What is rhubarb, much less a strawberry rhubarb cake?
That was the first question I asked myself when I discovered this breakfast cake variety on the internet. I found myself digging through a rabbit hole of unique rhubarb cake recipes, and I was glad I did! Rhubarb cakes are fruity, tarty snack cakes that are topped with fresh fruit, oats, and sometimes cinnamon streusel or coffee crumbs. These cakes come in a variety of flavors, such as raspberry, strawberry, pecan, chocolate, tiramisu, and more. You can create a large cake loaf at home and cut it into slices so you can eat it anywhere and anytime. The taste and texture of this food is comparable to strawberry shortcake, if you need an idea of what it’s like. You can bet it tastes awesome!
Although it’s a cake, it works surprisingly well as a healthy breakfast option. Rhubarb itself is a spring vegetable that is rich in fiber, vitamin K, and vitamin C. Nutritionally, it is comparable to leafy green vegetables such as kale and spinach. Topping your rhubarb cake with oats and cinnamon also adds extra fiber that gives it a perfect role as a breakfast cake that you can dip into milk or coffee. If you are glucose-sensitive, you can also modify the amount of sugar you put in the recipe. Thankfully, strawberry itself is a fruit that is already high in healthy sugars, which is a must in this recipe.
Strawberry rhubarb cake is a rather difficult cake to make at first, because of the high number of ingredients needed in it. It also requires very precise time and temperature settings during baking. Make sure to pay attention to every step in this recipe so you can understand how the ingredients work together to create the result.
How To Get Your Own Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a seasonal spring/summer vegetable, with edible stalks and toxic leaves. Due to its nature as a seasonal plant, you must take advantage of its ripeness timeframe and pick it when it’s in season. Rhubarb is available in most markets from April to June. They can sometimes be available in March.
If you want the freedom of making your own rhubarb cake whenever you want, then try to bulk-buy a bunch of rhubarb when it’s in season. This way, you can freeze rhubarb like any other vegetable, and thaw out and rinse whatever quantity you need whenever you are ready. You’ll have to wait many months if you miss the seasonal window, so make sure to buy as much as you can! This strategy can be replicated with many other seasonal fruits and vegetables like watermelon and radish.
Rhubarb cake vs strawberry shortcake
Strawberry rhubarb cake and strawberry shortcake are both delicious fruit-infused cakes. There are a few key differences between the two, and they are sometimes compared to one another. In my experience, the main difference lies in their texture and consistency. While rhubarb is made with normal cake batter like any other cake, strawberry shortcake uses a flour that results in a scone-like texture. Here are some quick differences between the two. It is up to you to choose whichever cake you enjoy the most-they both taste great.
Strawberry shortcake is more of a dessert than a rhubarb cake. Rhubarb cake can be enjoyed in the morning or afternoon as a high-fiber fruitcake. Shortcake, however, is a smaller cake that lends itself well to a post-dinner dessert or a midday snack.
Differences between Rhubarb Cake and Strawberry Shortcake
- Strawberry shortcake (usually) uses more sugar than other cake types.
- Shortcake’s texture is more crumbly and scone-like than rhubarb cake, which is dense and moist.
- Shortcake requires cornstarch to soften the proteins and make the cake more tender. Since strawberry shortcake has a biscuit-like feel to it, cornstarch works great for it. It is not so great for rhubarb cake, however.
- Strawberry shortcake is easier to make, and doesn’t require as much ingredients. Some of the ingredients are identical, but on average, strawberry shortcake costs only half as much to make and it is smaller. Because of this, strawberry shortcake is a slightly cheaper cake to create.
- Rhubarb cake yields a higher quantity on average. Strawberry rhubarb cake is better than strawberry shortcake if you want to make a bigger cake that your whole family will enjoy.
Primary ingredients needed for strawberry rhubarb cake
- Sliced/Chopped Rhubarb. Drain and thaw your rhubarb thoroughly before using, if you chose to freeze them. It is imperative that your fruits and veggies thaw out completely before starting this recipe.
- Sliced Strawberries. Strawberries greatly enhance the natural sweetness of your cake. It is a perfect complement to rhubarb because they are both pink-colored and relatively flat toppings.
- Lemon juice. A natural flavor enhancer.
- Brown sugar + unsalted butter. These 2 ingredients mix the rhubarb, strawberries, and lemon juice together into a tasty, cohesive layer. They must all be cooked over a 10 or 12-inch ovenproof skillet, to really soak in all of the delicious flavor. After they finish cooking, leave them in the skillet so that you can pour the cake batter into them.
- Baking powder + baking soda. Both are required in this recipe and act as leavening agents.
Important note: baking soda gives the cake a consistency similar to coffee cake. It will be moist and easy to chew.
- Canola oil. I’m not a huge fan of canola oil, but it is required in this recipe. Without it, your cake will have an unpleasant texture, and will struggle to stay together. (coconut oil may work as well, but I haven’t tested it.)
- Flour. AP flour is the most reliable, but whole wheat can also work well.
- Large eggs. All cakes need it!
- Unflavored Greek yogurt. Not only does this add healthy probiotics and extra protein, but it also makes your cake much creamier. Creamier cakes are easier to chew and digest.
Non-essential (optional) ingredients
- Protein powder. This gives your cake a nice boost in protein, which also makes it much more filling.
- Rolled oats. Putting oats in your cake turns it into oatmeal cake, giving it extra fiber. It may make the overall taste more bitter, however.
- Additional fruits. Blueberries, raspberries, and similar fruits are perfectly fine to use in this recipe as long as you chop them flat. It will make your cake more of a fruit cake, though.
- Vanilla extract for flavor
- Cinnamon spice for flavor
- Nutmeg extract for flavor
Strawberry Rhubarb Cake (Upside Down)
Equipment
- 1 whisk
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 electric mixer
- 2 large bowls
- 1 10-12-inch ovenproof skillet
- 1 wire rack for cooling after baking
- 1 serving platter
Ingredients
- 1½ cups fresh rhubarb thawed and sliced
- 1½ cups fresh strawberries thawed and sliced
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- light brown sugar, divided ¼ cup in one container, ¾ cup in another
- 4 tbsp butter divided into two equal blocks
- 1 cup AP flour or white whole wheat flour
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup unflavored Greek yogurt or whole-milk plain yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp nutmeg extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, toss in your rhubarb, strawberries and lemon juice.
- Toss two tablespoons of butter on a 10–12-inch ovenproof skillet and heat the skillet over medium heat. Pour your ¼ cup of brown sugar into the mixture and stir them together after the butter melts.
- After the mixture has melted and starts to bubble, leave the pan aside and let it cool for a short 5 minutes. After the 5 minutes have passed, coat the pan in nonstick cooking spray and add your rhubarb + strawberry mixture into the pan. Stir everything together so that your ingredients are well coated.
- Bring out two medium-sized bowls, an electric mixer, and a whisk. Put your flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in one bowl and whisk them together.
- In your second bowl, add the rest of your brown sugar and butter, and canola oil, and mix them with an electric mixer for about a minute.
- While mixing, beat in eggs, one at a time. Then, add yogurt, vanilla, and nutmeg and beat everything until smooth. Get your flour mixture and add it in. Slowly mix everything together until your cake batter is smooth.
- Spread the batter over the skillet. Make sure your strawberry and rhubarb are laid out evenly across the skillet. They should be incorporated into the batter very easily.
- Bake the cake in your preheated oven for 30 minutes. After the time has passed, use the toothpick test to determine if the cake is done. If not, bake for an additional 5-10 minutes. The cake should have a golden-brown top once ready.
- Once the cake is done, put the skillet on a wire rack until it cools off. Once cooled, invert the cake onto a serving platter (serve it upside-down).
- Cut slices and serve when ready.
How To Store Strawberry Rhubarb Cake
Rhubarb cakes can be chilled in a fridge for about a week. Keep in mind that any cake that has fruit or veggies incorporated into it will expire faster. Store individual slices in plastic wrap, or store the whole cake in a 10-12-inch aluminum pan.
Freezing your cake is possible and I recommend it, as it will preserve the natural freshness of your cake. Store your strawberry rhubarb cake in an aluminum pan and make sure to cover the top nicely with a lid. Alternatively, you can wrap individual slices in aluminum foil. Then, store it in your freezer. Frozen cakes stays fresh for about 3 months.
