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sliced cake with rhubarb and meringue on a platter.
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4.67 from 3 votes

Rhubarb Meringue Cake – Romanian Desserts

This rhubarb meringue cake is a delicious dessert that combines rhubarb's tartness with meringue's sweetness and lightness.
Prep Time40 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Cakes
Cuisine: Romanian
Servings: 16 pieces
Calories: 324kcal
Author: Adina

Equipment

Ingredients

Rhubarb cake (Note 1):

  • 500 g rhubarb 1 lb
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 250 g granulated sugar 1 ¼ cups/ 9 oz
  • 200 g unsalted butter 7 oz/ 1 ¾ sticks soft
  • 4 eggs large Note 2
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • a pinch of salt
  • 400 g all-purpose flour 14 oz/ 3 cups Note 3
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder 10 g
  • 230 ml whole milk 1 cup

Meringue topping:

  • 4 egg whites total weight 125 g/ 4 ½ oz
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon vinegar
  • 150 g granulated sugar ¾ cup/5 ½ oz

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 350°F and line the baking dish with parchment paper.

Prepare the rhubarb:

  • Chop rhubarb: Discard the leaves, wash and dry the stalks, and remove and discard the whitish lower ends. Cut the rhubarb into slices as thick as your finger
    500 g/ 1 lb
  • Mix the rhubarb with sugar and place it in a colander.
    2 tablespoon sugar
  • Drain for about 30 minutes, then pat the pieces dry with paper towels.

Make the cake base:

  • Wet ingredients: Beat sugar and soft butter in a large mixing bowl until fluffy, 4-5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time beating for about 30 seconds after each addition. Add vanilla extract and a pinch of salt as well. Scrape the bowl with the rubber spatula a few times in between.
    250 g/ 1 ¼ cups sugar + 200 g/ 1 ¾ sticks butter + 4 eggs + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract + pinch of salt
  • Dry ingredients: Mix flour and baking powder in a separate bowl.
    400 g7 14 oz/ 3 cups flour + 2 teaspoon baking powder
  • Combine: Add half of the flour mixture and mix it in shortly and at low speed. Next, add half of the milk and incorporate. Add the remaining flour, combine, add the remaining milk, and mix again on low speed.

Bake:

  • Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish.
  • Pat the rhubarb slices dry with paper towels and arrange them on top of the batter.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes.

Make the meringue:

  • Make the meringue during the last 10 minutes of the cake’s baking time.
  • Place the egg whites in a spotless mixing bowl and use very clean beaters to beat them (Note 4). Beat them on high speed until they begin to foam. Then, add salt and vinegar and continue beating until soft peaks start to form.
    4 egg whites + pinch of salt + 1 teaspoon viengar
  • Start adding the sugar gradually. Continue beating until the meringue is stiff and glossy (don’t overbeat it).
    150 g/ ¾ cup sugar

Finish baking:

  • Spread the meringue evenly over the cake, and return the cake to the oven.
  • Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the meringue is golden (the exact time depends on your oven).
  • Let the cake cool completely before you slice it.

Notes

  1. Scale: Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking; it guarantees the best results(the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab).
  2. Egg size: If you live in Germany (where this kind of cake is very popular), please use medium eggs.
  3. Again, I strongly recommend using a scale to measure the flour and the butter. I measured the 400 g in cups and had 3 cups of flour, but that result can easily differ from one person to another. If you google it, google will tell you that 400 g is 3.2 cups of flour.
  4. Egg whites: Use a very clean bowl and beaters for making the meringue; any trace of fat will prevent the egg whites from stiffening.

Nutrition

Serving: 1piece | Calories: 324kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 231mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g