The Biggest Mistake To Avoid When Making A Rhubarb Cake

There's something so fresh and magical about a rhubarb cake. The perfect balance between tart and sweet, the tender crumb contrasting with jammy fruit, and that gorgeous pink hue — it's a springtime treat that's hard to resist. Many bakers want to cook with rhubarb when it's in season, but there's one key mistake to avoid when it comes to making a top-notch rhubarb cake: Cutting the stalks into pieces that are too large.

While bigger chunks of the fruit might look appealing in your cake, they can lead to an unpleasant, celery-like texture. This is because rhubarb is naturally fibrous, which makes it stringy. That tough texture can seem more pronounced when the fruit is eaten in larger pieces without being cooked down. To combat it, try cutting your rhubarb stalks into thin slices –- about one-quarter of an inch thick. It is also helpful to cut them at an angle. This will allow the flavor of the fruit to seep through while preventing any floss-like pieces of rhubarb from ruining that perfect bite of cake.

Rhubarb also contains a lot of moisture, which can cause excess water to be released during baking. This, in turn, can create soggy patches in your cake. For the best results, arrange sliced rhubarb on top of a cake rather than trying out an upside-down cake. This ensures that some of the moisture evaporates, helping the cake stay firm and fluffy. You could also make a rhubarb cinnamon crumble cake, which calls for the rhubarb to be mixed into the batter and topped with a delicious, easy crumble.

You can serve rhubarb cake warm with a scoop of ice cream, or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream. It stores extremely well in the fridge inside a sealed container, where it will stay fresh for up to five days and can be frozen for up to two months. It's a great recipe to perfect once spring rolls around, and once you master the art of cutting rhubarb correctly, you'll be baking light, fluffy, pink-hued cakes in no time.