How to Make an Easy, Inexpensive Small Rhubarb or Strawberry Cake in Your Air Fryer

If you have a small amount of rhubarb or even strawberries on hand, you're in luck! You can make a sweet-tart, tender cake in minutes in your air fryer. The cake is incredibly easy to mix up by hand--no mixer needed--and it cooks in 20-25 minutes in your air fryer. I make the cake in a ring-pan (hole in the middle), but you can also make it in a deep, 8-inch pan. The cake is a light vanilla version, and it contrasts nicely with the tangy rhubarb topping. Do you prefer strawberries? They'll work, too, and they'll be sweeter than the rhubarb. Rather than a frosting or icing, I drizzle the cake with caramel ice cream topping, which, besides being easy, adds a nice buttery sweetness. The caramel also highlights the flavors of the cake rather than obscuring them, as many frostings tend to do. The cake is small and just right for a small family or dinner party to enjoy without having a lot of leftovers. Serve the cake warm, "as is," or try it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream alongside for an extra treat. Enjoy!

How to Make an Easy, Inexpensive Small Rhubarb or Strawberry Cake in Your Air Fryer

Air Fryer Rhubarb (or Strawberry) Cake -- Makes a 7-inch Ring Cake or an 8-inch Cake

Rhubarb (or Strawberry) Topping

1 cup of chopped rhubarb (or use chopped strawberries)

1/4 cup of sugar (use 3 tablespoons of sugar for the strawberries)

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

Cake

1/2 cup of canola oil

1 large egg

1/2 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/2 cup of buttermilk

1 1/2 cups of flour (you can substitute white whole-wheat, but the cake will be heavier)

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

Cinnamon sugar (optional, but good)

Caramel ice cream topping to drizzle (optional, but good)

Spritz a 7-inch-round ring pan with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside. Alternatively, spritz an 8-inch round pan (that's at least 3-inches deep) with spray and set it aside. In a small bowl mix together the rhubarb, 1/4 cup of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and set them aside. In a medium bowl or measure, whisk together well the canola oil, egg, 1/2 cup sugar, vanilla, and buttermilk. Add the flour, salt, and baking powder and whisk them into the wet ingredients until combined and you have a fairly smooth batter (don't whisk much more than a minute). Pour the batter into the prepared ring pan and smooth it out. Spoon the rhubarb mixture evenly on top of the batter and then sprinkle the top of the rhubarb mixture with a little cinnamon sugar, if you'd like. Spritz the top of the cake/rhubarb mixture with non-stick cooking spray, put the batter-filled pan in your air fryer basket, put the basket in the air fryer, and air fry the cake at 320 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until it is a deep golden brown and a pick inserted in the center of the cake comes out with no wet batter attached. If you're using an 8-inch pan, air fry the cake at 320 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until it is a deep golden brown and a pick inserted in the center comes out with no wet batter attached. Let the cake cool for about 10 minutes in its pan, then invert it onto a plate. Put another plate on top of the cake and flip it again, so the browned side is on top. Drizzle the warm cake with a little caramel ice cream topping (2-4 tablespoons is plenty) if you like.

How to Make an Easy, Inexpensive Small Rhubarb or Strawberry Cake in Your Air Fryer