This delicious Almond Cake with Rhubarb Compote is the perfect treat to enjoy at this time of the year. May is the month of fresh rhubarb and strawberries here in the mid-Atlantic region of U.S. When we see them both in the markets in early May, we know for sure that spring is finally here!
Rhubarb, with its beautiful pink and deep red stalks is such a great ingredient to use in all sorts of tasty spring baking from pies, tarts and crumbles to compotes and cakes.
What Is Rhubarb?
I have to admit that I did not know anything about rhubarb until I came to the U.S. Rhubarb does not grow in the warmer climates of Mediterranean countries. It is a perennial plant that grows well in cold climates.
Their pinkish red stems actually resemble the stems of fat rainbow chard and the leaves are wide and deep green. Rhubarb is really a vegetable with a distinctive tartness but it is actually treated and used as a fruit. It is so worth waiting all year long for its very short growing season!
Making Rhubarb Compote
From all possible preparations, rhubarb compote is probably the easiest of all. All it needs is tossing a couple of chopped stalks with some sugar and lemon juice and then a gentle simmer or bake until it is soft and tender. After that, you can use it to top off a favorite cake, but you can also purée it until smooth and enjoy it as a syrup over ice cream, pancakes, or, waffles.
My Favorite Almond Cake
This is my all-time favorite almond cake recipe and I cannot believe that I have not posted it before today. It is a delicious cake that I make all the time and it has a short and very simple ingredient list: flour, sugar, eggs, butter, almonds, and almond extract.
Almond cake topped with the rhubarb compote: a delicious combination
This easy almond cake is great on its own to enjoy a small wedge with your coffee or tea, for brunch, or, for a quick dessert, but topped with this rhubarb compote, it is transformed to a tasty treat, worth sharing with others!
How to serve it
The almond cake and the rhubarb compote can be done both ahead of time. When you are ready to serve it, just top the cake with the compote, or, cut the cake into small wedges and serve it with a spoonful of the compote on the side. It is so delicious and not too sweet!
Even if you don’t have rhubarb, this almond cake recipe is a real keeper and I hope you get to try it! I know for sure it will become one of your favorite breakfast cake recipes!
- For the rhubarb compote
- 8 oz. fresh rhubarb stalks, leaves removed
- 2 tsps. lemon juice
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- For the almond cake:
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 stick butter (room temperature)
- 2 lrg. eggs (room temperature)
- 1¼ cups flour
- 1 TBSP. almond extract
- ½ cup sliced or slivered almonds
- For the compote:
- Preheat the oven to 375° F.
- Cut the rhubarb into diagonal, 2-inch pieces.
- Place the rhubarb in a small baking sheet and toss with the lemon juice, sugar and vanilla extract. Arrange in single layer and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft and juicy.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool.
- For the almond cake:
- Butter and flour a 9-inch cake pan. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- With an electric hand mixer, or a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until smooth.Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the flour. Next, you add the almond extract and mix well.
- Pour the mixture into the cake pan. Sprinkle almonds on top of the batter.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.
May is also graduation month and our youngest just graduated from college. This past weekend, we travelled to Charlottesville to celebrate his graduation from The University. We are extremely proud of all his accomplishments and very excited about his bright future! I do not regularly share family photos on my blog, but so many of my readers are also my friends and I know they would love to see them.
I could not help it but add this fact to the title of today’s post, as it is the third (and final) part of the trilogy of graduations in my family. You might remember the Strawberry Rhubarb Pie (with our daughter’s college graduation in 2016) and then the Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp (with our elder son’s graduation in 2018).
Christian’s Graduation from the University of Virginia
This is my last post before I leave for Europe. In the coming weeks I will be reaching you from Italy and Greece; along with my recipe posts, there will also be traveling and photography posts, which I know from your feedback that you enjoy!
As always, THANK YOU FOR READING AND FOLLOWING ALONG!
Your support for my blog is greatly appreciated, please consider reviewing and rating my recipes! ?????
Congratulations to all. Beautiful photos.
And one of my favorite cakes.
Thank you very much, Joanne! I remember this recipe was one of the first ones we made at the school, right? So easy and so delicious! ?
What a beautiful family and great photos. Congratulations to the graduate…can’t believe 4years passed so quickly. All the best for your future endeavors. Cant wait to hear about the trip and looking forward to new recipes. Also plan to make this beautiful cake.
Yes, four years passed so quickly, Cynthia….. Christian is really looking forward to his next endeavor! I remember you liked this cake a lot when I made it, let me know how it turns out! ?
This cake sounds delicious and perfect for coffee!
Thank you Alice, this simple recipe is a keeeper!?
You inspired me, Marilena! Since it’s rhubarb season, I’ve been craving rhubarb but I was bored with my usual rhubarb coffee cake recipe. When I saw your blog post, I went to my local farm store and bought some rhubarb and made this last night for dessert. It’s delicious! I was a little worried about the lack of a leavening agent, so I really creamed my butter well and beat the eggs well too. I need not have worried, because I later realized that this cake is more like a traditional European torte since it is short and dense. The roasted rhubarb compote is outstanding – I’ve always made mine on the stovetop but I like this compote better! I added a sprinkling of powdered sugar over the almond-studded top before putting the compote in the middle. My husband and I LOVED this!
Congratulations to your son on his graduation! (And he is so handsome too! ? ) Thank you for allowing us a peek into your family! Have a wonderful trip – I cannot wait to read about it!
Thank you so much Lorraine for your kind words! It makes me so happy to know that you find inspiration in my recipes…… Yes, this almond cake does not require any leavening, as you said it is more like a traditional European torte – short, dense and delicious!
We miss you at the school, thank you for keeping in touch! ?
Marlena,
I have never written in before but love your posts and have become addicted to your tomato, feta and green pepper appetizer. We often have it for dinner. I am of Swedish heritage and your almond cake is very much like a Swedish “ Tosca Torta” that I have made for years. The almond topping however is with a little butter, sugar tsp of flour and tbsp of milk and then cooked in a saucepan and spooned when cake comes out of oven and then baked an extra 15 min. I have a question…do you stir in the flour or do you beat it in. Also I am surprised that there is no milk or cream. You look like you are very proud parents. Nice pictures. Thank you for sharing your recipes. Eva
Thank you for your note, Eva! Yes, that is such a delicious appetizer, especially during the summer months…. As far as the almond cake, it is so simple to make and very similar to a Swedish torta! I usually just stir in the flour, and you are right, there is no milk or cream in the recipe:).
Congratulations to Christian! I remember when David shared that you all were pregnant again and how excited he was! Huge accomplishment for Christian and I’m so glad you shared with all of us. Like others in this group, you inspired me into the kitchen again. I’ve just baked the almond cake (and both Dave and Sam are asking when they can cut into ti, but we have company coming for dinner so they will wait) and I’m about to start on the compote. Thank you for your fabulous blog. You make cooking so much fun for all of us!
Thank you so much for getting in touch, Sandy – it is so great to hear from you! I am so glad you liked the graduation photos I shared on this post and also, it makes me so happy to know that you are trying my recipes and that my blog helps make cooking fun for you!
These are beautiful pictures!
And I can’t wait to try out this recipe!
Thank you, Kathy! I know you are going to love this simple recipe – let me know what you think of it when you make it:)