With spring comes rhubarb! A season that takes a little longer to reach us in the north, but when it does, we make the most out of it. While there are many ways to cook with rhubarb (after the compulsory raw stick dipped in sugar), I really wanted to combine it with one of my favorite cakes, carrot cake. One that’s not fussy, but simply captures all the flavorful essence.  

This rhubarb carrot cake is sweet and moist with a hint of cinnamon and a bit of welcome tang from the rhubarb. It leans a little to the sweet side to compensate for the rhubarb, and it works beautifully. I do prefer to leave this cake unfrosted as I think a full-bodied frosting can distract from the delicate flavors of the cake, but I do like to serve it with a simple sweetened full-fat sour cream. This way, each person can choose how much they want, if they want any at all.

This rhubarb carrot cake is made as a sheet cake, though you could easily use two 9-inch (23 cm) round pans and vary the baking time slightly less. It also freezes wonderfully, so you can save a few slices for another day.

Rhubarb Carrot Cake (gulrotkake med rabarbra)

Serves 12

• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• ½ cup (112 g) butter, melted and cooled
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (100 g) dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk
• 2 ½ cups (300 g) sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups (175 g) finely grated carrots
• 1 ½ cups (250 g) thinly sliced rhubarb, about ¼ inch pieces
• 1 ¼ cups (300 ml) full-fat sour cream
• ½ cup (60 g) confectioners’ sugar

---

Preheat the oven to 350ºF / 180ºC. Butter a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33 cm) baking pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and buttermilk.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the egg mixture and blend well. Add the carrots and rhubarb, and gently fold until evenly incorporated into the batter. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, combine the sour cream and confectioners’ sugar. Serve the cake with the sweetened sour cream.

Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Alternatively, freeze the cake for up to 3 months.