Indulge in the delightful fusion of sweet and tart with our Moist Strawberry Rhubarb Cake, created with a unique twist: a sourdough base. Now is the perfect time to embrace the natural goodness of strawberries and rhubarb, both of which are bursting with freshness.
This cake is a symphony of flavors, where the juiciness of ripe strawberries and the tangy zest of rhubarb meld in perfect harmony. The addition of sourdough not only introduces a subtle depth and complexity to the cake's texture but also ensures every bite is temptingly moist and irresistibly tender.
This Dynamic duo creates the Perfect Balance
The primary reason strawberries and rhubarb work so well together is their complementary flavor profiles. Strawberries bring a sweet, fragrant, and slightly acidic taste, while rhubarb offers a tart, almost bitter edge. When combined, these flavors balance each other out, creating a harmonious blend that is neither too sweet nor too tart. This balance is key in culinary applications, where the goal is to achieve a complex, layered flavor profile.
Perfect for any occasion, or simply as a treat to brighten your day, This cake is a real delight added to your brunch buffet too! Elevate your dessert experience with this exquisite creation that promises to leave your taste buds dancing with every bite.
Harvesting Rhubarb
Patience is key with rhubarb. Avoid harvesting any stalks during the first year, allowing the plant to establish itself. In the second year, you can harvest a few stalks per plant, being careful not to take more than half. By the third year, plants can be harvested more liberally, usually from late spring through early summer. Always leave at least two or three stalks per plant to ensure continued growth.
To harvest, twist and pull the stalks from the base of the plant. Avoid cutting, as this can invite disease. Remove the toxic leaves and compost or discard them.
Once your rhubarb is washed, and the leaves are removed, you are ready to prepare it for the cake. Use a pairing knife to peel back the thin skin from the rhubarb if you are using larger stalks. If your stalks are young no peeling is needed. Then chop it into small pieces.
strawberries two ways
Take your freshly washed and dried strawberries to the cutting board. Select the prettiest berries for slicing these will be placed on top of your delicious cake. You will need approximately 1/2 cup of thinly sliced berries with stems removed, 20 slices.
Next, remove the stems from the remaining berries and chop them as finely as you like. You will need 1 cup.
Fermented Honey
I used fermented blackberry honey (you can see some of the bits of blackberry in the measuring cup) because that is what I had on hand, Any flavor should work. I'll be working on making strawberry-fermented honey next. I find the berry honey ferments quickly so I will be ready to make more Strawberry Rhubarb Delight Cake soon! If you don't have time to make fermented honey see my note at the bottom of this post!
Just look at that beautiful rhubarb and strawberries. I have not found much difference in sprinkling my fruit with gluten-free flour to prevent the fruit from sinking so I fold half of the rhubarb and half of the strawberries in my batter and skip the extra dirty dish.
Pour half the batter with the rhubarb and strawberry mixture into the parchment-lined baking dish, then sprinkle the other half of the rhubarb and strawberries on top of that and pour the remaining batter.
Now place your sliced strawberries in rows over the batter. This will create a beautiful finishing touch to your cake ensuring everyone will have a strawberry slice.
Your home will smell wonderful with the sweet aroma of strawberry and rhubarb.
Strawberry Rhubarb Delight Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Fresh Rhubarb peeled and chopped
- 1 Cup of Fresh Chopped Strawberries
- 1/2 Cup of thinly Sliced Strawberries reserved for the top of the cake
- 3/4 Cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 12 drops of Lemon Vitality Essential Oil or 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Lemon Zest
- 1 1/4 Cup of Cane Sugar
- 3 Eggs
- 2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
- 120 grams Gluten-Free Sourdough Discard (unfed starter) at room temperature
- 1/4 Cup Oat Milk or your favorite milk alternative
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
- 1/4 Cup of blackberry fermented honey
- 2 Cups plus 2 Tablespoons Jenn's 1 to 1 Gluten-Free All- Purpose Flour or your favorite Gluten-Free Flour Blend
- 2 tsp Baking Powder
Directions
1. Wash rhubarb and strawberries in your favorite veggie soak, rinse, and set on a towel to absorb excess water.
2. Pre-heat oven to 350* and line 9 x 13 baking dish with parchment paper.
3. Cut the leaves off rhubarb they are toxic. Peel the skin, chop it into small pieces, and place in a bowl.
4. Slice the tops off strawberries and compost the tops. Slice thinnly 1/2 cup of the prettiest berries. Chop the remaining strawberries and rhubarb and set aside.
5. In a mixing bowl beat olive oil, lemon vitality oil, sugar, eggs, milk, lemon juice, fermented honey and vanilla together. Stir in gluten-free sourdough starter, gluten-free flour and baking powder.
6. Fold in the 1/2 of the chopped strawberry and rhubarb. Pour half of the batter onto a parchment-lined baking dish.
7. Bake 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 325' and bake 5-10 minutes longer or until the toothpick in the center comes out almost clean. Cool completely on a cooling rack before slicing the cake.
8. This cake is so delicious you don't need frosting but if you want to make it extra special add a dollop of So Delicious Cocowhip!
Notes
- If you don't have Fermented honey which is thinner than honey straight from the jar, you can create some runny honey. Heat water in a sauce pan and put your honey container in the hot water until honey turns to liquid. This will make it easier to incorporate the honey in this cake.
- Oat milk can be replaced with your favorite milk.
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