Norwegian Rhubarb Cake - Rabarbrakake

Spring is just starting to sprout here in the upper Midwest and that means that rhubarb is going to start popping up in our gardens. It also means rhubarb desserts, which is one of my favorite times of the year. This Norwegian Rhubarb Cake is a delightful treat that is a great dessert and a great way to share your rhubarb.  Known as Rabarbrakake in Norway, this rhubarb cake should be enjoyed by the entire globe.

Norwegian Rhubarb Cake Summary

Such a simple cake, but it has so much delicious flavor. This is a nice, simple cake with an occasional bite of tangy rhubarb. Don’t worry about our Rabarbrake tasting too tart, as there is plenty of sugar to balance this cake out. The steps to baking our cake are really simple.

First, we whip our egg whites. This adds texture to our cake and also helps the cake rise during the baking process. Eggs sure are a wonderful thing to have in the kitchen and I always love to watch my KitchenAid work some magic by whipping those whites.

While the whites are whipping, we mix the rest of the batter up, which is just a matter of putting all of our wet ingredients in a bowl and whisking them together. Then we add half of our rhubarb and blend it right in. Then, mix in our dry ingredients to make a nice batter.

Once our egg whites have formed firm peaks, we fold the egg whites into the rest of the batter and gently mix it until well combined. This may take a minute or two, as we want our mixture to be fairly homogenous looking, without white streaks from the egg whites.

After it is mixed, we add it to our cake pan and top it with rhubarb, sugar, and butter. Then, we cook it! As far as baking goes, this is a pretty simple recipe with just a few steps. Outside of whipping the egg whites, this rhubarb cake just a matter of dumping, mixing, sprinkling, and baking.

We just love our Norwegian recipes here at Ramshackle Pantry and you can check them out on our Classic Norwegian page where we have desserts, sides, and meals that all have Norwegian origin.

Whipping Egg Whites

If you have never whipped egg whites, it is an easy process and you watch the magic of food science work right before your eyes. This is as simple as getting out your stand mixer and putting it on high for a few minutes. Here is an egg whipping video that explains the process well and we want to end up with firm peaks, so on the medium end of stiffness.

Can I Whip Egg Whites By Hand

I am lucky enough to have a nice KitchenAid [Affiliate Link] and I cannot recommend it enough, but you can do this by hand. People did bake things by hand before electricity, right? The difference is the amount of time and effort. 

What takes just a few minutes in the stand mixer might take about 10 minutes of vigorous whipping by hand. I recommend you watch the video I linked to above to get an idea of what our firm peaks look like. 

When Is My Cake Done?

I suggest baking this cake for 45 minutes and then performing the toothpick test. If you are unfamiliar with the toothpick test, it is a simple way to check and make sure all of the insides of that yummy cake are appropriately finished.

The toothpick test is completed by opening up that oven and picking up a clean, dry toothpick. Stick that toothpick straight down into the center of the cake and lift it back up. Take a look at the toothpick. If there are not any cake bits, batter, or remnants on it, your cake is done.

If, however, it does not come out clean, it means your cake needs more time. At 45 minutes, I suggest baking for another 5 minutes and doing the same thing again. Repeat until this dang cake is done. 

Do I Need A Springform Pan?

No, you don’t. You can use a normal 9-inch cake pan. The spring pans are nice, as with one little click, you can release the edges and see the cake in all of its glory. With a regular cake pan, you might have a little trouble seeing the cake in its entirety and making nice, well-formed cake pieces. If you don’t have a springform pan [Affiliate Link], now might be a good time to pick one up.

Don’t let not having a springform pan stop you from making this. This is a great cake and a springform pan isn’t going to help this taste better, but maybe (and it is a big maybe) look a little better. Cake is good, right? It doesn’t need help and it certainly doesn’t need a springform pan to taste good.

What Should I Serve With This Cake?

First, I recommend a light dusting of powdered sugar on top of this cake. It isn't necessary, but it adds a bit to the presentation and it tastes nice. Add this after your cake has cooled down, or you might be liable to lose the look of the powdered sugar because of the moist heat of a freshly baked cake.

You can eat it alone, but we like to serve it heated up with a little vanilla ice cream. Yum. A simple scoop of vanilla ice cream on top of a warmed up piece of cake makes this a perfect treat. Of course, you could go for some whipped cream instead, but I am a sucker for a really great scoop of ice cream. 

Norwegian Rhubarb Cake Process Pictures

1. Whipping egg whites in my KitchenAid standing mixer to firm peaks.
2. Folding the whipped egg whites into our cake batter in a large glass bowl.
3. Uncooked batter in the springform cake pan and topped with sugar, rhubarb, and chopped butter. It is going into the oven directly after this.

Norwegian Rhubarb Cake Tips

• Use a springform pan[Affiliate Link]. While this isn’t 100% necessary, it does make cake making a bit easier. 
• Employ the toothpick test. The toothpick test is done by placing a dry toothpick straight down into a baking cake that you think might be done. If the toothpick is free from any cake bits or cake batter when you pull it out, your cake should be done. If there are still little tidbits on the toothpick, you know it needs more time. Bake it another 5 minutes and try again.
• You can whip your eggs by hand, but a stand mixer makes it so much easier.

Products I Used in the Norwegian Rhubarb Cake 

• 9” Springform Pan
• KitchenAid Mixer
• Immersion Blender

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Did You Make This Recipe?

Super cool! Let me know how it when tin the comment area below. I always love it when someone tries one of my recipes and love to hear how it went. You can really help me out by sharing this recipe and letting other folks know about it. This Norwegian Rhubarb Cake was a hit in our house and I hope it does the same for you!