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Home » Cakes, Cookies and Desserts » Easy rhubarb cake with cream batter

Easy rhubarb cake with cream batter

Author: VJ Published : July 2021 Updated : March 2022 / Be the first to comment!

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Tart and tasty, this easy rhubarb cake is a great way to use seasonal rhubarb. Enjoy a slice on its own with your afternoon tea, or smother with cream or custard for a dessert with a difference.

A slice of rhubarb cake on a plate, with custard.

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Table Of Contents
  1. Soft and moist rhubarb cake
  2. How to make a creamy rhubarb cake
  3. Frequently asked questions
  4. Pin for later
  5. Other cakes you may enjoy
  6. The recipe
  7. Rhubarb cake with a cream batter

Soft and moist rhubarb cake

I always look forward to rhubarb being in season so I can make this creamy rhubarb cake. There’s no butter in this cake, and the fat content is provided by double cream. It’s loosely based on my recipe for fresh pear cream slice which has a similar batter.

I love making cakes using cream instead of butter for so many reasons:

  • the texture of the cake is so soft and moist, and the it stays fresh for ages.
  • because there’s no butter in this cake, there’s no creaming of butter and sugar, you just dump all the ingredients into mixing bowl, whisk it up and you’re good to go.
  • it never fails to deliver – I haven’t yet had one of these cakes not turn out perfectly.

Other reasons I love this easy rhubarb cake:

  • you can vary the cake to suit yourself. Once you’ve mastered the basic recipe you can add whatever fruit you like.
  • this cake is moist enough to to be cut into slices and served at tea-time, or you can add cream or custard and serve it as a dessert.
Showing the texture of rhubarb cake.
Just look at the soft and moist texture of this cake.

How to make a creamy rhubarb cake

You can get the exact measurements and full instructions on the printable recipe card at the end of this post.

Ingredients

First of all, you need to gather your ingredients. There are not too many.

Ingredients for rhubarb cake.
You will need 8 ingredients in total.
  • Rhubarb – this should be sliced into half-inch pieces (just over1 cm) and you will need sufficient to cover the top of the cake.
  • Double cream – this is used instead of butter. It must be double or heavy whipping cream, for the fat content.
  • Caster sugar – caster sugar dissolves much more easily than granulated sugar, and because you don’t have to cream the butter and sugar together in this recipe, caster sugar gives a better texture to the cake.
  • Self-raising flour – if you don’t have self-raising flour you can use plan flour, with one teaspoon of baking powder per cup of flour.
  • Milk – I normally use full-fat milk for my cakes, but semi-skimmed will be fine.
  • Egg – you will need a large egg. If your eggs are very small you can use 2. The standard weight of a large egg is about 2 ounces, or 57 grams).
  • Demerara sugar – this is used for cooking the rhubarb before it is added to the cake batter.
  • Salt – optional, but I think half a teaspoon of salt added to the cake mixture improves the flavour.

Instructions

Steps for mixing the cake.
Cook the rhubarb and then whisk all the cake ingredients together.
  • Start off by cutting the rhubarb into half-inch slices and then place it in a saucepan with the demerara sugar. Heat gently for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar melts and the rhubarb starts to soften. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
  • If you’d rather not cook the rhubard first, you can skip the above step and arange slices of raw rhubarb on top of the cake before putting it in the oven. Sprinkle with the demerara sugar before baking.
  • Now place the remainder of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk thoroughly with a balloon whisk until they are well combined.
Steps for baking the cake.
Arrange the cool cooked rhubarb on top of the cake batter and bake for about 25 minutes.
  • Pour the batter into a greased 8″ x 8″ baking dish (that’s 20cm x 20cm). If you prefer a round cake, this recipe will be sufficient for an 8″ (20m) round springform baking pan.
  • Arrange the cooled rhubarb on top.
  • Bake in a pre-heated oven (180C / 360F) for 25 to 30 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out cleanly.
  • If you find the cake is browning too rapidly, simply cover the baking tin with a piece of tinfoil.

Allow the cake to cool before serving. Sprinkle with icing sugar / confectioner’s sugar / powdered sugar if desired.

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Frequently asked questions

Should I peel rhubarb before using it?

No, there is no need to peel the rhubarb first, just rinse the stalks in cold water and pat dry with a piece of kitchen towel before slicing.

How long does rhubarb cake stay fresh?

Stored in a covered container, this cake will stay fresh for about 5 days in the refrigerator. You may find that as the rhubarb releases moisture into the cake the top of the cake may become damp and sticky.

Can I warm rhubarb cake to serve as a dessert?

If you want to serve this cake warm with custard, you can warm individual portions at full power in the microwave. Heat at 15-second intervals until the cake is warmed through.

Can I freeze rhubarb cake?

I would not freeze this cake as the rhubarb would make the cake too watery once defrosted

Can I use other fruit instead of rhubarb?

Yes, you can vary this cake by substituting the rhubarb with any other fruit.
Apples or pears would work well, as will blueberries or raspberries.

Pin for later

If you would like to make this rhubarb cake, why not pin the recipe to one of your Pinterest boards so you can find it again easily. Just click the image below.

Other cakes you may enjoy

While you are here, why not take look at some of my other cake recipes:

  • German bee sting cake
  • Pineapple coconut cake 
  • Easy lemon meringue pie
  • Quick mix chocolate cake tray bake
  • No-bake strawberry cheesecake

The recipe

A slice of creamy rhubarb cake on a plate, with custard.

Rhubarb cake with a cream batter

Tart and tasty, this easy rhubarb cake is a great way to use seasonal rhubarb. Enjoy a slice on its own with your afternoon tea, or smother with cream or custard for a dessert with a difference.
Recipe by: Veronica
Baking
British
Calories 200
Prep 10 minutes minutes
Cook 25 minutes minutes
Total Time 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 1 8″ square cake
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Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Saucepan
  • Balloon whisk
  • 8" x 8" Baking dish

Ingredients

  • 2 – 3 stalks rhubarb sufficient to cover the top of the cake
  • 1 cup / 140 grams self-raising flour
  • ¾ `cup 170 grams caster sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ¾ cup / 180 ml milk
  • ½ cup / 120 ml double cream
  • 1 tablespoon demerara sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Instructions

  • Slice the rhubarb into ½-inch slices and place it into a saucepan with the demerara sugar.
    2 – 3 stalks rhubarb, 1 tablespoon demerara sugar
  • Heat gently for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has melted and the rhubarb has softened.
  • Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
  • Pre-heat oven to 180°C/360°F
  • Place the remainder of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk thoroughly with a balloon whisk until they are well combined.
    1 cup / 140 grams self-raising flour, ¾ `cup 170 grams caster sugar, 1 large egg, ¾ cup / 180 ml milk, ½ cup / 120 ml double cream, ½ teaspoon salt
  • Pour the batter into a greased 8" x 8" baking dish (that's 20cm x 20cm). If you prefer a round cake, this recipe will be sufficient for an 8" (20m) round springform baking pan.
  • Arrange the cooled rhubarb on top.
  • Place the cake into a preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes until a wooden skewer inserted into the centre of the cake comes out cleanly.
  • If you find the cake is browning too rapidly, simply cover the baking tin with a piece of tinfoil.
  • Allow the cake to cool before serving. Sprinkle with icing sugar / confectioner's sugar / powdered sugar if desired.

Notes

If you don’t have self-raising flour, add 1 teaspoon of baking powder to each cup of plain flour.
If you prefer you can skip the first step (to cook the rhubarb) and place slices of raw rhubarb on the batter before baking.  Sprinkle with the demerara sugar before putting into the oven.
Nutrition has been calculated based on cutting the cake into 9 squares, and is per square.

Nutrition

Calories – 200kcal | Carbohydrates – 33.9g | Protein – 3.4g | Fat – 6.2g | Saturated Fat – 3.6g | Cholesterol – 41mg | Sodium – 152mg | Potassium – 96mg | Fiber – 0.7g | Sugar – 21.1g | Calcium – 54mg | Iron – 1mg

I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition information has been calculated using an on-line calculator, and is intended for information and guidance purposes only. If the nutrition information is important to you, you should consider calculating it yourself, using your preferred tool.

Unless otherwise stated, a cup is the standard US cup containing 240 ml. In all my recipes this cup is assumed to hold 140g of flour. For help converting other ingredients between cups, grams, ounces and other measures, see my recipe conversion calculator.
All my recipes are developed and tested at sea-level. For tips on adjusting recipes for high altitudes see my post on baking at high altitudes.
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Filed Under: All Recipes, Cakes, Cookies and Desserts

About VJ

In my previous life, I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, and you'll probably find a little South African influence creeping in due to the many years I spent there.

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In my previous life, I was an IT Consultant. Now that I've swapped an office for a kitchen I have a lot more time to spend on things that interest me such as trying out new recipes. Most of my cooking is based around quick and easy meals, and you'll probably find a little South African influence creeping in due to the many years I spent there.

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