Mindful Recipe:
A rustic rhubarb cake that tastes like early summer in every bite.
This golden sponge is studded with tangy pink rhubarb and lightly dusted with sugar for a homely finish. Moist, comforting, and beautifully simple, it’s the kind of bake that fills the kitchen with the scent of nostalgia — best served with a spoonful of vegan custard or a dollop of vegan cream.
Vegan Rhubarb Cake
Prep 15 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 8
Optional
1 tsp ground ginger or cardamom for warmth
Ingredients
250g fresh rhubarb, chopped
200g caster sugar
240ml oat milk (or any plant milk)
80ml neutral oil (sunflower or rapeseed)
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
260g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp salt
Optional: 2 tbsp demerara sugar for topping
Instructions
1. Prep the oven. Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line a 20cm cake tin with baking paper.
2. Sweeten the rhubarb. Toss the chopped rhubarb with 2 tablespoons of the caster sugar and set aside to soften.
3. Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk together the oat milk, oil, lemon juice and vanilla. The lemon will lightly thicken the milk.
4. Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, salt and remaining sugar.
5. Make the batter. Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and fold gently until just combined.
6. Add the rhubarb. Fold in most of the rhubarb, keeping a handful back for the top.
7. Bake. Pour the batter into the tin, scatter the remaining rhubarb on top, and sprinkle with demerara sugar. Bake for 40–50 minutes until golden, and a skewer comes out clean.
8. Cool and serve. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack. Serve warm or fully cooled.
