Easy Rhubarb Cake with Almonds
This easy rhubarb cake is one of those simple, one-tin bakes that’s hard to beat when rhubarb is in season. It has a soft, buttery crumb with fresh rhubarb folded right through, a golden toasted-almond top, and a light rhubarb syrup brushed over for extra moisture and color. Here’s how we make it.
Easy Rhubarb Cake with Almonds
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C), or 350°F (180°C) if you're using a convection/fan oven. Line a 9-inch (22 cm) springform or loose-bottom cake pan with parchment.
- Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy — a full 5 minutes with a stand mixer. Scrape down the bowl as you go.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating each in fully before adding the next. Beat in the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and lemon zest.
- Add the flour mixture and milk to the batter alternately, mixing just until combined.
- Fold in the diced rhubarb by hand.
- Spoon the batter into the pan and level the top. Brush with the melted butter and scatter the chopped almonds over the top.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, until golden and a skewer comes out clean. Start checking at 30 minutes; a deep pan may need a few minutes more.
- Make the syrup while the cake bakes: combine the rhubarb, sugar and water in a small saucepan and simmer for 8–10 minutes, until slightly thickened. Strain out the rhubarb pieces.
- Brush the warm cake generously with the rhubarb syrup.
- Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then release the springform ring and slide the cake onto a wire rack.
Notes
- Weigh your ingredients. Grams are far more accurate than cups for a cake like this — the metric measures are the ones we trust.
- Go by weight, not stalks. Rhubarb varies a lot in size — use about 3 cups / 350 g diced for the cake.
- Storage: 3–4 days covered at room temperature; freezes well.
Why you’ll love this rhubarb cake
This is an everyday cake, not a project. It comes together in one bowl and one tin, with ingredients you probably already have. The rhubarb keeps it from ever being too sweet — you get that lovely tart-sweet balance in every bite, with the almonds adding a bit of crunch on top. It’s the kind of cake we make when rhubarb is coming up faster than we can use it: good with afternoon coffee, good as a fika bake, and good enough for guests without any fuss. It also keeps and freezes well, so it earns its place.
Working with rhubarb
Rhubarb varies enormously, and it’s worth knowing your stalks before you start. Slim garden rhubarb and thick supermarket stalks can weigh very differently, so we go by the diced amount — about 3 cups (350 g) folded through the batter — rather than counting stalks. There’s no need to peel it; keeping the red skin on gives the crumb pretty flecks of pink and a little more color. Dice it fairly small so it disperses evenly and cooks through in the baking time. Rhubarb is naturally tart, which is exactly what you want here — the sugar in the batter and the syrup balance it, so don’t be tempted to cut the sugar right back or the cake will taste sharp.
Tips for the best rhubarb cake
A few things make the difference here. Take your butter and eggs out an hour ahead — cold ingredients won’t cream properly and can split the batter. Cream the butter and sugar for a full five minutes; that’s where the lightness comes from, so don’t rush it. Add the eggs one at a time and beat each in fully before the next. Fold the rhubarb in gently by hand at the end so you don’t knock the air out, and don’t overbake — pull the cake as soon as a skewer comes out clean. Brush it with the rhubarb syrup while it’s still warm so it soaks right in rather than sitting on top. Baking by weight is what makes this cake reliable — if you’re working from cups, our baking weight converter does the math for you.
The rhubarb syrup
The syrup is optional but worth it: it adds moisture, a gentle pink glow, and one more layer of rhubarb flavor. You’re just simmering chopped rhubarb with equal parts sugar and water until it thickens, about 8–10 minutes. Keep the skin on the stalks you use for the syrup too — that’s where most of the color comes from. Brush it on generously while the cake is warm. Any leftover syrup is lovely stirred into sparkling water, spooned over yogurt, or drizzled on pancakes, so nothing goes to waste. Any leftover syrup is lovely stirred into sparkling water, spooned over yogurt, or drizzled over warm sveler, so nothing goes to waste.
Make it your own
Swap the chopped almonds for flaked almonds if you want a finer, more even top. A pinch of ground cardamom or a little almond extract both play beautifully with rhubarb. You can fold in a handful of strawberries or raspberries with the rhubarb, or skip the syrup altogether for a plainer, less-sweet everyday cake — it’s lovely either way. For a prettier top, arrange a few thin rhubarb batons over the batter before baking and sprinkle them with a little sugar — they bake into the surface for a striped look and an extra hit of tart rhubarb. Out of rhubarb season, the same idea works with apples — our Norwegian apple cake has the same toasted-almond top.
How to store rhubarb cake
This cake keeps well for 3–4 days covered at room temperature — if anything, the crumb gets moister on day two. To freeze, wrap individual slices well and freeze for up to 3 months, then thaw at room temperature. We wouldn’t refrigerate it; the fridge tends to dry cakes like this out and firm up the butter in the crumb.
More Nordic bakes you’ll love
- Norwegian Apple Cake (Eplekake) — the autumn version, with fruit baked in and a toasted-almond top
- Moist Orange Cake with Sticky Orange Syrup — another one-tin cake finished with a warm syrup
- Sveler — Norwegian Griddle Pancakes — where the leftover rhubarb syrup ends up in our kitchen
