Picnic Rhubarb Cake
Fresh rhubarb adds the perfect amount of sweet-tart to this easy rhubarb cake recipe from the Yankee archives. Enjoy it as a snack cake with coffee, or dress it up for dessert with a layer of frosting, fresh whipped cream, or a scoop of ice cream.
By Yankee Magazine|May 02 2022|
Rhubarb Snack Cake
Photo Credit: Aimee TuckerFresh rhubarb adds the perfect amount of sweet-tart to this easy rhubarb cake recipe from the Yankee archives. It originally ran as “Rhubarb Picnic Cake” in a June 1995 feature celebrating all things rhubarb. Enjoy it as a snack cake with coffee, or dress it up for dessert with a layer of frosting, fresh whipped cream, or a scoop of ice cream. It’s ultra-moist and delicious.
If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can make your own. Put a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into a measuring cup and then add enough milk to make one cup. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
Yield
12 servings
Total Time
1 hour minutes
Hands-on Time
15 minutes minutes
Ingredients
2 cups thinly sliced rhubarb
1 1/3 cups sugar, divided
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 and grease and flour (or line with parchment) a 9-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, toss rhubarb with 1/3 cup sugar and set aside. In a large bowl, blend butter, egg, and remaining sugar until light and fluffy, then beat in salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and vanilla. Using half of each at a time, alternately add the flour and buttermilk. Quickly fold in the rhubarb and pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until cake is well browned and edges have shrunk from the sides of the pan, about 40-45 minutes.
Pan size? 9×9, 9×5 loaf pan? 9×13? Illustration looks like 9×13.
Hi there. The recipe calls for a 9-inch pan. The vintage pan in the photo measures roughly 8×10 inches, so no adjustment was needed. I started checking at 40 minutes and waited for the golden color, the sides starting to pull away, and (as always) the cake tester coming out clean. It’s a very moist cake. Happy baking!
Can you use frozen rhubarb and should you defrost them before making cake.
Can’t wait to try this…my rhubarb is ready for harvest!
since the rhubarb is only thinly sliced , is the cake crunchy?
Hi Margaret! No, because the rhubarb is tossed with sugar the cake is very moist.
Began making this cake recently. Oh my! It’s a total hit! Everyone is spot on describing it as moist. So good! Thank you for sharing!
Although I’m in Indiana, my ancestry is New England.