Are you looking for a gluten-free rhubarb cake that is rich, nourishing and flavorful? Here is a recipe that features only good-for-you ingredients such as almonds, flax seeds, polenta, bananas, and of course rhubarb. The cake base is sweet and delicious, with an exotic touch to it from the fragrant orange zest and vanilla. The top is covered with rhubarb, whose natural and refreshing sourness complements the sweet spice base. Above all, the cake is wholesome and nutritious, so don’t be shy and eat a piece (or two) for breakfast – without any guilt.
The quantities below are for a 20cm round cake.
I love to indulge when the cake is just baked, fresh out of the oven with its burst of flavors. It might be a bit crumbly when still warm, but will firm up once cooled. It’s consistency is similar to that of a moist, rich, slightly crumbly bundt cake. As with bundt cakes in general, this cake will taste gorgeous if allowed to sit for a day or two, as the flavors can combine better.
Spice Rhubarb Cake with Almonds and Polenta
Equipment
- You’ll need a round cake tin, 20cm diameter.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 150 g sugar I used birch sugar, but you can also use caster sugar or brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground flaxseed
- 200 g ground almonds
- 180 g polenta
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla powder
Wet Ingredients
- 2 large ripe bananas
- 150 ml neutral oil I used rapeseed oil
- 50 ml water
- 100 ml plain vegan yogurt
- 3 tablespoons almond butter optional, the cake will still taste great without, but will have a lighter consistency
- Zest of 1 large orange or of 2 small ones
Topping
- 300 g rhubarb
Instructions
- Heat oven to 160° C (320° F).
- Combine the dry ingredients.
- Peel the bananas and mash them with a fork in a bowl.
- Mix the remaining wet ingredients with the banana puree until you have a smooth paste.
- Combine the dry with the wet ingredients.
- Line your baking tin (also the sides - alternatively, grease the sides with oil). Pour the batter into the tin.
- Trim the ends of the rhubarb and peel the stalks. Cut the stalks into pieces.
- Decorate the batter to your liking with the rhubarb pieces. The top should be covered completely with rhubarb pieces. Press the rhubarb pieces gently into the batter (half-way through).
- Bake on the middle rack for about 60 minutes, until the top is golden brown.
- If you want to enjoy it still warm, be careful when removing the cake from the tin as the sides can be crumbly.
- The cake will keep for 5 days in an airtight container.
Dear Ramona, I tried your rhubarb cake (to fight the monstrous rhubarb in my garden) and it is really delicious! And no baking desaster as usual, that means, it is really easy to make (even for non-bakers like me…).
As there was no birch sugar in my cupboard, I used normal sugar 1:1 and it worked as well. As there was no almond butter, too, I replaced it with hazelnut butter – also great and really flavorful! And a little bit of cinnamon also hit the bowl… thats my baking and the reason why things always go wrong – but not with this cake! 🙂
Thanks for sharing and now I’m prepared for gluten sensitive visitors the next time.
Dear Anja,
Thanks a lot for taking the time to write a comment, and many thanks also for trying out my recipe. I’m so happy that it was easy to make and that the cake turned out delicious. 🙂
Perfect that you substituted birch sugar 1:1 for regular sugar, as birch sugar has the same sweetening capacity as regular sugar.
Good idea to add some cinnamon, I can imagine that it went well with the orange zest and the rhubarb.