My easy rhubarb cake recipe is perfect for fresh spring rhubarb. The cake has a tender crumb and a pretty sugar crusted top.
If you like this recipe, check out my French Strawberry Cake next!
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Easy, non-fussy cakes are my specialty. My very first viral recipe was a simple, 9-inch cake made with the help of a mixer. A buttery sour cream cake batter mixed with fresh sliced strawberries. And simply topped with a sugar crust. I’ve made many variations of my french strawberry cake since then. And this rhubarb recipe is my latest addition to that collection of popular cakes. The sugary crust on top of this cake compliments the tart rhubarb so well.
More easy delicious cakes
Ingredients for rhubarb cake
- Rhubarb – I tested this recipe with fresh spring rhubarb. You’ll need one pound, which is about six or seven large stalks. I think it will work with frozen rhubarb too. If you try it, please let me know in the comments!
- Dry Ingredients – A simple combination of all-purpose flour is whisked together with baking powder, cardamom and salt. You could also add some cinnamon for a warmer flavor.
- Wet Ingredients – Two large eggs plus a half a cup of sour cream and vanilla extract.
- Butter and Sugar – One stick of unsalted butter is whipped together with white sugar to get this cake started.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a nine inch cake pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour with the baking powder, cardamom and salt.
With a hand or stand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the softened butter with one cup of the granulated sugar until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix until well incorporated. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla until smooth.
Add the flour mixture and mix on low until the flour is all mixed in. Turn the mixer to a higher setting to beat until a smooth batter is formed. Scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula halfway through mixing.
Add the sliced rhubarb to the bowl and stir it in by hand with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Spread evenly into the prepared pan. Then sprinkle the top with the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. The sugar gives the cake a pretty, crackly top rather than making a streusel.
Bake at 350 in the preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Total time may vary in your own oven. Keep scrolling to the bottom for my free, printable recipe card.
Serving suggestions
I chose strawberry ice cream because strawberries and rhubarb are a classic combination. But you could choose to top each slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream instead. Or with a dollop of whipped cream for added sweetness. Here’s some more of my recipes to make this cake into a complete spring time meal –
Storage directions
Store the completely cooled cake in an airtight container. It will stay fresh at room temperature or in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days. You can wrap each slice of cake tightly in plastic wrap and then store in a freezer safe bag. The cake will stay fresh for up to one month.
Rhubarb Cake
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar divided
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup full-fat sour cream
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3 cups rhubarb sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip together the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract and sour cream until smooth.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Start the mixer on low speed, scraping down the bowl as needed to incorporate the flour. Mix on a higher speed at the end to make a smooth batter with no streaks of flour remaining.
- Fold in the sliced rhubarb by hand with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. Spread the thick cake batter evenly into the prepared cake pan.
- Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar evenly over the top of the cake.
- Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes.
- Let the cake cool completely in the pan and slice and serve the cake from the pan.
Nutrition
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