Rhubarb Quick Bread

By Samantha Seneviratne

Updated April 10, 2025

Rhubarb Quick Bread
Todd Wagner for The New York Times
Total Time
1½ hours
Rating
5(2,176)
Comments
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Beautiful pink rhubarb at the markets signals spring's arrival. A bit sour on their own, the stalks work beautifully with sweet strawberries and blueberries, and citrus. This buttery loaf is made with a bit of orange zest, which perfectly complements rhubarb’s pleasant tang. Dress the cooled loaf with a simple glaze of confectioners’ sugar and orange juice, if you like, or serve fat slices with vanilla ice cream. Leftovers are nice toasted in a skillet with plenty of salty butter.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings
  • 8tablespoons/113 grams unsalted butter (1 stick), melted, plus more for the pan
  • 1cup/200 grams plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
  • ⅓cup whole-milk yogurt
  • 2large eggs
  • 1¾cup/223 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
  • 1teaspoon baking powder
  • ½teaspoon baking soda
  • ½teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1¾cup/227 grams chopped rhubarb (8 ounces), cut into ¼-inch pieces
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

343 calories; 13 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 52 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 29 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 268 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour an 8½-inch-by-4½-inch loaf pan.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, whisk together the butter, 1 cup of the sugar, orange zest and yogurt until well combined. Whisk in eggs. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the flour mixture and 1½ cups rhubarb to butter mixture and fold until combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Sprinkle the top with the remaining ¼ cup rhubarb and 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake until the loaf is golden brown and set and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 55 to 60 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 10 minutes, then cut around the edges and carefully flip the loaf out of the pan. Turn it right side up and let it cool completely before slicing.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
2,176 user ratings
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Comments

Leo

I was feeling alternative and used lime zest instead of the orange, which gave it a subtle cocktaily feeling that worked well with the tart rhubarb. Also, on rhubarb quantities, go big or go home. It's called rhubarb season, not quick bread season. You want to taste rhubarb held together by a bit of cake, not cake speckled with polite rhubarb pieces. Be the rhubarb monster of your dreams. Finally, I recommend saving some for the next day–the cake settles into itself wonderfully overnight.

julie b

I've now made this delightful cake five times, and I've passed the recipe on to many people. My only suggestions are: increase the amount of chopped rhubarb to as much as two cups; and don't bother strewing the 1/4 cup rhubarb after the batter is in the loaf pan. But don't forget the crackly raw sugar sprinkled on top!

P Swaback

What happened to the strawbewrries and blueberries mentioned in the description but missing from the ingredient list?

Cynthia Murray

I substituted1/2 dark brown and 1/2 white sugar for all white. I substituted 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1/2 tsp. almond extract for all vanilla. I let the lemon zest marinate with the cut rhubarb while I was making the rest. I topped it with pearl sugar before baking. It was delicious. Also good sliced, buttered and toasted on a griddle for breakfast.

Lr

This was great! Really easy, especially for someone who’s never cooked/baked with rhubarb before. I made some slight adjustments— I was short on rhubarb and added a handful of strawberries. I didn’t have an orange, so I substituted with lemon zest and a splash or two of orange juice. The bread came out great even with these slight adjustments— a testament to a strong recipe with a solid foundation. Next time I want to add pistachios, I think they’ll really elevate it!

dimmerswitch

Made as recipe was written a month ago, original comments below, and saved slices to freeze (w/parchment slip sheets) to see how it held up frozen. Turns out it is perfect to heat in oven (from frozen) or pop in toaster too. A favorite keeper. Original notes: *Rubbed orange zest into sugar before using. *9"x5" loaf pan worked well. *Prefer rhubarb dishes quite yet this was perfect. 1/4" dice size is important to distribute tartness throughout. *Batter is spoonable not pourable.

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