Gluten-free Spiced Strawberry Rhubarb Cake
When I spotted summer’s first strawberries at Tony Weiss’ stand at the Elmwood-Bidwell farmers’ market, I squealed with delight, and proceeded to purchase two quarts along with a couple bunches of rhubarb. I was anxious to bake with my strawberries and rhubarb, and make something savory with the rhubarb, such as a compote to serve with pork. Back to the sweets, though, I started thinking about a cake recipe I make regularly featuring apples. The cake is a blend of butter and cream cheese, and the fruit is tossed with lemon juice, cardamom and cinnamon. To make matters even more exciting, I tweaked it to be gluten-free for the first time, and it was a beautiful success. Here’s the recipe as I made it:
Gluten-free Spiced Strawberry Rhubarb Cake
- 1 1/3 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour
- 1Â 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 quart strawberries, sliced
- 2 stalks rhubarb, diced
- 2 tablespoons strained lemon juice
- 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1Â 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter a 9-inch round spring-form pan.
- In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, toss the strawberries and rhubarb with the lemon juice; add the brown sugar, cardamom, and cinnamon; stir together. Set aside.
- In another bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter, cream cheese, honey and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the dry ingredients in 2-3 increments and beat well until smooth. Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold in the fruit just until evenly distributed, no more than a few strokes. Do not overmix. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Bake until the top is golden brown, 60-65 minutes.
- Remove the sides of the spring-form pan, and allow cake to cool.
This cake is not too sweet, which is lovely. The aromatic cardamom and cinnamon complement the sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb.
I hope you enjoy this cake as much as my friends and I did!
