Rhubarb Vanilla Layer Cake Recipe

Spring time brings into season one of my all time favourite fruits to work with, rhubarb! Rhubarb is a firm favourite here in Ireland, despite the fact the plant actually originates from Asia. Rhubarb is also technically a vegetable but it’s used commonly as a fruit. It’s a long, celery like plant with a red skin (or green depending on the variety) that has a sour flavour. It’s usually paired with sweeter flavours as a result, such as strawberry, vanilla and white chocolate. This Rhubarb Vanilla Layer Cake is a moist, sweet vanilla cake filled with a tart rhubarb jam and smooth vanilla buttercream.

Tell me how to make this Rhubarb Vanilla Layer Cake from scratch!

Okay so I’ll break this down into 4 steps. It might seem like a lot but each step is super simple and easy to follow, I promise. 🙂

-Vanilla Cake Recipe. I use a quick, “all in one” method for this cake. I also baked it in two 4 inch round cake tins, like these. You can also bake it in one 8 inch cake tin.

-Rhubarb Jam Recipe. Simple Jam made with fresh rhubarb.

-Vanilla Buttercream Recipe. Super easy and basic vanilla buttercream recipe.

-Layering the cake. Once the cake and jam has totally cooled, I’ll tell you below how to stack and layer them.

Vanilla Cake Recipe

As I mentioned above, this Vanilla Cake Recipe uses the “all in one” method. This means that all the ingredients are added to a large mixing bowl and beaten until combined. You can do this by hand with a whisk, with an electric whisk or the paddle attachment on a stand mixer. It’s imortant that your butter is soft and at room temperature to prevent lumps. Beat the batter for 2-3 minutes until it’s smooth and no lumps remain. Pour into two greased and lined 4 inch round cake tins. Bake for  25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool fully before decorating.

Rhubarb Jam Recipe

This Rhubarb Jam starts out, unsurprisingly, with fresh rhubarb! Make sure you only use the stalks and discard the leaves immediately, the leaves are toxic and should not be eaten. Slice up about 150 grams of rhubarb (about one bunch for me) and place into a small saucepan. Add the sugar and lemon juice and cook on a medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until the rhubarb is fully soft and has cooked down to a puree. Make sure to keep stirring the jam every few minutes to prevent the bottom from burning. When the jam is ready, transfer to a small bowl or container and place cling film directly onto the surface of the jam to prevent a skin forming. Allow to cool fully before using.

Vanilla Buttercream Recipe

This is a simple Vanilla Buttercream Recipe, with just a few ingredients and easy steps. To begin, place the room temperature butter into a large mixing bowl. Beat this butter well with an electric whisk or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer until pale and creamy. Add in the icing sugar, vanilla and milk and beat well again for 4-5 minutes.

Layering the cake

Once the cake and jam has totally cooled, it’s time to assemble this layer cake!

Begin by cutting both cakes in two, horizontally, so you cake four layers of cake. Transfer some of the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle. Pipe a ring around the edge of the first cake layer. Fill the inside with rhubarb jam and place a layer of cake on top. Push down gently on the cake to help it stick.

For the next layer, pipe buttercream in rings on the cake, fully covering it. Use a small palette knife to smooth it and top with another layer of cake.

Pipe a ring around the edge of the cake. Fill the inside with rhubarb jam and top with a thin layer of buttercream. Place the last cake layer on top of this and press down gently.

Use the remaining buttercream to decorate the cake. To create a “naked” cake like this one, add some buttercream to the sides with a palette knife and spread around the cake. Then, take a straight pastry scraper, like this one,and hold it up against the cake. Turn the cake while holding the scraper straight and scrape the buttercream off evenly. Add some buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe some rosettes on top and fill the middle with rhubarb jam.

Interested in more Cake Recipes? Check out my Cake Category, here.