Discovering Rhubarb
Growing up in Southern California, our family never cooked with rhubarb — it needs a cold winter to thrive, and we simply never encountered it. I was introduced to it as a young adult after moving to the East Coast, where it seemed to appear everywhere come spring.
Stalks were piled high at roadside stands alongside wooden crates of freshly picked strawberries, and friends would arrive bearing jars of strawberry-rhubarb jam or a just-baked cake.
For a long time, I didn’t understand the appeal of something that looked like red celery and tasted so sour, until I discovered how beautifully it transforms alongside other fruit, especially strawberries.
Strawberry and Rhubarb Season in Portugal
The organic strawberries and rhubarb available in Portugal are exceptionally good. The strawberries are so fragrant that their floral scent fills the room. They’re deep red all the way through, intensely juicy, and bursting with flavor. So you can imagine how excited I was when I came across baskets of strawberries and crates of rhubarb sitting side by side at the farmers’ market this weekend.
We’ve been eating the strawberries straight out of hand and adding them to our morning muesli. And, yesterday, I finally made the cake I’d been dreaming about for weeks.
Why I Call It a Strawberry Rhubarb Spoon Cake
I call this a spoon cake because of its incredibly tender crumb. While still warm from the oven, it’s so moist that it’s almost spoonable. As it cools, the butter firms up and the texture settles into something more cake-like. I baked mine in a 2.2-liter Le Creuset baker, and it came out beautifully, but an 8- or 9-inch cake pan works just as well.
It’s moist and buttery, not too sweet, with a crunchy brown sugar streusel on top. It is, in a word, delicious.
Strawberry Rhubarb Spoon Cake
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour 65 g
- ½ cup almond flour 45 g
- ⅓ cup packed light brown sugar 70 g
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
- 5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cubed (70 g)
Fruit
- 1½ cups sliced strawberries
- 1¼ cups thinly sliced rhubarb about ⅛-inch thick
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Cake Batter
- 1½ cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 190 g
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature (115 g)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 150 g
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup full-fat Greek yogurt or sour cream 120 g
Instructions
Prepare the Pan
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Line and lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan or an 8-inch square baking pan.
Make the Streusel
- In a medium bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, almond flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
- Add the cold butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until crumbly clumps form.
- Refrigerate while preparing the cake batter.
Prepare the Fruit
- Place the strawberries and rhubarb in a small bowl.
- Toss with the sugar and let stand for 10–15 minutes.
Make the Cake Batter
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3–4 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Mix in the vanilla extract.
- Add the dry ingredients in two additions, alternating with the yogurt, mixing just until combined.
Assemble the Cake
- Drain the fruit, reserving several strawberry slices and rhubarb pieces for decorating the top.
- Toss the drained fruit with the 1 tablespoon flour.
- Gently fold the fruit into the batter.
- Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.
- Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the batter.
- Arrange the reserved strawberries and rhubarb over the streusel.
Bake
- Bake for 45–55 minutes, or until the center is set and a tester inserted near the center comes out clean.
- The streusel should be golden brown, and the fruit tender.
Cool and Serve
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 30–40 minutes before slicing.
- Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Draining the macerated fruit prevents excess moisture from making the cake dense.
- Store covered and refrigerated for up to 4 days.
Nutrition
You may also like:
Strawberry Cobbler with Lemon Biscuits
Peach Tea Cake
Peach & Berry Crisp
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