Rhubarb Cake with Butter Sauce

This is a soft, old-fashioned Rhubarb Cake with Butter Sauce: a simple one-bowl cake to stir together and bake in a 9 x 13 pan. This is perfect for a potluck or picnic.

Rhubarb Cake with Butter Sauce

Tangy Rhubarb Cake becomes completely irresistible when paired with the sweet Butter Cream Sauce. This cake is a twist on a classic Christmas dessert, cranberry cake with butter sauce.

I’ve updated it for spring and substituted rhubarb for the cranberries. It works so well, as both cranberries and rhubarb are tart and pair well with the butter sauce.

How To Make An Old Fashioned Rhubarb Cake

This is an egg-less cake which makes it super easy to make in one bowl. First, you’ll sift all the dry ingredients together. They are just the basics: flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.

To that mixture you’ll gently stir in the milk, melted butter and diced rhubarb. Pour into a pan and bake.

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This is seriously the easiest dessert. It’s just as fast as using a cake mix and doesn’t require and special ingredients (other than rhubarb, of course.)

The Rhubarb Cake is perfect for last minute company or anytime you want to bring a dessert somewhere. 

The lack of eggs in this cake makes it especially tender and I love that. Be careful not to over bake it as it will be dry. Don’t worry though, a healthy dose of butter sauce will fix it. 

How To Make Butter Sauce

Butter sauce is just butter, heavy cream and granulated sugar – and it is oh, so delicious when poured warm on cake. Think of it as a superior frosting since frosting is just sugar and butter too. 

In a small saucepan, melt the butter, stir in the heavy cream and sugar, bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute.

Ta da, magic butter sauce that is perfect over cake.

In addition to seeing this butter sauce over cranberry cake, I’ve also seen it served over a Pecan Praline Cake and a Warm Gingerbread Cake.

More Rhubarb Recipes

Both my family and my reader’s love rhubarb recipes. If you’re looking for ways to use up extra rhubarb, check out one of my other rhubarb recipes. 

• Rhubarb Bars
• Rhubarb Coffee Cake
• Rhubarb Crunch
• Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
• Rhubarb Sauce
• Old Fashioned Rhubarb Custard Pie
• Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

Can I Freeze Rhubarb?

Rhubarb season is short, but never fear, you can use freeze rhubarb and use it throughout the year without any issues at all. You can also purchase frozen rhubarb at most grocery stores.

To use frozen rhubarb: thaw the rhubarb first and let any excess liquid drain off. Don’t squeeze any liquid out, just drain what naturally thaws out of the rhubarb. 

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4.26 from 39 votes

Rhubarb Cake with Butter Sauce

Mary Younkin

Old fashioned rhubarb cake with butter sauce. This rhubarb cake is made in a 9 x 13 pan and is a perfect easy dessert for a potluck or picnic.

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Additional Time: 1 hour hr

Total Time: 2 hours hrs

Servings: 15 servings

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Ingredients 

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For the cake

• ▢ 4 cups all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 cups granulated sugar
• ▢ 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 4 cups rhubarb diced (see note below about using frozen rhubarb)
• ▢ 2 cups milk
• ▢ 6 tablespoons butter melted

For the butter sauce

• ▢ 1/2 cup 1 stick butter
• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ 3/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add the diced rhubarb, milk and melted butter. Stir just until combined.
• Pour the batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and cool
• To make the butter sauce, combine the butter sugar and cream in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and boil for 1 minute stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
• To serve, cut pieces of cake and serve with a generous amount of warm butter sauce. The sauce can be gently reheated on the stove or in the microwave if necessary.

Notes

To use frozen rhubarb: thaw the rhubarb first and let any excess liquid drain off. Don’t squeeze any liquid out, just drain what naturally thaws out of the rhubarb. 

Cranberry Cake recipe adapted from A Farm Girl Dabbles.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 piece | Calories: 363 kcal | Carbohydrates: 58 g | Protein: 4 g | Fat: 13 g | Saturated Fat: 8 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4 g | Cholesterol: 37 mg | Sodium: 257 mg | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 34 g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this? Leave a comment below!

{originally published 4/20/19 – recipe notes and photos updated 5/6/21}