Turn your dessert into art with this Tessellated Rhubarb Cake! This recipe includes a step-by-step guide to creating a perfect rhubarb design, along with a video. Tart rhubarb atop crunchy almond cake, this is an ideal vegan/gluten-free summer dessert that's surprisingly easy to make!
Details About This Tessellated Rhubarb Almond Cake Recipe
This recipe is a dessert made from a crunchy, slightly sweet almond flour cake base topped with tart, bright pink rhubarb arranged in a very symmetrical pattern. Almond and rhubarb are a classic flavor combination. Since the bulk of the work in this recipe happens with the rhubarb design, I wanted to keep the almond cake base of the recipe extremely simple. The cake layer of this dessert does not even require a cake pan - it's baked right on the baking sheet! Therefore, it's extremely easy to shape to fit your lovely tessellation.
Do you love rhubarb? Be sure to check out this round up of all of my Vegan Rhubarb Recipes.
What is a tessellation?
As you may remember from high school geometry class, a tessellation is a pattern of shapes that fit together perfectly, without any gaps, on a two dimensional plane. However, due to the optical illusion created by these shapes, they often will appear "3-D." Rhubarb is a very easy ingredient to tesselate as it is easily sliced into a rectangle and then into a diamond shape. It also holds up fairly well once baked.
How to Cut Rhubarb to Make a Tessellation
After washing and drying rhubarb, set it aside. Slice each piece into a 1 inch diamond. To make this process easy, grab a piece of thick paper/card stock and cut out a little template with each edge of the rhombus a 60 degree angle (I used a protractor photo on my phone to help with this since I did not have a true protractor). Lay this template over top of the rhubarb to guide each slice you make. A serrated knife will assist in getting clear cuts (without too many strings). There is no need to peel the rhubarb. Try to get each piece exactly the same size, it will help with shaping!
When you go to craft the actual design, it is very helpful to practice once before laying on top of the cake batter. While the design may look a bit overwhelming, I recommend breaking it into one individual star at a time. I also recommend doing a test design on a cutting board or plate, to get the hang of how you want your tessellation to look. Begin with one central, 6-pointed "star," laying the pieces of rhubarb as outlined in the images above and video below. Build from there, creating stars next to each other going down and out. If your rhubarb is the same size, it should fit in easily. If not, no worries! Feel free to lay the rhubarb in whatever shape you enjoy.
Tips for Making a Cake without a Cake Pan
Creating a very thick batter base is crucial, as it will not spread much once in the oven. Almond flour, oat flour, and flax seed help create this viscous batter texture. As stated above, the batter base in this recipe is very simple and comes together in 5 minutes. Instead of baking this cake in a ban, we're baking it right on top of a lined cookie sheet. This allows for greater flexibility with our rhubarb design.
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More Easy Vegan Cake Recipes
Vegan Olive Oil Cake with Berries
Perfect Vegan Strawberry Shortcake
Vegan Pumpkin Cake with Cinnamon Brown Butter Frosting
Other Rhubarb Recipes to Try Next
Tessellated Rhubarb Almond Cake
Ingredients
- 4-5 stalks of rhubarb about the same size and thickness
- 1 cup almond flour 100 g
- 1 cup finely ground oat flour or all purpose flour (100 g)
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Scant ½ cup olive oil 100 grams, plus more for drizzling
- ½ cup brown sugar 120 ml
- ½ cup plant-based yogurt 120 ml
- 2 TBS ground flax + 4 TBS water set aside to thicken (for a "flax egg")
- ½ cup candied ginger minced (50 g)
Instructions
- Start by preparing your rhubarb! Wash and dry it, then set it aside. Slice each piece into a 1 inch diamond. To make this process easy, grab a piece of thick paper/card stock and cut out a little template with each edge of the rhombus a 60 degree angle (I used a protractor photo on my phone to help with this since I did not have a true protractor). Lay this template over top of the rhubarb to guide each slice you make. A serrated knife will assist in getting clear cuts (without to manny strings). There is no need to peel the rhubarb. Try to get each piece exactly the same size, it will help with shaping!
- I recommend doing a test design on a cutting board or plate, to get the hang of how you want your tessellation to look. Begin with one central, 6-pointed "star," laying the pieces of rhubarb as outlined in the images above and video below. Build from there, creating stars next to each other going down and out. If your rhubarb is the same size, it should fit in easily. If not, no worries! Feel free to lay the rhubarb in whatever shape you enjoy.
- Set your design aside while you whip up the cake base. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and in a large bowl, combine almond flour, oat (or all purpose) flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a smaller bowl, combine olive oil, brown sugar, yogurt, and flax egg. Mix wet with dry until just combined. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, spread cake mixture in a 1-inch rectangle (it will be pretty thick).
- Carefully add your rhubarb design on top of the cake. Have fun with it! Drizzle a bit of olive oil over top the rhubarb to help it soften. Sprinkle candied ginger around the sides of your rhubarb design. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until cooked through. Watch to ensure the edges do not burn. Remove from the oven and let cool before slicing.
Video
Nutrition
Sue0523 says
Gorgeous!
Emily says
Thank you for five stars!!