Gluten Free Rhubarb Cake with Buttermilk

Piece of gluten free rhubarb cake with whipped cream on white plate with fork.

4.80 from 5 votes

Gluten Free Rhubarb Cake with Buttermilk

This Gluten Free Rhubarb Cake is moist and made with buttermilk! It's flavored with citrus zest and baked with a cinnamon sugar topping.

Prep Time20

Cook Time40

Total Time1

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: buttermilk rhubarb cake, old fashioned rhubarb cake, rhubarb cake with cinnamon sugar topping

Servings:

Calories: 180kcal

Author: Christine Rooney

Equipment

Ingredients

1 ½ packed cups brown sugar
½ cup unsalted butter softened, equals 1 stick
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs
2 cups rhubarb chopped, fresh or frozen
2 cups gluten free flour blend or AP flour if not gluten free
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 lemon zest only
1 orange zest only
¼ cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish generously with butter or cooking spray to prevent the cake from sticking as it bakes.
Finely chop 2 cups of fresh rhubarb.
If using frozen rhubarb, place it in a strainer in the sink to thaw and drain. Once thawed, place between two paper towels or a kitchen towel and pat dry. Feel free to chop the rhubarb more finely if desired.
In one bowl, add 1 ½ packed cups brown sugar along with ½ cup (equals 1 stick) of softened, but not melted unsalted butter. Cream the butter and brown sugar using a hand mixer on medium speed for 1-2 minutes, or until the mixture is completely combined.
Add 2 eggs to the butter and sugar and mix for another 30 seconds or so on medium speed (the mixture will be kind of thick and sticky).
In a second bowl, add 2 cups of gluten free flour blend (or regular AP flour if not gluten free), 1 tsp. baking soda, and ½ tsp. kosher salt. Stir until completely combined.
Measure 1 cup of buttermilk.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until combined. Add ½ cup of buttermilk to the batter and stir until combined.
Repeat with the second half of the dry ingredients and then the other ½ cup of the buttermilk.
Stir the batter until completely combined.
Add the 2 cups of finely chopped rhubarb to the batter.
Using a Microplane or small zester, zest 1 orange and 1 lemon.
Add both the orange and lemon zest to the batter along with the diced rhubarb. Fold the rhubarb and citrus zest into the batter until it is evenly combined.
Spread the batter evenly across the bottom of the baking dish (the batter will be kind of sticky).
In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon.
Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture evenly over the top of the cake.
Place the cake in the oven and bake for 38-40 minutes.
Baking times may vary slightly. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean when finished and the top of the cake should be golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool slightly before serving.
To Serve: Serve the Rhubarb Cake with homemade whipped cream, creme Anglaise, or ice cream (optional).

Notes

The nutritional information does not include whipped cream.

The texture of this cake should be moist and springy.

It's best to use glass baking pans, metal pans with a protective coating, or a nonreactive pan, as rhubarb is acidic and can cause discoloration to metal cookware.

I used Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Flour to make this recipe.

Nutrition