Rhubarb Cake with Butter Sauce 🍰🌿 — A Timeless Dessert with Tangy-Sweet Charm

When spring and early summer roll around, there’s one ingredient that stands out for its bold flavor and rustic charm: rhubarb. Known for its striking red stalks and tart taste, rhubarb has long been a favorite in pies and jams. But if you’re looking for a new way to savor this garden treasure, allow me to introduce you to a recipe that’s both delightfully unique and irresistibly nostalgic—Rhubarb Cake with Butter Sauce.

This isn’t just any dessert. It’s a soul-warming cake that marries the bright zing of rhubarb with a moist, tender crumb and finishes off with a rich, golden butter sauce that takes it straight to dessert heaven. Whether you’re hosting a brunch, celebrating a holiday, or simply craving something sweet and special, this rhubarb cake is sure to make hearts (and taste buds) sing.

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🥄 The Magic Behind Rhubarb

Rhubarb is often misunderstood—technically a vegetable, yet almost always used as a fruit in culinary applications. Its vibrant red color and tart flavor make it an incredible ingredient for balancing sweetness in baked goods.

When baked into a cake, rhubarb softens and infuses the batter with moisture and a hint of tang. Paired with sugar and vanilla, or in this case, a velvety butter sauce, rhubarb becomes the star of a dish that’s simultaneously rustic and indulgent.

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🧁 Rhubarb Cake with Butter Sauce Recipe

This recipe uses pantry staples, comes together with ease, and makes a generous pan of 15 servings—perfect for feeding a crowd or enjoying as leftovers. It’s also a great way to use up fresh garden rhubarb or even frozen stalks.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 cups diced rhubarb (see note below about using frozen rhubarb)
• 2 cups milk
• 6 tablespoons melted butter

For the Butter Sauce:

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ cup heavy cream

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🔧 Instructions: How to Make It

Follow these simple steps to create a show-stopping dessert that requires no frosting—just a pour of heavenly sauce.

1. Prep the Oven and Pan

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan well. This ensures easy release and helps the cake bake evenly.

2. Mix the Dry Ingredients

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until well combined. This forms the base of your cake batter.

3. Add the Wet Ingredients

Add the diced rhubarb, milk, and melted butter to the dry mixture. Stir gently until just combined. Over-mixing can lead to a tough cake, so be mindful to stop once everything is incorporated.

4. Pour and Spread

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and use a spatula to spread it out evenly. It will be quite full, but don’t worry—this cake bakes up beautifully.

5. Bake Until Perfect

Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Your kitchen will be filled with the irresistible aroma of sweet rhubarb.

6. Let the Cake Cool

Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the pan. This gives the crumb time to set before the butter sauce is added.

7. Make the Butter Sauce

While the cake cools, prepare the butter sauce. In a heavy saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, and heavy cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Let it boil for 1 full minute, then remove from the heat. Allow it to cool slightly to thicken.

8. Serve and Drizzle

Cut the cake into pieces and serve each slice with a generous drizzle of warm butter sauce. It’s best served slightly warm or at room temperature.

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🕒 Recipe Summary

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cooking Time: 45 minutes
• Cooling + Sauce Prep: ~60 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours
• Servings: 15 generous squares
• Calories: Varies (based on specific ingredients used)

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❄️ Using Frozen Rhubarb

Yes, you can absolutely use frozen rhubarb in this recipe! If doing so:

• Thaw completely in a colander
• Drain off excess moisture before adding it to the batter

Frozen rhubarb tends to release more liquid, so draining helps prevent a soggy cake and ensures the texture remains fluffy and tender.

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🌟 Why You’ll Love This Cake

Here’s what makes this cake an absolute keeper:

• One-bowl mixing – No mixer required!
• Perfect balance of tart and sweet
• Feeds a crowd – Great for parties, potlucks, or family dinners
• Freezes well – Freeze slices (without sauce) and reheat with sauce later
• Versatile – Can be served as dessert or a coffee cake

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🧁 Serving Tips

• Top with whipped cream for extra indulgence
• Add chopped pecans or walnuts for a bit of crunch
• Serve with berries to enhance the fruity-tart contrast
• Great with coffee or tea as an afternoon treat

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🍽️ Make It Ahead

This cake is a perfect make-ahead dessert:

• Bake the cake a day in advance and store at room temperature (covered).
• Reheat the butter sauce just before serving.
• It also keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days, and reheats beautifully.

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📜 A Bit of History: The Vintage Vibe

Rhubarb desserts like this one harken back to farmhouse kitchens and community cookbooks, where practical baking met wholesome ingredients. The butter sauce is a classic touch reminiscent of old-fashioned pudding cakes or warm spoon desserts.

With its no-fuss ingredients and rich payoff, Rhubarb Cake with Butter Sauce is a perfect example of how the simplest recipes are often the most loved.

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💡 Final Thoughts: A Must-Bake Dessert

This Rhubarb Cake with Butter Sauce is more than just a sweet treat—it’s a celebration of seasonality, comfort, and down-home baking at its best. It strikes the perfect balance between tart and sweet, dense and fluffy, rustic and refined.

So if you’ve got fresh rhubarb on hand or a freezer stash waiting to be used, whip up this delightful cake. One bite, and you’ll understand why it’s become a cherished favorite for so many bakers.

Don’t forget to drizzle generously—the butter sauce is truly the crown jewel!

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