Tucked away in an old journal I found a few browned pages that I hand copied from my Oma’s recipe drawer. She always took a short nap after lunch, so naturally, I took the opportunity to grab a few recipes that otherwise might have been lost. (Before you judge… I did get Oma approval. I think she reasoned that the best way for adult-ish me to enjoy real German cakes in America would be to bake them myself.) She would bake the Rhubarb Meringue Cake or Rhabarber Baiser Kuchen with the Rhubarb from her garden… and then my cousins and I would enjoy it with a coffee or Fanta in the afternoon while sitting on her patio while soaking up the sunshine.
This German Rhubarb Meringue cake uses 2 pounds of Rhubarb (that’s around 7 or 8 stalks of rhubarb) so you get lots of tart fruit in every bite. The topping of sweet meringue balances the tartness, and the crispness gives it just a tiny bit of crunch. Unfortunately, that meringue topping doesn’t stay crisp overnight… so it’s best eaten the day you bake it. (When my guy heard that, he had no regrets at all reaching for a second slice, and the third…. no sense letting it go to waste)
Bake one this weekend… your Kaffeeklatsch group will love it! It’s the perfect cake for a summer afternoon.
German Rhubarb Meringue Cake Recipe
German Rhubarb Meringue Cake - Rhabarber Baiser Kuchen
Ingredients
Cake:
- 2 pounds Rhubarb
- 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 1/2 cup 100 gr Butter
- 3 Eggs
- 1/2 cup 100 gr Sugar
- 2 teaspoon 1 packet Vanilla Sugar (or 1 tsp Vanilla Extract)
- 1 1/2 cup 250 gr Flour
- 3 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1/2 cup 1/8 Liter Milk
Meringue:
- 3 Egg Whites
- 3/4 cup Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven to 350° F
- Grease a 9" springform Pan
Cake:
- Clean and trim the ends off of the Rhubarb. Then cut the stalks into 1/2 inch slices, and toss in a bowl with 2 Tablespoons Sugar. Set Aside.
- In a Mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until light (3-4 minutes). Scrape down the sides, then add the eggs one at a time. Beating in between. Add the Vanilla Sugar or Vanilla.
- Combine the Flour and Baking Powder in your measuring cup, then add it and the milk to the butter/sugar/egg mixture. Alternate... half of the flour, half of the milk, then repeat.
- Beat until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to get any unmixed butter, then beat another few seconds.
- Add the cut rhubarb to the batter. Use a spatula to mix everything evenly.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan, and smooth the top.
- Bake 35 minutes.
- With 5 minutes baking time left...
- Beat the egg whites with the whisk attachment of your mixer while slowly adding the sugar. You want the egg whites to be glossy and smooth. A soft peak.
- At 35 minutes, take the cake from the oven, and set it on a cooling rack.
- Spread the meringue over the hot cake (work kind of fast, but don't rush, or you might hurt yourself).
- Put the cake back into the oven for 20 more minutes.
Notes
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How to make the German Rhubarb Meringue Cake
Slice the Rhubarb, toss with sugar, set aside
Mix the batter until smooth
Stir in the Rhubarb, then spread into the prepared cake pan
Then bake 35 minutes at 350°F
With 5 minutes left on the timer, Whip the egg whites while slowly adding the sugar.
You want glossy peaks.
Spread the meringue over the hot cake, then return it to the oven for 20 minutes longer
When the meringue is browned and lovely, pull it out of the oven, and let cool a bit on a rack
If your meringue flowed over the edges, you can push it back so that it releases from the pan nicely.
Lift the edge a bit with your finger, then cut away from the pan with a knife.
Slice with a clean knife to get a nice edge
Perfect with a coffee...
My hubby does not like meringue, how long do I bake the cake if not using meringue?
Hi Ann, I’m not a fan of thick meringue myself…mostly I like the crisp edges. That said. Why not bake this cake for him instead? It’s just a simple Rhubarb cake, and you won’t need to make adjustments. https://germangirlinamerica.com/moist-rhubarb-cake-recipe/
Hi Karen. That cake looks good, but I don’t like Rhubarb. I do have a question for you. My daughter loves Cream cheese poundcake. That cake never comes out of the cake form. I have tried putting a hot towel over the cake form, and I also have put it back in the oven for a little while. It is stuck in the cake form. I do grease and flour my cake form. Nothing helps. I have tried losing the cake with a knife. The whole cake is nothing but crumbs. Of course, she eats the crumbs. Do you have any suggestion how I can get that cake out in one piece? I have hit the cake form, nothing I do helps. I would appreciate your advice. Thank you and have a great day. Gigi.
A Springform pan is best. You can slide a knife around the edge, and it lifts right off. Parchment just on the bottom helps too. Like this one- https://amzn.to/3zSFVEj
Hi Karen, When you make your Rhubarb cake does the Rhubarb soften up when it is baked? I just made a Rhubarb/Strawberry pie yesterday and my husband said I did not cook it enough because it was watery inside when I cut out a piece for him and the Rhubarb was crunchie? He said it needs to be softer. I had it in the oven 20 minutes and because I had to brush the top of the pie with egg yolk and sugar, it started to brown quicker and I was very worried, so that was why I took it out quicker. Should I have put aluminum foil on the top and kept it in so it would of been cooked better and the Rhubarb less crunchy? This was my very first time doing this pie. Thanks for your response and sharing all your recipes with us. My husband is German/Dutch decent and loves Rhubarb.
The Rhubarb does soften up. The cake bakes much longer than your pie. Cut the pieces small, and toss them with some sugar before you start the batter.
Can frozen rhubarb be used?
Yes
Is the vanilla sugar a whole packet or 2 teaspoons?
One packet has 1.5 teaspoons…. I usually round up to 2 teaspoons if I use my homemade Vanilla Zucker. If you are using packets, one is enough. (If you want to start making your own Vanillezucker https://germangirlinamerica.com/quick-vanilla-sugar-recipe/)