An easy and delicious strawberry rhubarb cake that can be made with fresh or frozen fruit. Not too sweet, so it’s perfect to enjoy any time of day!
This cake is great for using up bits of fresh fruit, or substitute frozen strawberries or frozen rhubarb as needed.
I love that this cake is fruit-filled and not too sweet, so it’s lovely to enjoy any time of day. Dress it up for dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Strawberries – This cake is really best made with fresh strawberries, even out-of-season fresh strawberries. Frozen strawberries will work in a pinch, but they tend to be quite moist and sometimes mushy. If using frozen strawberries, use them from frozen.
Rhubarb – Either fresh or frozen rhubarb will work nicely here. Rhubarb freezes beautifully. Use frozen rhubarb from frozen.
Yogurt – Vanilla yogurt is fabulous in this cake if you have it on hand. If not, substitute plain yogurt and add vanilla to the cake. Sour cream could be substituted for the yogurt.
How to make strawberry rhubarb cake
This is a visual summary of the steps to make this cake. Always refer to the complete instructions in the Recipe Card below when making this recipe.
- Start the cake by creaming together the room temperature butter and white sugar for about 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs one at a time and beat in.
- Add the flour mixture to the batter alternately with the yogurt and mix until combined well.
- Scrape down the bowl.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Spread the batter and level the top.
- Scatter half of the strawberry rhubarb mixture over the top of the cake batter.
- Use the back of a spoon to press the fruit into the batter.
- Add the remaining half of the strawberry rhubarb mixture evenly over the top of the cake and then sprinkle with sugar before baking.
Recipe tips!
- I’ve used a 9-inch springform pan here. You could also use a 10-inch springform pan, though the cake will be thinner than shown here. A 10-inch cake will require less baking time, so check early and test often. I don’t recommend an 8-inch springform pan as it would be too small for the amount of batter and fruit.
- If using one or both frozen fruits, the baking time will be longer. Test often towards the end of baking and bake until a tester comes out clean, however long that takes.
- When scattering the fruit on top of the batter, do your best to avoid having the fruit touch the sides of the pan, as it will scorch during baking and possibly introduce a bit of bitter flavour.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
This cake is probably at its best in the first day or two after baking. As there is a lot of fruit in the cake, it will tend to get moist as it sits.
If you can’t eat it all up, wrap it up and freeze it. You can freeze this cake for up to 3 months.
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Get the Recipe: Strawberry Rhubarb Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100 g) strawberries, Fresh strawberries recommended
- 3 cups (300 g) rhubarb, fresh or frozen, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 3/4 cup (175 g) butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons (175 g) white granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 1/4 cups (275 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (125 g) vanilla yogurt, or plain yogurt + 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
For topping before baking:
- 1 Tablespoon white granulated sugar
For serving:
- icing/confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Instructions
- Tip! For best results, use a kitchen scale and the weight measurements provided. If not using a scale, be sure to measure the flour using the spoon and level method to avoid adding too much flour.
- Preheat oven to 350F (non-convection/not fan-assisted). Prepare a 9 or 10-inch springform pan by spraying with baking spray and lining the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Cut the strawberries in half or quarters, if large. If using frozen rhubarb, use it frozen. Cut the rhubarb into 1/2-inch long pieces. Sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon of sugar and stir together. Set aside.
- Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (of a bowl with an electric beater.) Add the sugar to the bowl and cream together at medium speed for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating in between additions. Scrape the bowl and beat briefly.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add the flour to the batter alternately with the yogurt, adding 3 additions of flour and 2 additions of yogurt. Mix just until well combined.
- Tip! When scattering the fruit on the batter, try your best to keep the fruit from touching the sides of the pan, as it may scorch during baking and introduce a bit of bitter flavour.
- Spoon the dough into the prepared springform pan and spread and level the batter. Scatter 1/2 of the rhubarb/strawberry mixture over the top of the batter. Use the back of a spoon to press the fruit into the batter about 1/2 inch or so. Scatter the remaining fruit mixture over the top evenly.
- Tip! Baking times will vary. Cakes using frozen fruit will take longer to bake. A thicker 9-inch cake will take longer to bake than the thinner 10-inch cake Darker springform pans will bake more quickly than light-coloured pans. Check the cake regularly during the last half of baking and test as needed. The top of the cake should start to show some colour as it nears done.
- Bake the cake for 40-65 minutes or until a tester inserted in the centre of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and remove the outer ring. Allow to cool completely.
- Dust with icing/confectioners' sugar before serving.
Notes
More strawberry rhubarb recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
This was delicious and really pretty!
So glad you enjoyed it, Kelly :) Thanks so much!
I have a question; I would like to make this gluten free for a new family member. I’m new to gluten free baking; can I just used Bob’s Red Mill one for one flour, or is there a different option. Any help will be appreciated!
I have little to no gluten-free baking experience myself, I’m afraid. From what I do know, if you use a good gluten-free 1-for-1 flour, it should work, though the texture will not be identical to regular flour, of course. I feel like it’s worth just giving a try :)