Lemon Rhubarb Strawberry Almond Cake (Printer-Friendly)
Tender lemon cake layered with tangy rhubarb, juicy strawberries, and a crunchy almond streusel topping celebrating spring's freshest flavors.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Cake Base
01 - 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
03 - ¼ teaspoon baking soda
04 - ½ teaspoon salt
05 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 1 tablespoon lemon zest
09 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10 - ½ cup buttermilk
→ Fruit Filling
11 - 1 cup fresh rhubarb, diced
12 - 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
13 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
14 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
→ Almond Streusel
15 - ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
16 - ¼ cup granulated sugar
17 - ¼ cup sliced almonds
18 - ¼ cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
19 - ¼ teaspoon salt
# How To Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a small bowl, toss rhubarb and strawberries with 2 tablespoons sugar and lemon juice. Set aside.
03 - Combine flour, sugar, almonds, salt, and cold butter in a bowl. Rub with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Refrigerate until needed.
04 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
05 - In a separate large bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in lemon zest and vanilla.
06 - Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet, followed by buttermilk, then the remaining dry mixture. Mix until just combined.
07 - Spread cake batter evenly into the prepared pan. Scatter rhubarb and strawberries evenly over the batter. Sprinkle streusel over the top.
08 - Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the top is golden.
09 - Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Slice and serve.
# Helpful Hints:
01 -
- The tangy fruit cuts through the tender cake so beautifully that you keep going back for just one more sliver
- That almond streusel creates this incredible crunch that makes every bite feel special and thoughtfully composed
02 -
- Room temperature ingredients mix together properly, and cold eggs can actually curdle the butter mixture leaving you with dense spots in the finished cake
- Do not overmix the batter once you add the flour, or the gluten develops too much and you lose that tender texture that makes this cake special
03 -
- Pat your fruit dry after tossing it with sugar if it seems especially juicy, because too much excess liquid makes the cake beneath the fruit soggy
- Chop your rhubarb into small, even pieces so it cooks through at the same rate as the strawberries, avoiding those tough stringy bits