A sweet confection combining tart rhubarb and distinctive nutmeg, this rhubarb nutmeg cake is easy to make. Featuring an especially delicious nutmeg flecked cream cheese frosting!
Are you a rhubarb lover or a rhubarb hater? Rhubarb is one of those things that people either love or hate. No ambivalence here.
I love it. Hubby hates it. So I made this cake and then I threw three-quarters of it away.
Not because it wasn’t good. Oh, it was very good.
It was too good. I couldn’t stop eating it. And I had no one to share it with. And I want to lose 20 pounds (ha!).
And I’ll be honest, it was more like half of a cake that went into the trash. I couldn’t help myself! The cream cheese frosting was calling to me from inside of the refrigerator.
Rachel…Rachel…Rachel…I’m cream cheese frosting, and I’m even better because I have fresh grated nutmeg stirred in…who cares about those 20 pounds…I taste so good.
Yes, I know I have issues. And not just issues with losing twenty pounds.
About this rhubarb nutmeg cake
Anyways, about the recipe. My mom has an awesome rhubarb custard pie recipe that involves rhubarb and nutmeg. I dreamed up this recipe for rhubarb cake with that pie in mind.
I think nutmeg goes so well with rhubarb. I always use freshly grated nutmeg for this recipe, but you can definitely use the kind that comes already grated.
However, if you try freshly grated, I’ll tell you one thing: There’s no going back. It is so much better.
This recipe is written for the cake to contain two cups of chopped rhubarb. This time, I used less in hopes that my hubby would eat it. He didn’t. I should have used more, there wasn’t enough for me. So use your best judgment, and add according to your taste for the ‘barb.
Oh, and yes, I use a boxed cake mix. I have a 9 month old baby and sometimes life just needs to be simplified.
This cake just deserves cream cheese frosting. Actually, doesn’t every cake? I love banana cake with chocolate cream frosting or layer cake with lemon filling and lemon cream cheese frosting. And pumpkin poke cake with cream cheese frosting? Wow!
PS: if you don’t want to bother with layers, this cake would be excellent in a 9 x 13 inch pan.
For rhubarb lovers only:
- Rhubarb Cardamom Shortbread Bars
- Rhubarb Instant Pot Cake – an upside down cake
- Rhubarb Sauce
- Rhubarb Crisp from Spend With Pennies
- Sweet and Sour Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce from The Spruce Eats
Rhubarb Cake
Ingredients
For the streusel:
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ cup butter, softened
For the cake:
- 2 cups sliced fresh rhubarb, ¼ inch slices (see note)
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup milk (or buttermilk)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly spray an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with cooking spray. (A 9 x 9 inch pan works fine, too.)
- Make the streusel. In a small bowl, mix together ½ cup sugar, ⅓ cup all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ cup softened butter until well blended. Use a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers. Set aside.½ cup sugar, ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ cup butter, softened
- Put the sliced rhubarb in a small bowl. In another medium-sized bowl, measure out 1 ½ cups flour. Remove 2 tablespoons of the flour and mix it with the rhubarb until the rhubarb is coated with flour. Set the rhubarb aside.2 cups sliced fresh rhubarb, ¼ inch slices, 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- Whisk the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the bowl with the flour; set aside.2 teaspoons baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- In another medium bowl, cream ¼ cup butter and ¾ cup sugar, using a hand mixer, until blended, fluffy, and smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla extract.¼ cup unsalted butter, softened, ¾ cup granulated sugar, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add in half of the dry ingredients, mixing to combine. Add ¼ cup of milk, mixing to combine. Repeat with remaining half of flour mixture and remaining ¼ cup of milk.½ cup milk
- Fold the rhubarb into the batter.
- Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Sprinkle streusel evenly over cake batter before baking.
- Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs clinging. Cool on a wire rack.
- Cut into squares when ready to serve. Cake can be served warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- About rhubarb: When testing this recipe, we found that fresh rhubarb worked the best. Commercially frozen rhubarb doesn't soften properly. If you freeze your own rhubarb in the spring, that works fine. There's no need to thaw it first, simply add a couple of minutes to the baking time.
- Variations: Other fruits can be substituted for the rhubarb. Try blueberries, apples, apricots, plums, or nectarines. If the fruit is large, chop or slice it into smaller pieces; you'll need 2 cups.
- Optional icing drizzle (as pictured): In a small bowl, combine 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon milk. Adjust consistency if necessary by adding more powdered sugar or milk. Drizzle over baked cake.
- Recipe retested and revised 3/2025. Previously published as Rhubarb and Nutmeg Layer Cake.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!Verdict: I think I already covered how I feel about this cake. And why it is in the trash. And how right now, I really wish it wasn’t. But my scale is glad it is.
Husband’s take: He didn’t try it. I told him he could pick around the rhubarb and that there wasn’t a lot of it in the cake, but he still passed on this one. More for me! Oh wait, it is in the trash. Darn that moment of strong will-power.
Changes I would make: More rhubarb next time.
Difficulty: Easy!
And that is just because it has been awhile since I posted a picture of my cutie.
What is your favorite rhubarb recipe? Are you a rhubarb lover or a rhubarb hater?
I haven’t really cooked or baked with rhubarb as of yet!
You better get on it, girl! It is so good! I am going to post a pie recipe soon too, hopefully.
What is it with men and rhubarb or men and parsnips? Sorry to make it about me, but I have this fab. parsnip cake that your rhubarb cake reminded me of. My hubby won’t touch it. Your cake is gorgeous and so is your little girl. I would have had a yummy slice, poured myself a cup of coffee and sat on the carpet and played with the baby. I would be a very good guest! Scouts honor.
Parsnip cake? How interesting! Is it on your blog? I love parsnips. You are welcome to come be my guest anytime, especially if you’ll play with my babe. I make my coffee strong, hope that is okay :)
Since you told me how good it was, I’ve been using freshly grated nutmeg and you’re right, there’s no comparison!
Glad you liked the rhubarb! I dug another rhubarb plant from Aunt Carol’s flower garden and planted it (she hates rhubarb).
Lucky you! You can send more my way any time you want!
This looks amazing! Fresh nutmeg is so good!
I want to lick alllllll the icing off that cake so badly!! And give your cute little girl a hug- she is precious!!
I give her about three trillion hugs a day :)
Nothing wrong with a boxed cake! This looks divine. I love the nutmeg accessory!
Thanks Sarah!
oh my goodness, i just LOVE rhubarb! your photography is absolutely beautiful in this post rachel. i wish i lived closer b/c i would have happily taken some of that amazing cake of your hands! :)
Thanks! My photography is very hit or miss at this point :) How fun would it be if we lived by each other?
Hi! Found you on Basilmomma’s blog hop. I love your blog! Come post a recipe on my Fit and Fabulous Fridays link party. :) @ Amee’s Savory Dish
Haha, certainly not this recipe! Not my most “fit” recipe.
I hopped from Basilmomma too and I LOVE rhubarb. I don’t know that I’ve tried nutmeg with it or not. I’m definitely going to try it.
That baby is so gorgeous and cute.. how do you have time to bake? I’d be playing all day long. :)
Aww, thank you! I bake during naps :) Usually instead of working out, bad news!
Oh, if only I had been there. I would gladly have shared those potential pounds with you. I’m the only rhubarb lover in my house, but Joel thinks it’s more palatable in cake form (he loves the rhubarb cake your mom makes). Personally, I would eat dirt if it was covered in cream cheese frosting:)
I’m with you on the dirt. I gotta admit, I ate my fair share of frosting off of the remaining cake before I threw it in the trash!