Juicy Gluten-Free Rhubarb and Strawberry Sheet Cake
You’re looking for a cake to feed the whole family at a birthday buffet, a picnic with all your friends, or your next club gathering? Then you’ve come to the right place, because this sheet cake will easily feed half the neighborhood – and it also makes everyone who eats gluten free very happy, yay! The fruity, tangy combination of rhubarb and strawberries, the crunchy streusel, and the moist base are guaranteed to be a hit with everyone.
Rhubarb and strawberries – a dream team
We developed this recipe in spring, so there was no question which fruit would end up on top. Rhubarb is technically a vegetable but used like fruit and brings that wonderfully tangy note that pairs perfectly with sweet strawberries. Together on a cake, the two of them really shine.
Small tip: You can store rhubarb in the fridge for about a week, ideally wrapped in a damp towel. Strawberries are best used as fresh as possible – they quickly turn mushy and lose their aroma.
And what if it isn’t rhubarb and strawberry season for you right now?
Luckily, this cake works and tastes great with many different fruits. If you can’t find rhubarb or strawberries at the moment, or you’re simply not a fan, you can reach for apples, pears, cherries, blueberries, peaches, apricots, plums, or gooseberries instead. If the fruit you’re using is very juicy, just sprinkle the pieces with a little cornstarch beforehand so the batter can still rise nicely and bake through.
And it's gluten-free!
This recipe is not only vegan, but also gluten free. For both the batter and the crumbles we used the mix cake & cookies from Schär, which we’ve grown to love more and more with every bake, even though we don’t eat fully gluten free ourselves. It’s so easy to use and we honestly can’t taste a difference compared to “regular” cake, so we keep coming back to it whenever we bake for friends and family members with celiac disease. That’s why we want to stress this: If you’re baking for people with celiac disease or a gluten intolerance, make sure you not only use gluten free ingredients but also clean utensils to avoid cross-contamination.
You want EVEN MORE cake?
If you’re craving more fruity sheet cakes, check out our vegan strawberry sheetpan cake or give our blueberry chocolate cheesecake a try. And if you’re on the hunt for a proper classic, this plum sheetpan yeast cake with crumbles is just what you need. Just a heads-up: These cake recipes in their current versions are not gluten free, but you can of course adapt them with gluten free flour blends.
Juicy Gluten-Free Rhubarb and Strawberry Sheet Cake
Ingredients
For the batter:
- 750 g (6.25 cups) gluten-free flour (e.g. the mix cake & cookies by Schär)
- 450 g (2.25 cups) sugar
- 2.5 tbsp (32 g / 1 oz) baking powder
- 1.5 tbsp (16 g / 0.5 oz) vanilla sugar
- 150 ml (0.66 cup) neutral vegetable oil for baking
- 800 ml (3.33 cups) sparkling water
- salt
For the crumbles:
- 300 g (2.5 cups) gluten-free flour (e.g. the mix cake & cookies by Schär)
- 50 g (1.75 oz) ground nuts
- 100 g (3.5 oz) chopped nuts
- 100 g (0.5 cup) sugar
- 200 g (7 oz) vegan butter (cold)
- salt
For the fruit layer:
- 750 g (26.5 oz) rhubarb
- 500 g (17.5 oz) strawberries
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200 °C/390 °F (convection). Prepare the rhubarb by peeling it if needed and cutting it into small pieces. Wash the strawberries and cut them into small pieces as well.
For the crumbles, combine the gluten-free flour, ground and chopped nuts, sugar, and a pinch of salt. Add the cold vegan butter in small pieces and knead it into the flour mixture until a crumbly dough forms. Place the dough in the fridge until you need them.
For the batter, mix the gluten-free flour, sugar, baking powder, vanilla sugar, and a pinch of salt. Add the vegetable oil and sparkling water, then stir everything together in a large bowl just until you no longer see any dry flour.
Grease a baking sheet and dust it with gluten-free flour or line it with parchment paper. Pour in the batter and spread it out evenly, then top with the chopped fruit and the crumbles.
Bake at 200 °C/390 °F (convection) for approximately 60 minutes. Let the cake cool down before slicing.
