Is Rhubarb Cake Acidic or Alkaline?
Rhubarb cake (baked) is alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
Rhubarb cake comes in at −2.9, which makes it one of the cakes that actually turn out alkaline. The rhubarb (−6.8) brings plenty of potassium and makes up a large part of the weight. Shortcrust and streusel, on the other hand, provide hardly any minerals. Sugar and butter do not show up in the calculation, and the sour rhubarb needs plenty of both.
In the Sweets & Snacks category, rhubarb cake (baked) ranks #15 of 91, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Red fruit jelly (−3.4), Ice cream, chocolate (−3.6), Stollen (Dresden style) (−4.3). More acid-forming are Toblerone (−2.9), Trail mix (nuts & raisins) (−2.8), M&M's Milk Chocolate Candies (−2.3).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is rhubarb cake acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Rhubarb cake (baked) has a PRAL of −2.9 per 100 g, so it counts as alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much rhubarb cake do I need for a noticeable effect?
A small serving (40 g) of rhubarb cake adds −1.2 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of rhubarb cake roughly offsets one of them.
Why is rhubarb cake alkaline even though it is not a typical alkaline food?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Rhubarb cake provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−2.9).
Rhubarb Cake logged, balance checked.
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Compare all Sweets & Snacks: Sweets & Snacks table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.