Delight your family and friends with this Old-Fashioned Strawberry Rhubarb Bundt Cake. It’s so flavorful and tender that you’ll wish rhubarb was in season all year long!
I’ve only become a rhubarb fan over the past few years. Before that, I ‘thought’ I didn’t like it because I’d heard it was sour and bitter. Oh, how wrong I was! I DO like rhubarb and I especially love it in the Strawberry Rhubarb Bundt Cake!
And, now that I know better I like to take full advantage of rhubarb season as often as I can with desserts like this!
**Please Note – The printable recipe card with detailed instructions and complete ingredient measurements for making Old -Fashioned Strawberry Rhubarb Bundt Cake is available near the end of this post. OR click on the “jump to recipe” button (found above) to be taken directly to the recipe.
The ingredient list:
**Note – The following lists of ingredients plus kitchen tools and equipment contain affiliate links (highlighted in blue) for your consideration and shopping convenience. #CommissionsEarned
- Fresh Strawberries
- Fresh Rhubarb
- Granulated Sugar
- Brown Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Almond Extract
- Canola Oil
- Butter
- All-Purpose Flour
- Ground Cinnamon
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Confectioners Sugar
- Vanilla Ice Cream (optional)
Kitchen tools and equipment needed:
- hand mixer or stand mixer
- spatula or wooden spoon
- bundt pan
- baking spray
- paring knife or chef’s knife
- cutting board
- measuring cups and spoons
- large bowl
- cake tester or toothpicks
- cooling rack
- confectioners sugar shaker or sieve
Why this recipe works:
In my opinion, rhubarb and strawberries are one of Mother Nature’s natural flavor combinations.
The tanginess of rhubarb matches perfectly with the sweetness of strawberries.
And, they both look so darned pretty when they’re tucked away neatly into this super moist and flavorful Strawberry Rhubarb Bundt Cake.
What does rhubarb taste and look like?
Rhubarb is tart and tangy.
Most people won’t eat rhubarb by itself because it can be described as sour. This is what makes rhubarb work wonderfully well in desserts where sugar and sweeteners are involved.
Rhubarb resembles celery in appearance except that rhubarb stalks are primarily reddish/pink in color.
Rhubarb can also be green in color. The green color of rhubarb doesn’t affect the taste and doesn’t mean the rhubarb isn’t ripe.
Green rhubarb can be used for the exact same recipes as the reddish/pink variety. However, most people find the bright red or pink variety more visually appealing in baked goods.
Green rhubarb is also considered to be more mature, and according to some, may not have as much flavor as the red variety.
Believe it or not, rhubarb also comes in purple and yellow varieties.
For more great information on rhubarb and its wide range of colors and varieties, please check out The Rhubarb Compendium.
What to look for when purchasing fresh rhubarb:
Look for plumpest stalks at the market.
Rhubarb should be firm in texture and have no bruises or blemishes.
The color of the rhubarb should be shiny and vibrant.
Rhubarb should also be crisp. Snapping off a tiny end is a good way of testing for crispness.
What NOT to eat when it comes to rhubarb:
Do you know that the leaves of the rhubarb plant contain oxalic acid which is poisonous to human beings? True Story.
However, you’d have to eat A LOT of rhubarb leaves in order to show signs of poisoning. That said, why chance it?
Most grocery stores remove the leaves from the rhubarb stalks before displaying them for sale. But, if you’re growing your own rhubarb, or purchasing them from a farmers market, always remove and discard stems immediately, and never ingest them!
For additional information regarding rhubarb leaves, please check out this article from Livestrong.com
How to store fresh rhubarb:
Store rhubarb wrapped in plastic (so it doesn’t dry out) in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days.
Once the rhubarb turns limp and slimy it is no longer useable and must be discarded.
Can rhubarb be frozen?
YES!!
It’s a wonderful idea to purchase rhubarb in season, cut it into chunks, and then store it in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 9 months.
Having rhubarb at your disposal throughout the year is never a bad thing!!
For additional recipes featuring strawberries and rhubarb:
- Strawberry Rhubarb Bread Pudding
- Strawberry Rhubarb Pie from Sally’s Baking Addiction
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch Cake from Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
- Baked Sticky Rhubarb Pudding from Hot Eats and Cool Reads
- Rhubarb Tarte from Masalah Herb
- Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce from Finding Zest
- Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake from Cookie Dough and Oven Mitt
How long does this strawberry rhubarb dessert take to make from start to finish?
The complete time from start to finish (including macerating, and cooling) is roughly 2 hours.
This Old Fashioned Strawberry Rhubarb Bundt Cake is super simple to make. It only takes a few easy steps.
First is cutting the rhubarb and strawberries into chunks and then to macerating them (soften and infuse) in a bit of sugar for 30 minutes before assembling the rest of the ingredients.
The easy instructions:
- Place the cut rhubarb and strawberries in a medium-size bowl with ¼ cup of granulated sugar.
- Stir well. Set aside and allow the fruit to macerate (soften and drink in the sugar) for 30 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, blend together the eggs, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, almond extract, and the canola oil.
- Slowly blend in the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt until stiff batter forms.
- Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the macerated berries until fully incorporated.
- Scrape the batter evenly into a prepared bundt pan that has been sprayed liberally with baking spray.
- Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove and cool on a wire tack for 15 minutes.
- Invert the semi-cooled cake onto a serving platter and allow to cool completely before dusting with confectioners sugar and adding fresh strawberries as a garnish, if desired.
Strawberry rhubarb bundt cake is SO delicious!
The batter for this cake is thick….really thick.
But that’s what enables the fruit to stay wonderfully suspended throughout the entire cake, and not sink to the bottom (make that the top) of the cake, when the cake is inverted.
In almost each and every forkful you take of this Old-Fashioned Strawberry Rhubarb Bundt Cake you’ll have a plump piece of strawberry or rhubarb, which is a very good thing!
Rhubarb rocks!
I hope you’ll try this recipe before rhubarb season is a thing of the past. If you don’t, you’ll have to wait for another whole year!
By the way, you can find rhubarb stalks in the produce section (for a limited time in the spring) right where they sell the fresh strawberries. Look for them…you won’t be sorry!
Below is the printable recipe card along with the nutritional information for today’s Old-Fashioned Strawberry Rhubarb Bundt Cake.
Old-Fashioned Strawberry Rhubarb Bundt Cake
Ingredients
- 5 medium fresh rhubarb stalks , halved, and cut into 1" pieces
- 1 pint fresh strawberries , hulled, halved and quartered (if needed)
- 1 cup granulated sugar divided
- 3 large eggs , at room temperature
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1¼ cup canola oil , or vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons butter , softened
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- confectioners sugar for garnish , optional
- fresh strawberries for garnish , optional
- vanilla ice cream for serving , optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place the cut rhubarb and strawberries in a medium-size bowl with ¼ cup of granulated sugar. Stir. Set aside and allow the fruit to macerate (soften and drink in the sugar) for 30 minutes.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, blend together the eggs, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, vanilla, and almond extract and the canola oil.
- Slowly blend in the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. The batter will be thick and heavy. Not to worry.
- Using a spatula or wooden spoon, stir in the macerated berries until fully incorporated.
- Scrape the batter evenly into a prepared bundt pan that has been sprayed liberally with baking spray.
- Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove and cool on a wire tack for 15 minutes. Invert the semi-cooled cake onto a serving platter and allow to cool completely before dusting with confectioners sugar and adding strawberries as a garnish, if desired.
- Serve the cake at room temperature, with vanilla ice cream if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Thank you so much for visiting me here today in my Kudos Kitchen!
I sincerely hope you’ve enjoyed today’s strawberry and rhubarb bundt cake recipe as much as I’ve enjoyed bringing it to you.
Kudos Kitchen by Renee – Bringing you easy, economical, and delicious dishes to feed the people you love!
Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!!
Should you have any questions or comments regarding this recipe or anything else you’ve seen on my site, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. It is always my distinct pleasure to get back with a reply just as soon as I possibly can!
Kudos Kitchen by Renee – Bringing you easy, economical, and delicious dishes to feed the people you love!
Until we eat again, I hope you have a delicious day!!
**Note – The post above includes affiliate links. As always, I truly thank you for your support!
Judithering Friedman
Monday 30th of August 2021
I tried the cake this evening so delish nice and moist
Renée
Tuesday 31st of August 2021
That's wonderful, Judith! Thanks for getting back to me and letting me know. I'm glad you adjusted the recipe to fit your tastes and preferences. Take good care, Renee
Judithering Friedman
Monday 30th of August 2021
II II MADE THE BUNDT VAKE, I USED LESS SUGAR, 5 EGG WHITES, CAKE OUT OF PAN PERFECTLY I EVEN ADDED SHREDDED ZUCCHINA BUT HAVEN'T TASTED IT YET
Renée
Monday 30th of August 2021
Sounds like it will be delicious, Judith! I love that you even use zucchini. Brilliant!! Take good care, -Renee
Karen Velthaus
Sunday 30th of May 2021
Question - I have a TON of Rhubarb coming up - my grandfather's root stock. My question is how much, in weight, is 5 stalks. The reason I ask is that my stalks are huge - some 1" in width. Thanks,
Renée
Sunday 30th of May 2021
Hi, Karen. I'd approximate it at about 2½ - 3 cups of cut-up rhubarb. In the grand scheme of things, the amount (whatever you decide to use) really shouldn't matter too much. However, if too much is added then the bake time for the cake may be off due to the excess moisture, and it may require more time in the oven. Make sure you use a cake tester or toothpick to determine doneness and be aware that this IS a moist cake, to begin with. I hope this answer helps. I'd love to hear how you enjoyed this recipe. Please let me know. Take good care, Renee
Jennifer
Thursday 2nd of July 2020
This was DELICIOUS! Thank you for the recipe!
Taryn
Thursday 2nd of July 2020
Best bundt cake ever!