Strawberry Rhubarb Cake

A one-bowl cake to make all summer long

Do you want more easy weeknight dinners along with inspiration for dinner parties? My cookbook Nights and Weekends is now available for pre-order!

Have you ever noticed that when a new cookbook comes out and a flurry of photos are shared of what people are making from it there tends to be the same few recipes highlighted? I’ve clocked that everyone cooking from Hailee Catalano’s new book By Heart is making the Spicy Carrot Rigatoni and Little Gem Salad. The Labneh Feta Boureka from Eden Grinshpan’s Tahini Baby keeps popping up on my Instagram feed, and people can’t seem to get enough of

Caroline Chambers

’ recent recipe for Crispy Chicken Chili Verde Street Corn Tacos (okay not from a book, but her Substack but my point rings true).

While there’s not an exact science as a recipe developer to creating dishes that you know people are going to gravitate, there’s some indicators that a recipe has the potential to attract a large audience from the get-go. Buzzy ingredients in the title, smart flavor combinations, and riffs on classic dishes are all a surefire way to get someone’s attention. I already know this Strawberry Rhubarb Cake from my upcoming cookbook Nights and Weekends will be just that.

While I enjoy making the occasional dessert, my real love lies on the savory side of things. In order for me to make a baked good, it has to be low-effort, high-reward. I’ve already made and served this cake so many times thanks to its ease (it comes together in one bowl), versatility (you can use whatever fruit you have on hand), and for the fact that it’s really delicious. Most recently a friend who swears he doesn’t like dessert went back for a second slice. And then a third. That’s how good it is. While I don’t plan on sharing a ton of recipes from Nights and Weekends before the book comes out, this is a worthy contender for Mother’s Day (and beyond) while strawberries and rhubarb are both in season.

Photo by Christian Harder

If you can’t find rhubarb, double the amount of strawberries. Don’t have great fresh strawberries? Use frozen (thawed, please). Want to use another type of fruit? Berries and stone fruit are your best bet. Can’t find your springform pan? A 9x9-inch baking dish will work in its place. All I ask is that you don’t skip the shower of sugar over the dough before the cake goes into the oven which creates this glossy, crackly topping.

Before/After

Serves 4 to 8 (you’ll understand why there’s a range when you make it…)