Rhubarb Pudding Cake (Plus 9 More Yummy Rhubarb Recipes)
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I was looking for something different to do with rhubarb when I came across a fruited pudding cake recipe in the Favorite Recipes of America – Desserts cookbook from 1968.
The original recipe calls for “any fruit, fresh or canned”, so I figured “Why not rhubarb?” Thus, this old fashioned rhubarb pudding cake was born.
The recipe is quite sweet, even with the tartness of rhubarb. You can cut back on the sugar if you like.
This rhubarb pudding cake recipe has a delicate sugar crust, and rich pudding bottom. It’s super easy to make using fresh or frozen rhubarb, and can be made gluten free and dairy free.
The boys are not huge rhubarb fans, but they love this recipe. This is the sort of thing my grandmother would have made. I hope you and your family enjoy it, too.
Rhubarb Pudding Cake Recipe – Step by Step
You can use a little extra rhubarb for this, or mix in other fruits like strawberries or chopped apples.
Ingredients
- 2 cups of rhubarb, chopped
- 1 3/4 cup sugar, divided
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup sifted flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2/3 cup boiling water
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Cover the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch square baking pan with fruit. (I prefer an 8 inch or 9 inch square glass baking dish. You can also use a deep dish glass pie plate.)
Mix 3/4 cup sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, extracts, milk and flour together. Add a little more milk if it is too thick to pour; pour over fruit.
Mix remaining sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl; sprinkle over mixture in pan. Pour boiling water over the top. ( I know this sounds strange, but trust me, it works to create a pudding around the rhubarb in the bottom of the pan.)
Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes. Yield: 9 servings.
The sugar topping creates a glaze on the top of the cake, something like a creme brûlée. It also creates the pudding at the bottom.
Serve warm with ice cream, if desired. Or let your rhubarb pudding cake cool a bit, and then slice and invert on a plate. This shows off the pudding.
You may also substitute a gluten free flour blend, such as Namaste Gluten Free Flour. With the Namaste flour, I bake an extra ten minutes. Friends made the recipe dairy free by substituting coconut milk with good results.
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Printable Recipe
Use the recipe card below to print out the recipe, or double it for a 9×13 pan. For a double batch, add around 10 minutes of extra bake time. Use the “Cook Mode” setting to keep the screen from going dark while you’re reading recipe during baking.
PrintOld Fashioned Rhubarb Pudding Cake
This rhubarb pudding cake recipe is easy to make using fresh or frozen rhubarb. A simple hot water trick allows the cake to make its own sauce while baking.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 9 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 cups rhubarb, chopped
- 1 3/4 cup sugar, divided
- 3 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup sifted flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2/3 cup boiling water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Cover the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch square pan with fruit. (I prefer an 8 inch or 9 inch square glass baking dish. You could also use a deep dish glass pie plate.)
- Mix 3/4 cup sugar, butter, baking powder, salt, extracts, milk and flour together. Add a little more milk if it is too thick to pour; pour over fruit.
- Mix remaining sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl; sprinkle over mixture in pan. Pour boiling water gently over the top of the cake.
- Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes, a little longer for gluten free flours.
Notes
You may also substitute a gluten free flour blend such as Namaste Foods Gluten Free Flour Blend. If using gluten free flour, add 10-15 minutes to bake time.
One of our readers used a metal grey colored Wilton 9×9 pan, and her cake scorched. If you have this pan, drop the temp to 350°F, and watch for excess browning.
This is a sweet recipe!
If you would like a less sweet dessert, reduce the sugar in the batter to 1/2 cup, and the sugar in the topping to 1/2 cup. You can experiment with reducing the amounts even more, but it does need some sugar to form the pudding layer.
More Rhubarb Recipes to Enjoy
Blessed with a bounty of rhubarb? You may also enjoy these easy rhubarb recipes for drinks, preserves and desserts:
These recipes work with fresh or frozen rhubarb, so you can enjoy them anytime you have a supply on hand. Let me know if you’d like some savory recipes, too.
For easy to make bread recipes, check out my book “Never Buy Bread Again – The Bread Book for Beginning Bakers“.
You can also get more seasonal recipes, plus other common sense tips, when you subscribe to the Common Sense Home newsletter.
Originally published in 2012, last updated 2023.
This is delicious and I love the texture. I would use an 8 x 8 pan next time, as there isn’t enough batter to cover the rhubarb in a 9 x 9 pan.
Oh my goodness. This is absolutely delicious! So easy to make and really gives a different spin on the tart rhubarb. Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Glad you enjoyed it, Lisa.
If using other fruit do I need to adjust the sugar?
The recipe is plenty sweet, so feel free to reduce the sugar if you like dessert less sweet. These are the original proportions that were suggested for use with “any fruit”, but we find them sweet even for tart rhubarb.
Wonderful recipe! The only tweaks I made was on my first try I added some strawberries for color and it was terrific! The second time I added fresh blueberries, and oh my goodness, it was so yummy! They gave a beautiful color to the cake too.
Glad that it worked out well for you, and thanks for taking time to leave a comment and let me know about that and adding berries.
Made this today.
Added a few frozen raspberries for color. Cut back on the sugar to 1/2 cup in flour mixture and 3/4 cup in sugar cornstarch mixture ….. still very sweet ( I like tart and will cut back even more next time )
This is our favorite summer dessert–but I now have stockpiled rhubarb in my freezer, so we will enjoy it year round!
Glad to hear that you enjoy it.
This was so easy and so delicious. Thank-you for the recipe!
You’re very welcome, Michelle.
Hi Laurie, Just wondering if the recipe has been corrected? ‘m not sure if I’m aware of all the changes that were needed. Thanks!
The recipe is accurate as currently displayed on the site. Some people have been sharing different adjustments they’re using to make it dairy free or reducing the sugar.
Love this easy and very tasty recipe. I use almond milk and oil in place of butter (being vegan).
Turns out great every time. Glad to hear you can use frozen rhubarb and other fruit as well.
We have a bumper crop of rhubarb this year.
Glad that it worked out well for you, even with the changes.
Absolutely delicious!
A big hit.
Thanks so much for this recipe
????
You’re very welcome.
This is delicious warm or cold. And it is so easy to make. I will be making this again during rhubarb season and maybe try substituting other fruit (and different amounts of sugar?)
Can tapioca starch (tapioca flour) be used instead of corn starch?
I have not tried it in this recipe, but if you do, I’d suggest two tablespoons of tapioca starch.
Although this recipe is a keeper, it is WAY TOO SWEET.
The recipe, as written, at 2 cups rhubarb, has way too little fruit for the 1 cup amount of sugar for the pudding part. I made it exactly as written the first time and nowhere near enough rhubarb.
I’ve made it twice now using 4 cups of rhubarb and it is MUCH better that way. To accommodate the thickening needs of the extra fruit, I bumped up the cornstarch to 1 1/2 tablespoons total and it worked great.
Love, love, love IT
Great! 🙂
I can see why kids would like this as it is more sweet than rhubarb—rhubarb is several flavors down on the list, I’d liken it to a rhubarb flavored cream donut—cream and donut coming on top, then rhubarb. The recipe notes it could use less sugar—one cup alone for the “crust”—I used larger crystal decorative sugar and that allowed for a lot less sugar.
So yes, this is an easy to make and it tastes good but I would think a reworking aimed at bringing forward the tart sense of the rhubarb would make this a great recipe.
Made this tonight & my family ate the whole thing. It’s safe to say I’ll be making this again.
Glad that your family enjoyed it, and thanks for letting me know.
Can the recipe be doubled to use a 9×13 pan?
I want a bigger cake. Can you double this & use a 9X13 pan?
Yes, you can double the recipe. You may need to increase your cook time by 5-10 minutes.
Thank you very much.
You’re welcome. Enjoy!
It is delicious!
Love Love Love this! Super easy pudding cake! Super yummy and it’s so awesome how it makes it’s own crust!!! I will be making this again!!!!