The first cake I ever baked in my Oma’s Kitchen was a Rhubarb Cake… Rhabarbarkuchen. It was Oma’s Doppelkopp day, and the ladies would all be coming over for cards, cake and gossip… so she let my cousin and I bake the cake (all these years later, and I’m still STUNNED that she turned over such an important job to us!). Of course, with her watching over us, there was little chance that we would mess it up. There were no shortcuts! And holding that Hand Mixer for 10 minutes was excruciating (luckily we could trade off).
When the cake was made and presented, the ladies loved it. We got to go into the room, say hello, take a small bow… then we were sent BACK OUTSIDE. (Where we waited for leftovers!)
The Moist Rhubarb Cake Recipe
When I got home, I wanted a repeat of that proud feeling of having made something so delicious. The problem is, German Cake recipes tend to be less sweet than American recipes, and Americans (raised on cake mix) like the cakes to be very moist or frosted. Oma’s recipe, so perfect for the German palate, was not a hit here. I ended up playing with it a bit. Separating the eggs (to whip the whites) then adding 2/3 cup of plain Greek yogurt to her recipe worked beautifully The result is not only a GERMAN Rhubarb cake recipe, but it a very moist Rhubarb Cake Recipe that is a hit with everyone who ever tried it.
I’m sure my Oma would approve.
Rhubarb Bundt Cake - Rhabarbar Kuchen
Ingredients
- 2 cup 300 gr. Rhubarb- sliced to 1 inch pieces
- 1 cup Butter 227 gr. Butter - room temperature
- 3/4 cup 180 gr. Sugar + 2 Tablespoons Sugar
- 1 tsp. Vanilla extract or 1 package Vanilla Sugar
- 4 Eggs - Separated
- 2 cup 280 gr. All purpose Flour
- 1 TBL Baking Powder
- 2/3 cup 150 ml Plain Greek Yogurt
- Powdered Sugar for Dusting
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit
- Grease a Bundt Pan (I like to use the butter wrapper like my Oma taught me)
- Cut the Rhubarb into 1 Inch pieces, toss in a bowl with the 2 Tablespoons of sugar.
- (Because you need to whip up egg whites, I find it easier to do that before making the batter. This way I don't have to clean my mixing bowl half way. I can just use the egg white mixing bowl for the rest of the batter. But if you have 2 mixing bowls, or a hand mixer, you don't have to worry about it.)
- Separate the eggs, and set the yolks aside.
- Beat the egg whites until they are at a medium peak. The peak should stay when you pull up the beater, but it shouldn't be dried out.
- Now scrape the egg white into a bowl, and set aside for a bit.
- Combine butter and sugar in the mixer, and beat for 5 minutes on medium. Scrape down the sides and bottom from time to time.
- Add Vanilla (or Vanilla Sugar)
- Add egg yolks one at a time .. beat
- Combine flour with baking powder ... with mixer on low, slowly add the flour mix to the batter. Alternating with the yogurt.
- Scrape the sides again
- Carefully fold 1/4 of the egg white into the batter. Once it is combined, fold in another 1/2 of the remaining egg white. Then fold in the rest. The object is to not over-beat the batter. You want to keep as much air in the egg white as possible.
- Add the Rhubarb pieces, and mix until combined.
- Put the cake batter into your prepared pan.
- Bake the cake for 1 hour, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let cool in the cake pan for 5 minutes on a rack.
- Loosen the edges with a knife if needed... and flip the cake over
- Let cool completely
- Dust with Powdered Sugar
- (Put a spoonful of powdered sugar in a sieve, then shake it over the cake for even distribution).
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Rhubarb…
Biggest difference between Germany and America? Most of the time when I buy Rhubarb in my corner of America, the checker has no idea what it is, or what to do with it. (No, it’s not celery. No, you don’t just bite into the stalks. And NO! do not eat the leaves).
Kitchen Tools to Help Bake German Cakes
German recipes are in metric, I posted the above recipe in metric and cups, but it’s really a good idea to have a kitchen scale if you want to bake German recipes (Besides, the scale is more accurate. Don’t believe me? Measure out 2 cups of flour by pouring, then by scooping, then let someone else do it. Weigh all three…. it most likely will give you 3 different weights).
Soehnle Roma Silver Digital Kitchen Scales, Scales, Food Preparation Scales, 65856
And of course, you need a baking pan. Oma used a Gugelhopf… but I used a plain Bundt pan (they are more common in kitchens here. A real Gugelhopf pan will be taller and thinner, so the cake takes less time to bake.
Nordic Ware 50342 ProForm Bundt Pan with Handles, 12 CupFox Run 4467 Kugelhopf Pan, 8.5-Inch, Preferred Non-Stick
Baking This Moist Rhubarb Cake Recipe…
Chop the Rhubarb into 1 inch pieces, then mix the pieces in a bowl with 2 Tablespoons of Sugar
Batter goes into the prepared pan (you can wipe the spills away)
Bake at 325 degrees F for 1 hour
At about 50 minutes, check to make sure it’s not baking too fast (my oven has a hot spot, so I have to rotate the cakes)
Put in a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. If the cake is browning, and the toothpick is clean, you can take it out a little early.
Cool on a rack for 5 minutes
Flip the cake out onto the rack, and let it cool the rest of the way.
(My Oma always told me that we would get a stomach ache if we ate warm cake… but I wonder if she didn’t just want to keep our fingers off the cake…)
Dust with powdered sugar…
Slice and serve… plain or with Whipped Cream
We have rhubarb growing in our yard, one of the few things. Easy to grow, and never have to buy it.
Hello – baking soda is mentioned in the instructions but not in the list of ingredients. Is there supposed to be baking soda in addition to the baking powder? Thank you 🙂
Argh… sorry… just a dumb typo… no baking soda
ingredients list only has baking powder. directions mention baking powder and baking soda. should there be any backing soda ?
no… sorry… that was just the world’s stupidest typo
Both of my parents were chefs by trade. My mom came from Austria, and my dad came from Germany, so I grew up eating and appreciating this kind of cooking.
I totally agree with you that the cakes over there are not as sweet or smothered in frosting, etc, which is exactly why they taste so much better to me than the ones you find in America.
I made this cake for my husband and my co-workers and everyone absolutely loved it, even the people who have never heard of, or even tried rhubarb before. Thank you for the recipe. It was so yummy!
I’m so glad you like it. It’s a favorite here… even with people who never had Rhubarb before
Can frozen rhubarb work as well if I cannot find the fresh kind?
I would think so. Maybe toss it in a tablespoon of flour to absorb some of the extra moisture?
Can you use frozen rhubarb?
yes!
Just made this cake and it is delicious! My mom came to this country from war-torn Yugoslavia and my dad from Romania, so I am very familiar with European cakes that tend to be much less sweet than American cakes. So, this cake is just perfect! I think everyone is going to love it paired with a nice cup of coffee. Thank you for sharing your Oma’s recipe! I always have rhubarb in my garden, so this will be a cake I will make regularly. 👍😋
I’m so glad you like it! It’s kind of tricky appealing to both European and American palates.
I just planted Rhubarb for the first time… wish me luck
Good luck! It’s very easy to grow!!!
This was absolutely delicious !! Thanks for sharing. Could you freeze any leftovers ??
YES!
Wrap it up tight and freeze it. I wrap in plastic, then foil. Also, don’t forget to label it!
Should hold up for 3 months.
Leave the cake wrapped up while thawing to prevent the condensation from being a problem
Wondering if anyone has made this with GF flour? I’m gluten-sensitive and would like to try it.
I don’t know… I’ve never tried…
I’ve found a GF flour in Costco and my local supermarket that notes cup for cup of regular flour right on the front of the bag. Sorry I forgot the brand name but it works perfectly.
I just made it with GF flour…I came out better than the first time! I did also add a crumb topping (butter, flour, sugar, pecans and cinammon for some texture). It came out just delicious. Thanks again for sharing your Oma’s recipe!! Danke!
Oh! What flour did you use? and did you use the same amounts?
Send me an email if you can, and I’ll make a note on the recipe. I’ve had a few people ask for GF
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what can you substitute for plain yogurt? can you use sour cream?
YES! Sour Cream works. I’ve also used Vanilla Yogurt, but cut back the sugar
If using frozen rhubarb, do you increase the amount? Frozen usually decreases in volume once it defrosts.
I don’t, but you can if you feel like it shrunk too much.
This was a really yummy cake. Not too sweet with a tender, creamy, moist texture. Perfect with a cup of coffee. I will definitely make it again but next time will use my smaller Bundt cake pan as this is not a large recipe. I felt like my large Bundt pan was too large resulting in a short finished product.
Thanks for this recipe. It turned out extremely well. Its my first time baking a cake with rhubarb. I often make a rhubarb and apple crumble or rhubarb fool, or most often just stewed. Thanks again!
I’m so glad you like it! Rhubarb is a favorite in our house