Strawberry-Rhubarb Squares | Baking with Dorie

Strawberry and rhubarb is a classic paring as well as a perfect summer dessert in the form of a cake. In this recipe in Baking with Dorie, Dorie sweetens the strawberry rhubarb squares with honey. The end result is a soft and tender cake with a hint of tartness from the fruits.

For weeks, I can’t find any rhubarb and have been thinking about using other fruits for substitutions. Alternatives are almost limitless; pears and mangoes are high on my list. But when I finally spotted rhubarb in the farmers market, it’s a done deal with the classic strawberry and rhubarb combination.

To start: cream butter and sugar in a stand mixer until the mixture is very smooth. Add honey, vanilla extract and egg, and beat for 2 minutes. The mixture may look curdled, but don’t be too concerned. It comes together when combined with half of the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt) and then the buttermilk. Add the rest of the dry ingredients and the batter becomes rather thick. Pour the batter into the pan with the sliced strawberry and rhubarb pieces scattered on top. Finally, bake for 35 to 40 minutes at 350°F.

This is a simple cake to make. I follow the recipe and use two cups (200 grams to be exact) of strawberries and rhubarb each. There are a lot of fruits on top of the cake base, which makes the cake overly soft, plainly in search of textural interest. Perhaps almond slices are a welcome addition for some crispiness.