This Rhubarb Cake with Vanilla Sauce is so moist, loaded with rhubarb and topped with a simple streusel. Serve it with warm vanilla sauce for the ultimate Spring dessert!
One of my goals for 2019 has been to cook and bake more for fun.
Although I love food blogging, and I feel like the luckiest person on the Earth to be able to work from home, dreaming up all sorts of recipes, there are times when it is a lot more like work and a lot less like fun.
In fact, it is this way most of the time.
For that reason, I’ve been trying to get myself flipping through cookbooks and magazines, finding things that get me excited about getting in the kitchen and then making them just for fun.
This Rhubarb Cake was one of those recipes.
The problem with this Rhubarb Cake though… is it was too good not to share.
I found it in one of my mom’s old issues of Taste of Home (she generously donated hundreds and hundreds of cooking magazines to my cause this last year when the moved), and I had to make it as soon as I saw it.
It was awesome, but it really had no rhubarb flavour.
So I doubled the rhubarb, and now it is one of my favorite Spring cakes! The warm vanilla sauce is pretty rich and sweet, but it goes perfectly with the tangy rhubarb.
If you want to skip that step, this cake is amazing even without it.
It ticks all of my boxes, and then some. If you’re a rhubarb lover, you need to add this to your Spring baking list!
Want to mix things up? Try swapping some of the rhubarb for fresh chopped strawberries!
Reasons to love this Rhubarb Cake with warm Vanilla Sauce:
- It is very easy to mix up, thanks to a few swaps I made from the original recipe. Just a bowl and a whisk and you’re set!
- This rhubarb cake is incredibly moist and never dry!
- It makes a 9×9″ or 9×13″ pan, which gives you a lot of flexibility in bake time and cake size.
- Streusel.
How to make rhubarb cake:
- Whisk together the wet ingredients.
- Whisk in the dry ingredients.
- Stir in the rhubarb.
- Mix up the streusel and crumble that glorious stuff allllllll over the top.
- Bake!
See how painless that was?
How to store rhubarb cake:
Cake is one of those things that can easily be made ahead and stores perfectly.
You can make this cake, bake, cover and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. Keep in mind that the streusel is crispiest when it’s fresh, and as it is stored, covered, some moisture seeps in and makes it softer. Still delicious, just not as crunchy.
You can make this cake, bake, cover, and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw, simply leave out at room temperature for 3-4 hours, and warm in a 250 degree oven if desired.
To make the vanilla sauce ahead, simply prepare, place in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 3-4 days, and warm gently in the microwave before serving.
Looking for more rhubarb recipes?
Rhubarb Cake with Warm Vanilla Sauce
This Rhubarb Cake with Vanilla Sauce is so moist, loaded with rhubarb and topped with a simple streusel. Serve it with warm vanilla sauce for the ultimate Spring dessert!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 9 servings
Calories 483kcal
Ingredients
Rhubarb Cake
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200g)
- 1 cup buttermilk (or sub regular milk)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all purpose flour (fluffed and levelled, or 260g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen, thawed, about 600g)
Streusel
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour (32g)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (50g)
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
Vanilla Sauce
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g)
- 1/2 cup evaporated milk (or sub whole milk or half and half)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Rhubarb Cake with Streusel
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a 9×9″ or 9×13″ pan (both work fine — if you use a 9×13″ it will bake for less time and be a shorter cake.)
In a large bowl, whisk together the oil and sugar for 1-2 minutes.
Add buttermilk, egg and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir until combined. Stir in the rhubarb and spread into prepared pan.
To make the streusel, combine melted flour, sugar and melted butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over cake.
Bake for 55-65 minutes for a 9×9″ pan, or 35-45 minutes for a 9×13″ pan, until a toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs. (Check first at the earliest time, and add time in 5 minute intervals until it is baked through) If the edges begin to darken too much, cover with foil for the last 15-20 minutes of bake time.
Vanilla Sauce
In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
Add the sugar and milk and bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring often.
Boil for 3-4 minutes, until thickened slightly. Serve warm with cake.
Nutrition (this is an estimate)
Nutrition Facts
Rhubarb Cake with Warm Vanilla Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 483 Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 18g 28%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Cholesterol 59mg 20%
Sodium 355mg 15%
Potassium 316mg 9%
Total Carbohydrates 73g 24%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 47g
Protein 6g 12%
Vitamin A 11.1%
Vitamin C 5.6%
Calcium 14.4%
Iron 9.5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
