to easily remove the cake later, and clip them down extending the parchment paper over the edges of the pan so that you can use them as a sling later to remove the cake. I like to clip down the edges with little binder clips. This can also be made in a 9" square pan - if I am using this I like to extend the paper over the edges and clip it down to make the cake easy to remove.
RHUBARB TOPPING
- Combine the chopped rhubarb and granulated sugar in a bowl and mix to combine. Leave to sit while you prepare the rest of the cake.
BUTTER CAKE
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium to high speed until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing to combine between each, then beat the mix for a further 2-3 minutes on high speed until it has thickened up, and is very light.
- Measure out the sour cream into a small bowl. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream, starting and ending with the flour - add the flour in three additions and the sour cream in two, and briefly mix between additions. Switch to a spatula and give the mixture a few turns to ensure that it is evenly mixed.
- Transfer the mix to the prepared pan and smooth down with a spatula or the back of a spoon, making sure that there are no large air bubbles in the mixture.
- Top with the chopped rhubarb, leaving behind any liquid that has gathered in the bowl. Arrange over the top of the cake - I like to make a single layer if I can.
- Bake the rhubarb cake for about 60-70 minutes, checking after 55, until a skewer inserted into the cake (not a piece of rhubarb) in the middle comes out clean with a few moist crumbs attached.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan, then remove from the pan using the slings you made and transfer to a serving platter. Serve with a dusting of icing sugar, cream, ice cream, or greek yoghurt.
- Store leftovers lightly covered or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
I didn't have any when I made this cake, but if you wanted to, you could zest one orange into the sugar that you use for the cake and rub it in before continuing with the process to give some orange flavour to compliment the rhubarb.
Why is your rhubarb red and mine isn't?
Rhubarb comes in a bunch of different varieties - some are more green than others, and then there is the super pink forced rhubarb which is grown quickly in darkness to give it that beautiful colour. I grow mine in my garden and have a few different varieties but my favourite are the ones which are super red! If you see rhubarb that is is a bit more green, it will still work great, it will just look a bit different!