Some of the best recipes come from happy accidents. I’ve been baking this Finnish Rhubarb Tart for years, but this time, I forgot to fold in the almond meal until I was already about to slide the pan into the oven.
So I scraped the batter back into the bowl, mixed in the almonds, and — since I was already in there — folded the rhubarb straight into the batter instead of layering the slices on top like usual. That unintentional switch turned this into everyone’s favourite. I’ve baked seven of these in two weeks, and every single one has disappeared.
I had to share it, because in giving this cake away I kept hearing the same thing: people don’t know what to do with the rhubarb taking over their backyard, or they’ve been let down by rhubarb recipes before. This one’s different — I’m confident you’ll love it. Let me know how it turns out!
A huge thank you to our friends Brenda and Cliff, who’ve kept us supplied with their homegrown rhubarb year after year. If you’re lucky enough to have a friend with a garden overflowing with produce, say yes every time. Highly recommend. 🙂
Finnish Rhubarb Cake (Raparperipiirakka)
Course: Snacks, DessertDifficulty: Easy16
servings30
minutes50
minutes180
kcalIngredients
1/2 cup or 113 grams (1 stick) unsalted butter softened, plus extra for greasing pan if you’re not going to use parchment paper
1 cup or 200 grams white granulated sugar (you can reduce this by 25 grams if you’d like it less sweet)
1/2 cup or 50 grams almond meal (ground almonds, aka “almond flour”)
1 cup or 120 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg (or 1/2 teaspoon ground mace)
1 tablespoon lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon cold water
2 cups or 230 grams rhubarb stems (about 3 to 4 stalks), sliced thinly cross-wise [Caution: Do not include leaves, which are toxic.]
Topping: 2 tablespoons or 25 grams turbinado sugar (“Sugar in the Raw”)
Directions
- Toast the ground almonds. Preheat oven to 300°F. Spread almond meal on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until lightly browned and fragrant, about 5-8 minutes. Stir a couple of times throughout the baking period. Set aside and allow to cool completely.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Oven rack should be in the middle.
- Prepare the pan. Line an 8”x8” square pan with parchment paper. Or you can butter its bottom and sides instead — your choice. It’s easier to remove the cake for cooling when using parchment.
- Cream the unsalted butter with 1 cup of sugar in a stand mixer bowl using a paddle attachment (or in a medium bowl using a hand mixer) until light and fluffy. The butter will become lighter in colour.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl: flour, baking powder, salt, spices and zest. Then stir into the butter and sugar mixture by hand, using a spatula.
- Add the wet ingredients. Lightly beat eggs and water in a small bowl. Mix into the batter until it’s fully incorporated. The mixture will be on the thick side, a little resistant to mixing by hand.
- Fold the toasted almond meal and rhubarb slices into the batter until there are no lumps.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared pan and level with a spatula. Sprinkle the top evenly with turbinado sugar.
- Bake until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean — about 50 minutes. Check at the 45 minute mark to ensure it won’t be overcooked.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes , before lifting the parchment onto a wire rack. Leave it in the pan to cool if you buttered the sides instead.
Notes
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, topped with whipped cream, or on its own.
Storage: Cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 5 days. Keeps in the fridge for a week.
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