“I made the cake this afternoon and it is delicious! Very light texture – the rhubarb and almond with the sugar on top is a winner. I did not have any whole milk or half & half so I used buttermilk. I will make this again!” ~Laurie
Norwegian rhubarb and almond cake
This lovely breakfast cake hails from Norway where rhubarb thrives in the chilly climate. Rhubarb is perennial, prolific, and one of the first crops of spring, making it a beloved ingredient anywhere it grows. (It grows all across the northern half of the US, but the rest of you can find it in your produce aisle.) Rhubarb’s tart berry-like flavor marries beautifully with almond and makes an especially delicious coffee cake for this time of year.
the cake is fluffy, moist, and not too sweet
I spotted this recipe on the lovely blog, North Wild Kitchen. In true Nordic style, this cake is simple, and classic, which really allows the rhubarb to shine. The combination of rhubarb and almond is what intrigued me…it’s heavenly. The only change I made to the recipe was to add almond extract to the cake to emphasize the almond flavor a bit more. This is the cake you’ll make to take to work, the book club, the neighbor’s…any time you want to impress without too much effort. And I guarantee they’ve never had it before!
top your rhubarb cake with raw sugar for a wonderful crunch
I especially love the nice subtle crunch from the combination of sliced almonds and raw sugar, which I sprinkled on before baking. I used turbinado sugar, which is a kind of less-refined sugar with larger crystals and a golden color. It gives the cake a bit of sparkle and a nice texture. You might also use sparkling sugar.
the best pan for this rhubarb almond cake
I recommend a spring-form pan for this recipe, it makes the cake easy to remove so you can show it off. Especially if you’re serving the cake to guests, it’s nice not to have the metal bottom of the cake pan showing through.
But you could also use a regular 9 inch round cake pan, or even a square baking pan. In any case I like to line my baking pans with parchment paper whenever possible for easier removal.
is rhubarb a vegetable or a fruit?
It’s a vegetable, but we treat it as a fruit for culinary purposes. Its stalks look a little like celery.
when is rhubarb season?
Rhubarb’s short but sweet season runs from April through June, but larger supermarkets carry it a month or two longer than that. You can also buy it frozen.
is rhubarb native to North America?
No, it originally comes from Central Asia, but has become a beloved ingredient in traditional American cooking.
which is better, red or green rhubarb?
Both are great, and both will have the same flavor. The red will cook up with a beautiful color, so many bakers prefer it.
can you eat rhubarb raw?
Yes, you can, but it’s extremely tart. Some readers have shared fond memories of growing up eating raw rhubarb stalks dipped in sugar. Be aware, the leaves of the rhubarb plant are toxic, so avoid them!
can you grow rhubarb?
Rhubarb is an easy to grow perennial in zones 3-8, and can be grown as a winter annual in warmer climates. Reader Karen from northern Indiana says that the best way to harvest rhubarb in your garden is to gently pull the stalks from the base of the plant, rather than cutting them. She says when you do it this way a new stalk will grow in that spot, and she is able to harvest her rhubarb crop right through late October into early November.
we love rhubarb recipes!
Norwegian Rhubarb and Almond Cake
Video
Ingredients
- 10 Tbsp (150grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150grams) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (200 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 cup (1dl )whole milk or half and half
- 1 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 1 1/2 cups (250 grams) chopped rhubarb or about 3-5 stalks, depending on size.
- 3 Tbsp raw sugar
- 3 Tbsp sliced almonds
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F
- Lightly grease an 9 inch springform pan and place a round of parchment paper at the bottom.
- Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer or with electric mixers until light and fluffy. This will take a couple of minutes. Don’t skip this step, the creaming incorporates air into the batter that helps the cake bake up light and fluffy.
- Add in the eggs one at a time, beating the mixture between each addition until they are fully incorporated.
- Add the flour, baking powder, and then the milk or half and half, along with the almond extract. Mix until combined.
- Spread the batter into your prepared pan, making sure it is relatively even.
- Scatter the chopped rhubarb over the top of the cake, pressing it in just a little bit.
- Scatter the raw sugar and sliced almonds over the cake
- Bake for about 30-40 minutes, until set in the middle, and golden brown on top. Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes before carefully unlatching the pan.
Notes
- Buttermilk can be used instead of milk.
- Try raspberries or blueberries in place of the rhubarb.
- Substitute vanilla extract for the almond extract.
Made this today and followed the recipe as is…came out really good! This recipe is a keeper….Thank you so much!
Great taste !!! Due to food allergies, I substituted in: GF flour plus 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and margarine, and almond milk. It was still a family winner !!! I also added strawberries to the rhubarb. I only sprinkled on the almonds in the last 10 minutes of baking so they wouldn’t over-brown. Thanks so much for sharing this easy and delightful recipe!
Made this two days ago and it was fantastic. The tartness of the rhubarb was amazing in this and this is going into my rotation.
Love it!
This was such a beautiful and delicious cake! I didn’t have much rhubarb, so I added an apple. I omitted the sugar topping but the apple balanced the tartness of rhubarb nicely. My oven tends to overheat, which meant I have to keep reducing temperatures and shortening the baking time, even if the cake is quite moist. Next time I will add the almonds ten minutes before the end of the baking period so they won’t turn so brown. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you!
This recipe is a keeper! Everyone loved it, including an anti-rhubarber in the household. I added a few strawberries. And added a hefty dose of cardamom- because my Swedish family LOVE anything with cardamom! I also used buttermilk as a previous guest suggested. I gotta go get more rhubarb to freeze, so that I can make this all summer! Love it! Thank you!
I have such a crop of rhubarb so I thought I would give this a go, it’s a fabulous cake. It worked perfectly and was a big hit in my household. Will be one of my go to recipes for sure. Thank you for providing the recipe.
Thanks Sue!
My husband said this was really good it had a crunch to and the Rhubarb tartness with the Almond balanced it. He wanted me to make something different than the usual things.
This cake was a big hit at my house – loved the almond flavor with the rhubarb and the wonderful texture. I definitely will be making this one again (I might add a bit more rhubarb next time because it’s just such a wonderful tang in this cake). Thanks for a great recipe!
Rhubarb is popping up in gardens all over the country, I’m so excited!
Sue:
Maybe I will try this with the coconut flour…..
What is raw sugar? Brown sugar?
Raw sugar is unrefined sugar, it’s got a larger crystal and a light brown color ~ here’s a link:
This was really good, but with the unsalted butter, it really needs some salt added to the recipe. Even my husband who doesn’t salt anything said it was flat. Will try again with a bit added
Thanks Brenda, I always use unsalted butter but everyone has a different taste/tolerance for salt and sometimes a little extra is just what a recipe needs!
I agree about the salt. I added a tsp because I’ve never made a cake without it – it enhances the flavor.