This scrumptious gluten free rhubarb cake is made with ground almonds, and sweetened with applesauce and a little honey. It's moist and delicious, a perfect springtime treat which is also nutritious.
Why make this rhubarb cake recipe?
- The tangy, slightly tart flavour of rhubarb is delicious in a cake. And like other cakes made with ground almonds, the texture is moist, yummy, and a little squidgy.
- Rather than using a refined gluten free flour blend, this recipe uses ground almonds, and a little coconut flour. Both of these are naturally gluten free and high in fibre and nutrients. They are also grain free, and low in carbs.
- This cake is made with healthy fats. There's no butter in the cake. Almonds provide richness, and there's a little olive oil.
- There's very little added sugar in this recipe. Most of the sweetness comes from the applesauce, which makes it a healthy choice.
- In addition to be gluten free, this rhubarb cake is also dairy free.
- With the almonds and eggs, there's plenty of protein to keep you feeling full and satisfied.
- Gluten free rhubarb cake is also simple and easy to make.
Ingredients
Rhubarb. There's a generous quantity of rhubarb in this recipe. Make the most of it whilst it's in season! (You might also like this stewed rhubarb, or gluten free rhubarb crumble) I used fresh rhubarb, but if you want to use frozen, defrost it in a colander so that the liquid runs out and doesn't make the cake too wet.
Applesauce. This is the key sweetener in the cake. Make sure that you use unsweetened applesauce so that you are not adding extra sugar.
There's also a couple of tablespoons of sugar to mix with the rhubarb, plus a little honey. It's easier to use a runny honey so that it mixes in easier.
Eggs are an essential part of the structure of the cake.
Olive oil. There's only a little added oil in this cake as the almonds provide plenty of richness. If you prefer, you can replace the olive oil with coconut oil or melted butter.
Ground almonds. These add a lovely texture to this gluten free rhubarb cake. I used ready ground almonds, but if you've got a high powered blender you could make your own. Ground almonds add a very subtle flavour to cakes, so if you like the flavour of almonds, add a little almond extract to enhance the flavour. You can also add some extra flaked almonds on top of the cake.
Coconut flour. There's only a small amount of coconut flour in the recipe, and it's important to weigh it accurately. Coconut flour behaves very differently to other types of flour in baking. It absorbs a lot of liquid, so using too much can quickly dry the cake out.
This cake also needs baking powder to help the structure.
How to make gluten free rhubarb cake
Trim the rhubarb and cut into pieces about 1.5cm. If the stalks are large, slice them lengthwise before you chop them. Add to a bowl along with 2 tablespoons of sugar. Stir to mix, and leave to one side.
Preheat the oven to 170 degrees (150 fan)
Prepare a 22cm springform or loose bottomed cake tin. Grease the sides, and line the bottom with greased baking powder.
Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl, and add the honey, applesauce, olive oil and almond extract if using. Beat well until pale and frothy. I prefer to use a handheld mixer, but you could also whisk the mixture by hand.
Add the ground almonds, baking powder and coconut flour and mix well.
Add the rhubarb, and stir well to mix.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin. If liked, top with flaked almonds.
Bake for 60 minutes. If necessary, turn partway so the top cooks evenly. The cake should be golden brown and springy to the touch.
Leave to cool in the tin for 30 minutes, then remove the side of the tin. Allow to cool completely before removing from the base. Gluten free rhubarb cake is quite fragile, so I find it easier to invert the cake on a board to remove the base and paper, and then turn it back onto a serving plate.
Serving
This gluten free rhubarb cake is lovely with a cup of coffee, or as dessert. You could also add a dollop of yogurt or this easy homemade custard.
As the cake is moist, it needs to be eaten within a day or two. If you are not eating it on the day it is made, store covered in the fridge. Rhubarb cake also freezes well.
FAQs
After the day it is baked, it is best to store this cake covered in fridge.
If you want to use a 20cm round cake tin for this recipe, reduce the quantities of all the ingredients to 75% (ie 3 eggs, 150g ground almonds etc). Check the cake after 45 minutes cooking time.
If you want to make this gluten free rhubarb cake in a square tin, use a 20x20cm tin.
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a rating and/or comment at the bottom of the page. Your feedback and questions are much appreciated.
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Gluten Free Rhubarb Cake
Equipment
- 22cm springform tin
- handheld mixer or whisk
- baking paper
Ingredients
- 400 g rhubarb
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 4 eggs
- 100 ml applesauce unsweetened
- 50 ml olive oil or use coconut oil/melted butter
- 50 ml honey
- 200 g ground almonds
- 40 g coconut flour
Optional
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 30 g flaked almonds
Instructions
- Trim, and cut the rhubarb into 1.5cm pieces. If the stems are large, cut them in half lengthwise before slicing them.
- Add the rhubarb to a bowl with the sugar and stir to mix. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 170 degrees (150 fan)
- Grease and line the bottom of a round 22cm springform tin.
- Break the eggs into another bowl. Add the applesauce, honey, olive oil and almond extract if using. Whisk until the mixture is pale and frothy.
- Add the ground almonds, coconut flour and baking powder and mix well.
- Add the rhubarb to the cake mixture and stir to mix.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and smooth the top level. Add the flaked almonds if using. Bake for 1 hour until golden and firm to the touch.
- Leave to cool in the tin. When cool, remove from the tin carefully as the cake is quite fragile.
Nutritional Facts
Calories per serving: 284
| Total Fat | 20.8g | Saturated Fat | 2.6g | Trans Fat | 0g |
| Total Carbohydrates | 20g | Dietary Fibre | 4.5g | Total Sugars | 13.4g |
| Total Protein | 8.7g |
Please note nutritional information is for guidance only
Carly B
Really glad I found this - totally scrumptious and very moist.