Spring Lemon Rhubarb Strawberry (Printable)

Tender lemon cake with tangy rhubarb, strawberries, and almond streusel topping for spring gatherings.

# What You'll Need:

→ Cake Base

01 - 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 tsp baking powder
03 - ¼ tsp baking soda
04 - ½ tsp salt
05 - ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
06 - 1 cup granulated sugar
07 - 2 large eggs
08 - 1 tbsp lemon zest
09 - 1 tsp vanilla extract
10 - ½ cup buttermilk

→ Fruit Filling

11 - 1 cup fresh rhubarb, diced
12 - 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced
13 - 2 tbsp granulated sugar
14 - 1 tbsp 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 tsp salt

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper.
02 - Combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a small bowl. Toss to coat evenly and set aside.
03 - Mix flour, sugar, almonds, salt, and cold butter in a bowl. Rub with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.
04 - Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
05 - Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in lemon zest and vanilla extract.
06 - Add half the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, followed by buttermilk, then remaining dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
07 - Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Arrange fruit filling over batter. Sprinkle streusel topping evenly over fruit. Bake for 40 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
08 - Let cake cool in pan for 15 minutes. Remove from pan and transfer to wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The tart rhubarb cuts through sweet cake like a bright surprise in every bite
  • That almond streusel stays crunchily perfect for days, assuming it lasts that long
  • Friends will assume you spent hours when you were actually eating ice cream during the 40 minute bake time
02 -
  • Room temperature ingredients are not optional suggestions, they're the difference between cake and sad dense bread
  • Overmixing the batter once flour is added will make this tough, stop as soon as you see no dry streaks
  • The streusel can burn if your oven runs hot, check at 35 minutes and tent with foil if needed
03 -
  • Measure flour by spooning into the cup and leveling off, not scooping directly, or your cake will be dry
  • If your rhubarb seems particularly thick and fibrous, peel it like you would celery

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