Strawberry Rhubarb Cake

58 Comments 4.2

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

Jump to Recipe

Sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb are combined in this buttery handheld cake, creating a light, summery Strawberry Rhubarb Cake that gets rave reviews every time I make it.

I took a plate of this cake across the road to our neighbors a few weeks ago and they loved it every bit as much as we do.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cake is a summer favorite

Save The Recipe

Want to save this recipe?

Enter your email and I’ll send this recipe right to your inbox! Plus, I’ll send you new recipes every week!

Strawberry Rhubarb Recipes

This really is an absolutely perfect cake that takes very little effort to pull together. No icing, no topping, no fancy layers, nothing else is necessary at all. There are just a handful of ingredients in this recipe and it’s crazy easy to make.

It is reminiscent to me of a coffee cake in texture but much lighter than the typical heavy version. This recipe is adapted from the crazy popular Cranberry Christmas Cake. This is a great way to enjoy that cake year-round when cranberries are much harder to find or make it with frozen mixed berries.

Strawberries with rhubarb is a combination that is hard to beat. The sweet berries and tart rhubarb are fantastic together.

Just a note about the berries in this cake, you’ll want to chop them pretty small (around 1/2″ or smaller). If the berries are not chopped small, they can potentially create too much moisture in the cake.

I like to buy rhubarb whenever it’s available in the stores, slice it thin and chop it up, and then freeze it until I’m ready to use it. You can also find bags of frozen rhubarb in many grocery stores.

For a few more rhubarb and strawberry desserts, Strawberry Rhubarb Brown Sugar Crunch, Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Bars, Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, and Apricot Rhubarb and Strawberry Crisp are all terrific options.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cake

BEFORE YOU BAKE THIS CAKE – please read through the frequently asked questions. If you do have a question, please read through those questions. The odds are good that the question has been answered many times already on the original Cranberry Christmas Cake recipe.

Frequently Asked Questions

This is a very thick batter that will resemble cookie dough when it has finished mixing. You will need to press it into the pan to spread it out. This is not a traditional pourable liquid cake batter.

There is no baking soda or baking powder needed in this recipe. The extended beating time for the eggs provides the necessary leavening for the cake. Do not shorten or skip the beating process. Trust the process.

The cake can be made in a variety of different cake pans. It can also be made into cupcakes and mini loaves. Watch the baking time and adjust as needed.

One of the most frequently asked questions is whether you can bake this in a bundt pan. I do not personally recommend that. I’ve tested this cake in a bundt pan twice and it just isn’t the same cake that way. (Once it fell apart on me and another time it worked fine.)

If you decide you must use a bundt pan, grease the pan HEAVILY with butter and then flour the pan generously. The biggest downside to baking this cake in a bundt pan is that you will miss out on the best part, that lovely crust that forms on the top of the cake.

Rhubarb and strawberries are a perfect match in this cake.

There is no glaze on this cake. The crust forms as the cake bakes and winds up looking as pictured in the photos. Yes, you can choose to glaze it, but the photos here and the way I make it is without any kind of icing or glaze.

I store this cake at room temperature, either uncovered or very loosely covered. This is a moist cake and the crust will soften a great deal if it is stored airtight. It will still be tasty, but it won’t be the same the next day if it’s kept airtight.

Yes, you can freeze this cake. Remove from the pan and wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil. You can freeze large sections or the whole cake together, or individual sliced portions. If you freeze this cake, thaw it uncovered at room temperature if possible.

Strawberry Rhubarb Cake

Strawberry Rhubarb Cake Recipe

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size. The eggs work as your leavening agent in this recipe, so do not skip or shorten this step. This mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.
  2. Add the butter and vanilla; mix two more minutes. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Add the rhubarb and strawberries and stir to mix throughout.
  3. Spread in a buttered 9×13 pan. (This is my favorite pan.) Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean. (43 minutes typically works for me.) Let cool completely before cutting into small slices.

Get New Recipessent to your inbox!
We never share your information with third parties and will protect it in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Strawberry Rhubarb Cake

Strawberry Rhubarb Cake

4.22 from 14 votes
Sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb are a perfect match in this simple cake.
Prep Time: 12 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 57 minutes
Servings: 16 servings

Ingredients 

  • 3 eggs
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup butter softened
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour see note below for gluten-free alternative
  • 2 cups strawberries, washed and dried as much as possible, chopped very small
  • 1 cup rhubarb, thinly sliced and chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. With a mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size. The eggs work as your leavening agent in this recipe, so do not skip or shorten this step. This mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.
  • Add the butter and vanilla; mix two more minutes. Add the flour and mix until just combined. Add the rhubarb and strawberries and stir to mix throughout.
  • Spread in a buttered 9x13 pan. (This is my favorite pan.) Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until very lightly browned and a toothpick inserted near the center of the cake comes out clean. (43 minutes typically works for me.) Let cool completely before cutting into small slices. Enjoy!

Notes

Gluten Free Substitution: 1 ¼ cup brown rice flour + ½ cup potato starch + ¼ cup tapioca starch + 1 teaspoon xanthan gum may be substituted for the amount of all-purpose flour listed in the ingredients above.

Nutrition

Calories: 242kcal · Carbohydrates: 37g · Protein: 3g · Fat: 10g · Saturated Fat: 6g · Cholesterol: 54mg · Sodium: 88mg · Potassium: 31mg · Fiber: 1g · Sugar: 25g · Vitamin A: 310IU · Calcium: 10mg · Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @barefeetkitchen or tag #barefeetkitchen!

Strawberry Rhubarb Cake is a hit

Filed under: , ,

Tagged with:

Share this Article

PinYummly

Related Posts

Mary Younkin

Mary Younkin

Hi, I’m Mary. I’m the author, cook, photographer, and travel lover behind the scenes here at Barefeet In The Kitchen. I'm also the author of three cookbooks dedicated to making cooking from scratch as simple as possible.

Reader Interactions

58 Comments Leave a comment or review

    Rate & Comment

    Rating




  1. Sylvia says

    Hi Mary,
    I tried your Christmas Cranberry Cake for Thanksgiving and I absolutely loved it. Everyone raved!

    Here is my question: I’d like to make the Strawberry Rhubarb Cake for Christmas as I have frozen strawberries from summer. Will that work? I’d be using frozen rhubarb too. Any suggestions?

    Sylvia

  2. Karen Rise says

    Soooo good. I used 1/2 the sugar; brown. And 1 c blue and 1 cup mulberries. Used iron skillet. Yyyum!5 stars

  3. Kim Schrippe says

    Love this cake! It will definitely be a go-to when I have rhubarb around!! Followed the recipe exactly as written. I did keep mine on the counter, in an airtight container and didn’t feel it changed it too much. Maybe we just ate it that fast – hahaha! Thanks!5 stars

    • Wendy says

      Cake didn’t rise, I rechecked recipe & I noticed there was no baking Soda or Baking powder.
      I cannot serve this 1 inch cake.
      Turned out like a very hard bread pudding.
      Definitely not cake texture
      I used recommended size cake pan1 star

    • Mary Younkin says

      Did you beat the mixture exactly as directed? You should have beat the eggs and sugar until slightly thickened and light in color, about 5-7 minutes. The mixture should almost double in size. The eggs work as your leavening agent in this recipe, so do not skip or shorten this step. This mixture should form a ribbon when you lift the beaters out of the bowl.

  4. Liz Whitenight says

    Not sure what I did wrong but my batter wasn’t thick it was pourable and I used my mixer when I put in the fruit not sure that was suppose to be by hand. Cake did not come out looking like the picture. It’s a dark color. Not sure what I did wrong. Usually I can follow a recipe and it comes out perfect.

    • Mary Younkin says

      Was the cake texture correct, Liz? Did you by chance substitute any ingredients? Without being in your kitchen, it’s hard to guess what may have happened.

  5. AJ says

    Super easy to make and needed to use up some leftover strawberries and rhubarb before they went bad. I was like, 2 cups of sugar?! But then the minute I started mixing, it all made sense, haha. Thanks for this recipe!5 stars

  6. Amy says

    I had one last harvest of rhubarb and strawberries to use up and came across this recipe. Soooo delicious! The dense but fluffy texture is wonderful, and fruit in every bite! I baked mine a few minutes longer than I’d wanted but left a fabulous crunchy top. Can’t say enough yummy things here, thanks for the recipe!5 stars

  7. Sandy says

    This is the best!! I can’t believe how good this is!! So simple- just the sweetness of the strawberries and tartness of the rhubarb.
    I love it!5 stars

  8. Kathy says

    Made this as directed but with frozen fruit (thawed and squeezed out excess juice)and it never rose nor cooked on the middle despite adding more time and more temperature, more than doubling the time. Won’t waste my precious rhubarb and strawberries with this again.1 star

    • Mary Younkin says

      I can’t even imagine what went wrong, Kathy. That must have been very frustrating. My guess is that there might be an issue with your oven. Doubling the baking time for this fruit crisp should have burned the top and more than cooked it through.

  9. Edwina says

    Enjoyed the cake. Found 2 cups sugar a little too sweet. Perhaps 1 cup would have worked. Also added 1 tsp baking powder and 1 tsp baking soda. With this rising agent, perhaps 2 eggs could work with half a cup of yogurt. I added 1 heaped tsp of ginger paste, 1 tsp cinnamon and half tsp nutmeg. Substituted the margarine for oil. Could reduce to half a cup. Overall, Yummy!

  10. Mary Highlands says

    I made this cake for my boyfriend’s father’s birthday. He loves anything rhubarb.. what a hit !! So delicious!! So good in fact that my boyfriend’s mother wanted the recipe. Thanks so much!!5 stars

    • Mary Younkin says

      Linda – I have not tried it with frozen strawberries. However if you do try it keep in mind that frozen berries typically have a higher moisture content and it will take longer to bake and you might need more flour. Again I have not tried it but you will need to experiment with your own adjustments.

  11. Stephanie Marko says

    This cake was divine! I made it gluten free with cup for cup all purpose gluten free flour and plant based butter, since my daughter also can’t have dairy. I made a little struesal topping with cinnamon, brown sugar, flour and plant butter. It was so moist and rose perfectly. I will be sharing 😊5 stars

    • Mary Younkin says

      Stephanie – Thank you for sharing your variation. I always enjoy hearing how my readers customize the recipes to fit their needs.