For the past couple of years I’ve been saying the same thing: I’ve made every rhubarb recipe on the internet and there’s nothing new to try. I thought the exact same thing this Spring, and when my friend Erin brought me rhubarb from her garden, I made two of my faves (Stewed Rhubarb & Strawberry Rhubarb Breakfast Crisp) and some Strawberry Rhubarb Jam (which I used to make homemade Pop Tarts).

Then Claire came in hot in the middle of June (past peak rhubarb season in Ontario by the way) with her recipe and video for Rhubarb Cake. I was going to bypass this one, but then I watched the video and saw that she actually had an innovative way of incorporating rhubarb into her cake that I hadn’t tried before. In addition to chopped rhubarb folded into the cake batter and whole strips laid on top, Claire is also telling us to make stewed rhubarb (she calls it a compote) and stir it into the batter. Colour me intrigued.

Let’s first discuss how this cake looked; the poor thing was quite homely looking after coming out of the oven. The beautiful rhubarb stalks that I lovingly laid on top of the loaf had shriveled up during the long bake time. The edges also burned a bit, which I caught too late in the process to prevent (I should have covered the top with foil).

Now, how did it taste? This cake was very dense (did I underbake it?) and very tart, so if you like the sourness of rhubarb, you’ll love it. It’s also heavy on the orange zest so if that’s not something you’re into, I would recommend leaving it out. Overall I liked this, but I don’t think I would make it again. If I’m making any kind of rhubarb/citrus cake, it’s going to be this Lemon Rhubarb Bundt Cake, which is my Hall of Fame rhubarb recipe.

You can find the ingredient listing + directions in Claire’s video here!

More Planet Byn x Dessert Person posts here!

Note: I ordered a gigantic 3lb box of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt online, but if you don’t have it, just use regular salt and cut the measurement in half for these recipes.