Recipes | Cakes & Cupcakes

FODMAP IT!™ Rustic Rhubarb Cake

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This cake features rhubarb, which has shown to contain no detectable FODMAPs in lab testing. It is a great spring and summer ingredient for use in both savory and sweet low FODMAP recipes. Our Rhubarb Chutney is perfect on pork chops, but this Rustic Rhubarb Cake is what we turn to when we want a simple cake to serve at a brunch or to accompany coffee or tea for a break at work or home.

It was inspired by a version in Claire Ptak’s book The Violet Bakery Cookbook. And as an aside, Claire has been pegged to make the royal wedding cake for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, so you know she knows what she is doing!

rustic rhubarb cake slice on green plate, whole cake in background on green glass plate. Floral linens and red blossoms in background
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This Rustic Rhubarb Cake is somewhat delicate, so it wouldn’t work well for a bake sale, and we like it when freshly baked. That’s when its center is almost creamy and custardy. The sugar on top adds a nice crunch and the rhubarb cooks up into tender mouthfuls of tartness.

Rhubarb & FODMAPs

There are several fruit that have had no FODMAPs detected during lab testing, such as grapes, strawberries, papaya and rhubarb. Monash has been moving away from language that says “no FODMAPs detected”, but it does not change that the produce that have shown no FODMAPs in lab testing, can indeed, contain no FODMAPs.

Please read our article, When Low FODMAP Lab Testing Differs to understand the big picture.

Choose Your Dairy

We have made this with lactose-free sour cream as well as lactose-free yogurt. The sour cream produces a cake that is a bit more custardy in the center, but either work. If you do use yogurt, choose full fat.

slice of rustic rhubarb cake on green plate with silver fork

More About Cooking with Rhubarb

Some rhubarb is red, some is pink and some has a lot of green to it. The redder varieties make a prettier cake, I think.

Trim away any leaves or tough ends. The stalks can vary in width tremendously. They cook most evenly in this recipe when they are about 1-inch (2.5 cm) or less in diameter. If they are thicker, simply cut them lengthwise to size.

You will be cutting the lengths as you fit them into the pan, which will become clearer when you reach that step in the recipe. Read more about Rhubarb in our Ingredients column.

Also be sure to check out our Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler, Raspberry Rhubarb Crostata, a Rhubarb Chutney, Rhubarb Upside Down Cake and even a Rhubarb BBQ Sauce.

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slice of rustic rhubarb cake on green plate with silver fork
4.56 from 9 votes

FODMAP IT!™ Rustic Rhubarb Cake

This FODMAP IT!™ Rustic Rhubarb Cake is simple to make but is moire than a sum of its parts. The exterior is crispy while the center is almost custard-like. It is delicate and best served the day it is made.

Makes: 12 Servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Author: Dédé Wilson

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 cup (109 g) plus 2 tablespoons low FODMAP gluten-free all-purpose flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour plus extra
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder; use gluten-free if following a gluten-free diet
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups (248 g) plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup (57 g) unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup (61 g) lactose-free sour cream or full fat yogurt
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • 12 ounces (340 g) rhubarb

Preparation:

  1. Position rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Coat the inside of a 9-inch (23 cm) round springform pan with nonstick spray and dust with the extra flour, tapping out any excess. Set aside.
  2. Whisk the ¾ cup (109 g) plus 2 tablespoons of the flour together with the baking powder and salt in a small bowl to aerate and combine; set aside.
  3. Beat the 1 ¼ cups (248 g) of sugar, eggs and egg yolk with an electric mixer in a large bowl for a few minutes or until very thick and fluffy and pale yellow. Beat in vanilla and lemon zest, then beat in the melted butter and sour cream very gently.
  4. Fold the dry mixture into the batter and scrape into prepared pan, spreading it so that it is even and level. Lay the raw rhubarb, side by side, across the top of the batter, trimming to fit the pan as you go. Each piece of rhubarb should reach from one edge to the other and you can use a couple of pieces to assemble each “stripe” of rhubarb. Sprinkle top with remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar.
  5. Bake for about 40 to 50 minutes or until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center tests clean. Cool on rack for 10 minutes, then run a small icing spatula between the cake and the pan (pressing out towards the pan) to loosen the cake. Remove the sides of the springform pan and cool cake a bit more. This cake is best barely warm or at room temperature. We like to serve this cake the day it is made. It can be stored overnight at room temperature loosely covered with foil.

Notes:

Tips

  • Ripe rhubarb can be red, pink or green and still taste fantastic. The Red and pink varieties will make a prettier cake, so use those if you can.
Course: Breakfast, brunch, Dessert, Snack, Treat
Cuisine: American

Nutrition

Calories: 198kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 95mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Vitamin C: 2.5mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 0.3mg

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more. For a more detailed explanation, please read our article Understanding The Nutrition Panel Within Our Recipes.