Homemade rhubarb cake is an easy and delicious dessert combining a vanilla cake batter with small pieces of tart rhubarb - perfect for celebrating the rhubarb season all the way through to late spring and early summer! While the original recipe for rhubarb cake includes a homemade pie crust with a lattice crust, I've combined a standard vanilla cake with a rhubarb mixture.
The tartness of the rhubarb is balanced by the sweet cake base and coarse sugar that's dusted over the assembled pie before baking. This rhubarb pie freezes beautifully too!
Once baked and cooled, this rhubarb pie is dusted with confectioners' sugar and can be served with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Like baking? Try these spring favorites next: Strawberry Bread, Lemon Blueberry Bread, and Banana Blueberry Bread.
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🛒Ingredients
- Unsalted butter - You will need more for greasing the baking dish.
- Salt - Sea salt or kosher salt for best natural flavor.
- Ground cinnamon - use High quality ground cinnamon (better flavor and aroma).
- Large eggs - At room temperature.
- Flour - And 1 teaspoon extra for the rhubarb. I've used all-purpose flour.
- Baking powder - Check the expiry date on this ingredient so the pie can rise beautifully.
- Rhubarb - Cut into ¼ -inch thick slices and longer strips for decoration. You don't need to peel it.
- Vanilla extract - pure not the artificial kind.
- For serving - Large coarse brown sugar and/or confectioners’ sugar. This is optional.
For the full list of ingredients, please scroll down to where you'll find the recipe card.
✅ How to tell if rhubarb is ripe? Look for long stalks rather than the deep red color as it is often not the indicator of ripeness. The color actually means rhubarb variety. The stalks need to be firm and leaves without damages.
🥣Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease a 10-inch baking dish with butter or olive oil and lightly dust with flour. Set aside.
Cream together pieces of butter and sugar on low speed in a large bowl until creamy and smooth (with handheld mixer).
One by one add eggs, beating on low speed again after each addition.
Stir in vanilla.
In a separate bowl combines flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In batches add the flour mixture to wet ingredients and combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl and sides with a wooden spoon or spatula. Don’t overmix the flour-sugar mixture on increasing the speed.
In a small bowl combine 1 teaspoon flour and rhubarb slices. Toss the rhubarb and shake off any excess flour (a small strainer will help with this).
Fold the prepared rhubarb into the cake batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake dish and even out the top with a pastry spatula. Decorate with chopped rhubarb slices gently pressing them into batter halfway through.
Dust with brown sugar. (For decoration: I cut rhubarb stalks into 6 smaller long pieces (about 4 inches) + 4 pieces (1 inch)).
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top of the cake is golden brown with a light crisp exterior.
Test the center of the cake with a toothpick, if it comes out clean, your rhubarb cake is done.
Let the cake rest in the dish for 15 minutes before slicing. Dust with optional confectioners’ sugar. Enjoy.
Rhubarb Pie Cake Popular Substitutions
Gluten free: Make this rhubarb pie gluten-free by using gluten-free flour in the cake batter and dusting the rhubarb slices with gluten-free flour or cornstarch.
Vegan: For vegan rhubarb cake, use vegan butter or coconut oil instead of dairy butter, and use a vegan egg substitute, such as aquafaba or flax eggs in the cake batter instead of egg yolk.
Refined Sugar: Regular granulated sugar in the cake batter can be swapped out for stevia or monk fruit sweetener. You could also reduce the amount of granulated sugar and add honey or maple syrup. Keep in mind that this substitution could alter the level of sweetness in this rhubarb pie and also have an impact on the texture of the pie.
Dairy free: Make this rhubarb cake dairy-free by using vegan butter or coconut oil instead of dairy butter.
📋Tips
- Use fresh rhubarb for this little tart. The stalks should be bright red and firm. Avoid any rhubarb that is limp or has brown spots.
- Try to slice the rhubarb into uniform pieces. This will sure even cooking in the pie.
- Dusting the pie with brown sugar before baking and then dusting the baked pie with confectioners’ sugar helps to balance the tart flavor of the rhubarb in this pie.
- The rhubarb slices have been tossed in flour as a way to prevent excess moisture from the rhubarb from being released into the pie. The flour also helps to suspend the rhubarb slices in the pie so they don’t sink into the button of the cake batter.
- I haven’t precooked the rhubarb before adding it to the pie. You could precook the rhubarb for this pie recipe if you like, but it isn’t necessary.
- Allow the rhubarb pie to cool for 15 minutes before slicing it and dusting it with confectioners’ sugar.
- What other things you can make with rhubarb? Try our Strawberry Galette with delicious tangy rhubarb jam, or Rhubarb Oatmeal Cookies, Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp.
Storage Instructions
- 🍱To Store. Rhubarb cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days. In addition to being stored in an airtight container, the pie can be wrapped with plastic wrap or aluminum foil to keep it fresh. Rhubarb cake recipe can also be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months.
- 🥶Freezing. You can freeze this rhubarb pie cake too. Either unbaked or baked for up to 3-4 months. Make sure to wrap it tightly to keep fresh. Thaw frozen rhubarb cake in the fridge or at room temperature and reheat it in the oven at 350F for 10-15 minutes.
How Long Does Rhubarb Last?
If you have leftover rhubarb stalks you can store them in the refrigerator for later. Rhubarb can last for about 2-3 weeks when stored properly.
Keep it unwashed, wrap it in damp paper towels or a kitchen towel, and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. This will help maintain its freshness and prevent wilting.
Or make a bunch of other delicious rhubarb recipes such as Rhubarb Jam, Rhubarb Oatmeal Cookies or Strawberry Galette With Rhubarb Jam. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
This rhubarb recipe can be served plain or enjoyed alongside whipped cream, ice cream, or custard.
Additional toppings could include chopped nuts, freshly sliced strawberries, or a drizzle of caramel sauce.
Variations
Our favorite ways to customize this cake with different fruit and flavors:
- Strawberry and rhubarb are a classic combination. Add pieces of fresh strawberries to make strawberry-rhubarb filling for a delicious strawberry-rhubarb pie recipe.
- Fresh apple is another delicious fruit combination to add to rhubarb desserts. Use something Granny Smith and slice it thinly so that it bakes through.
- Add orange zest or orange juice to the cake batter to give this rhubarb pie a subtle citrusy flavor.
- Fresh or ground ginger can provide a spicy and warm flavor to this rhubarb recipe in addition to the ground cinnamon.
- Nutmeg is another warm spice that can be used instead of ground cinnamon or in addition to ground cinnamon.
More Easy Rhubarb Recipes
Have more rhubarb? These are my top family favorite recipes we love to make:
🤷Frequently Asked Questions
No. Fresh rhubarb doesn’t need to be cooked being baked in a recipe such as this rhubarb pie. Rhubarb easily softens during baking and combined with other ingredients they balance the tart flavor of rhubarb perfectly.
Traditional rhubarb pie with a custard-like filling can be thickened with cornstarch. My rhubarb cake pie consists of a cake batter which doesn’t require an extra thickening agent.
Yes. The only part of the rhubarb plant that is safe to eat is the stalk which is typically pink or red, although some parts can be green. The greener parts of the stalk will be more bitter. Make sure to completely discard the green leaves as these are poisonous.
When using rhubarb in a pie, you usually don't need to peel it. The bright red or pink stalks are what you'll use in your cooking, while the leaves should be removed and discarded since they're not edible. Rhubarb skin is thin and tender when cooked, so there's usually no need to peel it. However, if you spot any tough or fibrous strings on the surface, you can easily remove them with a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife. Otherwise, feel free to use the rhubarb stalks as they are in your pie filling, and enjoy the delightful and tangy flavor they bring to your dessert.
No, rhubarb plants are dangerous for dogs. If your dog eats them, it can cause poisoning because of the oxalic acid in the plant.
Yes, rhubarb plants can regrow year after year, which makes them a great plant to have in your garden.
You can freeze this rhubarb cake too. Either unbaked or baked for up to 3-4 months. Make sure to wrap it tightly to keep fresh. Thaw frozen rhubarb cake in the fridge or at room temperature and reheat it in the oven at 350F for 10-15 minutes.
I hope you love this rhubarb pie recipe, happy baking!
Rita
Easy Pie Recipes
❤️Did you make this recipe? Please be sure to leave a rating and a comment below. Thank you!❤️
📖Recipe
Easy Rhubarb Pie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, unsalted, more for greasing the baking dish
- 1 cup granulated white sugar
- ½ teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, high quality
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ½ cup flour, not GF + 1 teaspoon for rhubarb
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 8- ounce rhubarb, cut into ¼-inch thick slices
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- For Serving, optional
- 1 tablespoon large coarse brown sugar
- Confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease a 10-inch baking dish with butter or olive oil and lightly dust with flour. Set aside.
- Cream together pieces of butter and sugar on low speed in a large bowl until creamy and smooth (with a handheld mixer).
- One by one add eggs, beating on low speed again after each addition.
- Stir in vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. In batches add the flour mixture to wet ingredients and combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl and sides with a wooden spoon or spatula. Don’t overmix the flour-sugar mixture on increasing the speed.
- In a small bowl combine 1 teaspoon flour and rhubarb slices. Toss the rhubarb and shake off any excess flour (a small strainer will help with this).
- Fold the prepared rhubarb into the cake batter.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake dish and even out the top with a pastry spatula. Decorate with chopped rhubarb slices gently pressing them into the batter halfway through. Dust with brown sugar. (For decoration: I cut rhubarb stalks into 6 smaller long pieces (about 4 inches) + 4 pieces (1 inch)).
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the top of the cake is golden brown with a light crisp exterior. Test the center of the cake with a toothpick, if it comes out clean, your rhubarb cake is done. Let the cake rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. Dust with optional confectioners’ sugar. Enjoy!
Rita
Enjoy a warm slice of rhubarb pie with vanilla ice cream!
Craig
The one main thing that's wrong that needs to be changed is "STOP CALLING THIS A PIE!". This is a CAKE. I don't know how it gets titled and listed and referred to so many times as a pie. You already say it's using a "CAKE BATTER", which makes it a CAKE, and you obviously can see from the images that it's a CAKE. Have I repeated myself enough to get the point across (smh).
Rita
for some it can be cake and for others pie, be happy!