Rhubarb-Almond Cake | www.floatingkitchen.net

Rhubarb-Almond Cake

This post was originally published here May 9, 2016. I’ve since updated the text and photographs. This fabulous cake can be served for brunch or dessert. It’s a wonderful treat when rhubarb is in season!

RHUBARB IS HERE!

Sorry for yelling. But I’m excited. Maybe even more so than usual.

Yes. I’m always thrilled for the arrival of seasonal produce. It’s literally what me and my family have based our entire lives on. But these days, it seems even more special. As I approach a full two months of sheltering-in-place by myself, it’s these small, simple joys that are really driving me.

So being able to make a wonderfully fragrant and tender cake with the first stalks of sturdy pink rhubarb really feels like something. And I’m fully embracing it.

Rhubarb-Almond Cake | www.floatingkitchen.net

This Rhubarb-Almond Cake has been around the blog for a while now. And it’s well loved by many. But I decided to give the photographs a facelift, in hopes of enticing even more of you to try it. Flavored with orange zest, cardamom and a splash of both vanilla and almond extract, this dessert (although I also find it “wholesome” enough to be served at brunch) is as tasty as it is beautiful. And even if you don’t have an ounce of cake decorating skills in your body, you need not to worry. Because this cake looks best when it’s a bit rustic. A simple light dusting of powdered sugar is the only finishing touch you’ll need.

Rhubarb-Almond Cake | www.floatingkitchen.net

Due to recent events (ahem), I didn’t have a couple of the ingredients I needed when I remade this recipe this past week. But guess what? Nothing bad happened! So I thought I’d share my slight changes, just in case you find yourself in a similar situation. First, I was out of Greek yogurt. In its place, I used one container of fruit-on-the-bottom (it was mango flavor, I believe) low fat yogurt. Second, I only had about half the amount of rhubarb that I would typically use. So in step 5, I simply skipped the middle layer and only used rhubarb for the top. There was a little less overall rhubarb flavor, but the cake was still delicious!

If you’re looking for something special to make Mom for Mother’s Day this weekend, I highly recommend this Rhubarb-Almond Cake. If you try it, let me know!

Cheers,

Liz

Rhubarb-Almond Cake

Rhubarb-Almond Cake

At a Glance:
Yield: Makes one 10-inch cake
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened at room temperature
  • 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest
  • 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp. almond extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup almond meal
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • About 3/4 lbs fresh rhubarb
  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with a round of parchment paper. Then generously coat the parchment paper and the sides of the pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
  2. In your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. Stop to scrap down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the eggs in one at a time, beating after each addition. Then beat in the yogurt, orange zest and extracts.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, cardamom and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to your mixer, beating on low speed until no more white streaks remain. The batter will be thick.
  4. Trim and discard any leaves and woody ends from the rhubarb. If the stalks are thick, slice them in half lengthwise. Then cut the rhubarb into pieces about 1 1/2-2 inches in length. 
  5. Spread about half of the cake batter into an even layer on the bottom of your prepared springform pan. Layer about half of the rhubarb on top, leaving about 1-inch between the pieces and around the edges of the pan. Then carefully spread the remaining cake batter on top, followed by the remaining rhubarb, the sliced almonds and the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.
  6. Transfer the pan to your pre-heated oven and bake the cake for 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and set the pan on a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes. Then run a knife around the outer edge of the cake, release the sides of the springform pan and lift it off. Slide the cake off the bottom of the pan and onto the wire rack to finish cooling.
  7. Once cooled, slice and serve with a sprinkle of powdered sugar, if desired.
  8. The cake can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for 1-2 days.

85 comments on “Rhubarb-Almond Cake”

  1. I’m in for breakfast or dessert with this beauty Liz! Love the addition of the almond meal and the almond extract and the hint of cardamon. A gorgeous spring/summer cake!

  2. Beautiful cake, Liz and completely appropriate for breakfast 🙂

  3. To me, if there is fruit or nuts, or it’s name contains “crumb” or “coffee” than the cake is perfectly acceptable for breakfast. But I’m sure there are a few “rules” that apply to making a cake acceptable for breakfast that I just forgot to mention. Anyways, THIS cake is beyond perfect for breakfast… and lunch… and dinner. And dessert, while I’m at it. 😉 Love rhubarb and almond together! Simply stunning, Liz! Cheers, girlfriend!

  4. I’m a firm believer that fruit and nut cakes can pass for breakfast food. Team Cake for Breakfast right here! 😉 This rhubarb cake looks pheeeeeenomenal! I love that you use Greek yogurt and almond meal. My mouth is watering just thinking about a hunk or three of this treat!

    • Glad you’re with me on the whole “cake for breakfast” thing. This is totally why we are friends! XOXO!

  5. My philosophy is any kind of cake with fruit it in can pass for breakfast, and this would definitely make very happy to wake up to! I love rhubarb, Greek yogurt, and those crunchy sliced almonds! This is THE perfect breakfast.

  6. Breakfast all the way. To prove this is dessert, we could serve it with ice cream!!!

  7. You KNOW I love this cake, whether it’s served for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snack – I don’t need a label! Yay for rhubarb!

  8. This cake is gorgeous- those sliced almonds and that pretty pink rhubarb is just to die for 🙂

  9. Cake should be consumed at all times of the day. That’s a rule some where.. This cake is spectacular!!

  10. I’ve had, in my head, an idea for a tart with similar flavors. I love everything about this! Making it asap! xoxo

  11. OMGeee LIZ!! I have zero standards when it comes to cake.. Really. If cake is in the house, I’m in trouble! 😀 So just hand me a fork, I don’t mind being judged. I’d devour this cake anytime, no matter the time of day. If you put it in front of me, it’s a gonner! Just gorgeous… and I love the addition of greek yogurt. Sublime! xo

    • Ha ha. Yeah, I’m the same way. Cake in my house is big trouble for me too. That’s why I don’t make them as often as I would like. It’s my only form of self control!

  12. Just wanted to say I made this cake Saturday for two different dinners, and it got rave reviews, even from non-rhubarb lovers. My husband even said it was restaurant-quality — it was that good. Thanks for the great recipe! I’ll keep it for next rhubarb season!

    • Yay Beth! That is so awesome to hear. You seriously just made my day. Thanks for sharing your experience with me. XOXO!

  13. This is an amazing recipe! I’ve made it 3 times in just over a week! I’ve been mixing the rhubarb with some raspberries/tay berries too. This worked out great for me!

  14. Can I use frozen rhubarb and if yes, do I have to defrost it before using ?
    Sorry for me poor english ….

    • I have not tried this recipe with frozen rhubarb. But I would suggest thawing it first, so it doesn’t release too much liquid into the cake as it bakes.

    • I made this with 3 cups of thawed and throughly drained rhubarb frozen last summer. It was in the oven for an hour. Looked pretty, but was a puddle when I removed the springform pan. I am a veteran cake baker, but could not tell that only the very outside edges of the cake had baked.

      • Sorry you had trouble with this recipe, Wendy. I have not made with recipe with frozen rhubarb, so that could be the culprit. I have made it many times with fresh (and made several other versions of this recipe with different fresh fruits) and have never had a problem. Did you use thick Greek yogurt or something else?

  15. Just made this delicious cake tonight with frozen rhubarb and it’s great. Will be making it again as the new seasons rhubarb is just about ready to pick. Thanks

    • That’s awesome, Terri! I haven’t tried it with frozen rhubarb, so I’m so happy to hear that it worked out. Yay!

  16. One slice for breakfast, another later for dessert, love this!

  17. I think I might try it with fresh pineapple pieces, what do you think, will it work? I love pineapple.

    • Pineapple is a bit juicier than rhubarb, so you might have some excess liquid that comes out during cooking. But I imagine it would be ok.

  18. This recipe sounds just like what I have been looking for.Can’t wait to try it! I have used frozen rhubarb before and it is IMPORTANT that you squeeze the excess water out of the runbarb before using.It will turn out perfectly without being wet and soggy.Hope that helps.Thanks for sharing this recipe.We like our rhubarb to be on the tart side.So using the recipe as stated,it will be on the tart side?

    • Yes! Good reminder about squeezing out all the excess liquid from the rhubarb! This recipe is a cake, so it’s sweet but not overly so. You could probably cut down on the sugar a couple tablespoons if you wish.

  19. Made this cake last night. It was delicious! I just wanted to point out though, that my bake time was double the listed bake time to get the center to set.

    • Glad it was delicious, Debra! And glad you were able to increase the bake time to get it to set. Thanks for sharing!

  20. I made this cake for my own bday. It was soooo good. Next time I would add more rhubarb and cardamom but that is just my preference. It definitely needed more bake time – at least an extra 15 mins but not sure if it was because I used a pie dish (I didn’t realize I needed a springform until I already bought ingredients). Will definitely make again especially for a party.

  21. Can I use something other then almond meal? 

    • Hi Torey. You could simply use all all-purpose flour. Or use a little bit of wheat flour, if you prefer.

  22. I have almond flour- can that be substituted for almond meal?

  23. Approximately how many cups of rhubarb would .75 lbs be?
    Thanks!

    • I did not measure the amount in cups, since the rhubarb is cut to remain somewhat long. Trying to fit it in a measuring cup wouldn’t have been super accurate. You can use the images here as a guide, spacing out the rhubarb to match. Hope this helps!

  24. I added blueberries when I made this cake in the spring. Planning on substituting plums for all the fruit this weekend. Later, I might use cranberries or a mix of cranberry and orange. This is a delicious and versatile recipe. 

  25. I made this yesterday and loved how it turned out! I don’t often use my spring form pan and was so thrilled that it turned out exactly like your picture. My husband wasn’t too keen on trying it because he “wasn’t sure how he feels about rhubarb” but I forced him to take a slice to work and he just texted me saying how amazing it was 🙂

  26. This looks amazing! I only have 200ml of Greek yoghurt do you think that will work ok?

  27. I literally just took out the ingredients for this to make this weekend, before I saw your post. I made it last year, and it was one of the best cakes I ever ate. Thank you!!!

    • Awww that makes me so happy, Jennifer! And I’m glad to hear you’ll be making it again this year! Yay!

  28. Beautiful update and yes to rhubarb! I’ve been enjoying so much of it… all sweet applications. The flavors of this cake are perfect. Almond flour creates such a tender and delicious crumb in cake. Now I’m in the mood to bake 😀

  29. I wonder if anyone has tried it with gluten free flour.

    • I personally have not. I would try an all-purpose blend from a reputable source (Bob’s Redmill and King Arthur Flour both have good ones!).

  30. This look so good! Do you use this almond cake recipe for any other kinds of cakes?

  31. Thanks for sharing! Could I use sour cream instead of Greek yogurt?

  32. Hi! Since rhubarb isn’t in season now (September) abt suggestions on other fruit to use? Perhaps Apple and strawberry? Would I use the same amount Of fruit? Thank you!

  33. I’ve been making this for over 3 years since I found your first recipe and it’s always been a hit. I’ve also made it with many variations, using the same base recipe but using blueberries and lemon zest, passionfruit and orange, raspberry etc. and it’s always turned out fabulous. I’ve also found at times I’ve run out of Greek yoghurt and have used a flavoured one in its place. I love how versatile it is, and I can keep essentially making the same cake but mixing it up to keep it interesting. Thanks for a great recipe!

    Just one small thing- it would make it a lot easier to have butter quantity in weight instead of cups or tablespoons. I just looked up a grams conversion and saved the recipe into my notes, but I’m actually confused about how you’d go about accurately measuring out butter in cups or tablespoons? 

    • Glad you love the cake and have found it fun and enjoyable to make lots of different variations!

      In American, butter comes packaged with tablespoon/cup markings. That’s the standard here and I will continue to post recipes using those measurements.

  34. the cake is amazing! very delicate, moist crumb, and beautiful flavors. will be making again for sure! i added a bit of blueberries and it went very well together. thank you! 

  35. we made this cake and it is delicious! the recipe is super easy to follow and your photos are just so lovely!

  36. Pingback: rhubarb almond cake - sprinkles and sauce

  37. Wonderful cake! Followed the recipe exactly but I could only fit about half a pound of rhubarb on the cake so next time I may just chop it into uniform chunks. But, it was still too much for my rhubarb-averse husband. I’ll make it again for him when the raspberries are ripe.

  38. This looks so good! What a great flavor combination for rhubarb besides strawberry! 

  39. Thanks for sharing! Does it freeze well?

  40. Do you think i can use frozen rhubarb? Thanks

    • I haven’t tried with frozen rhubarb so I can’t say for certain. I would recommend thawing/draining it first so it doesn’t add extra moisture to the cake.

  41. Hi! Think I could use a 9” springform pan? This looks great!

    • Hi Sarah. Yes, you will probably have to add a few minutes of baking time to accommodate for the thicker cake.

  42. I Would like to prepare in advance for guests…do you think the cake would freeze Well? 

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