Rhubarb Almond Cake

A dairy free rhubarb almond cake with spelt and almond flour, topped with plenty of the sweet-sour rhubarb that’s such a treat at the beginning of spring. It’s a really pretty coffee cake and sturdy enough that it can be easily transported for picnics or potlucks. 

This recipe was originally published in May 2018. It has been updated as of May 2020 with improvements to the text and an updated recipe.

Jump to:

• What’s in this cake?
• Method
• Substitutions
• Rhubarb Almond Cake

This cake is dairy free but not egg free, I’m afraid. The weight of the rhubarb kept causing the cake to fall after baking with eggless versions – I tried an upside down version but the taste wasn’t as good.

So, here we are, a buttery almond base, with a couple eggs in the mix, topped with rhubarb. Rich, not too sweet, and with a nice balance between the almond, rhubarb, and vanilla flavours. You might see what looks like cane sugar on the top of the cake, and that’s because I forgot to add the vanilla when mixing so I topped it with a packet of vanilla sugar instead.

I love rhubarb. It’s one of my favourite things about spring, and I share a number of new rhubarb recipes every year. Here’s a vegan lemon rhubarb cake, and a really great German rhubarb crumble cake with a yeasted base.

The crumb for this almond rhubarb cake is soft and a touch dense, very much like a coffee cake, so you can pack it up and cart it just about anywhere. Perfect for parties and a good way to use up some rhubarb! I always seem to end up with more than I can reasonably use. This recipe is adapted from my hazelnut fig cake, another great buttery nut-based cake.

What’s in this cake?

• Light spelt flour
• Almond flour
• Baking powder
• Baking soda
• Salt
• Coconut oil
• Coconut sugar
• Two eggs
• Non-dairy milk
• Apple cider vinegar
• Vanilla
• A couple stalks of rhubarb

Method

This method is a bit different from my cakes usually are, so it’s worth reading. You’ll need a spring form pan (though I’m sure a regular cake pan is fine, I haven’t tried it).

The dry ingredients are sifted together in a large bowl, and then the coconut oil and coconut sugar are beaten in a separate bowl until lightened in colour. Add the eggs, mix again, add the remaining ingredients, then mix it into the large bowl with the flour mixture.

This is more typical of a regular eggs, butter, and sugar cake, than how I usually make dairy free and vegan cakes. It’s a couple more steps and a couple minutes more time, but it’s what gives this cake such a good texture.

Substitutions

As always, all-purpose or regular white flour can be substituted for light spelt. Another nut flour (like hazelnut) can be used instead of almond flour if preferred, and cane sugar can take the place of coconut.

As mentioned above, I don’t have a substitute for the eggs or a way to make this vegan/egg-free. I also haven’t tried with an oil other than coconut as it needs to be solid.

Vanilla is so expensive now, and I often don’t have any, but a touch of cardamom makes a good substitute here.

More Rhubarb Recipes

Rhubarb Ginger Muffins
Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler
Rhubarb Almond Tart
Gluten Free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Here’s a small collection of healthy rhubarb recipes!

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