Rhubarb Coffee Cake

This rhubarb coffee cake is partly tart, partly sweet, and topped with crumbly goodness. Thanks to the signature sour flavor of fresh rhubarb, it’s not too sweet for breakfast either. You’ll be mixing rhubarb right in with the cake batter, which makes this a simple breakfast cake to throw together and enjoy the same morning. And while this is lovely as an addition to your weekend brunch plans, it stores exceptionally well for enjoying throughout the week. Serve it with a steaming cup of fresh coffee, a side of strawberries and, if you’d like a little something extra, a dollop of homemade whipped cream right on top.

Ingredients for Rhubarb Coffee Cake

• Wet ingredients: For this cake’s wet ingredients, you’ll be using softened butter, eggs, vanilla extract and sour cream.
• Dry ingredients: The dry ingredients for this rhubarb coffee cake recipe include sugar, all-purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Rhubarb: This recipe is best with fresh or frozen rhubarb.
• Topping: To make the sweet and crumbly topping, you’ll be mixing together brown sugar, all-purpose flour, ground cinnamon and cold butter.

Directions

Step 1: Create the creamed mixture

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Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and mix well.

Step 2: Mix the dry ingredients

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In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add this dry mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the sour cream. Fold in the rhubarb. Spread the batter into a well-greased 13×9-inch baking dish.

Step 3: Make the topping

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In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Using your hands or a butter knife, cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle this over the top of the batter.

Editor’s Tip: If you like a larger crumble-to-cake ratio, be generous with the called-for measurements for the topping.

Step 4: Bake the cake

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Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let the cake cool on a wire rack.

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Rhubarb Coffee Cake Variations

• Swap out extracts: Consider using orange extract in place of the vanilla for a lighter, slightly citrusy taste that complements the rhubarb well.
• Adds oats: To make your topping extra crumbly, you can add rolled oats to the topping mixture along with an extra tablespoon of butter. To do that, simply swap out half the flour for rolled oats and mix in the extra butter.
• Drizzle with caramel sauce: While this is certainly a sweeter option for rhubarb coffee cake, if you’d love a more decadent taste, consider drizzling a homemade caramel sauce over the top of the cake. For best results, do this once the cake has cooled completely.

How to Store Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Store any leftovers in an airtight container, either in the fridge or on the counter. Once it has completely cooled, you can either return the cake to the pan you used for baking, or store it in a smaller container with a lid. If you opt for the baking pan, just wrap the top in plastic wrap or aluminum foil.

How long does rhubarb coffee cake last?

If you want to enjoy this cake with a cup of coffee every morning, you have about five days to do so. Additionally, you can freeze your rhubarb coffee cake. In fact, as long as you store it in a completely airtight container with zero chance of air exposure, you can keep it frozen for up to a year.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake Tips

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When is the best time to make rhubarb coffee cake?

For freshly picked rhubarb, you’ll have to wait to make this coffee cake in the spring and early summer. If you’re not particular about your rhubarb and the timing, you can find it frozen or canned. Frozen rhubarb will taste as close to fresh rhubarb as possible, which is why we recommend fresh or frozen rhubarb in this recipe.

When is the best time to serve rhubarb coffee cake?

The name for this type of cake comes from the fact that it’s meant to be enjoyed with your morning coffee, not that it contains coffee. Because it’s an approachable cake that’s not too sweet, it’s the ideal crumb-top cake to enjoy with a cup of coffee or tea in the morning. It’s a welcome addition to a weekend brunch spread too.

Why is the crumb topping not crumbly?

If you just aren’t getting a nice crumbly texture, consider adding more butter. The flour dries out the topping if you use too much, so balance it out with just a touch more butter. Be sure to add more butter slowly, however, as too much butter will just melt into the cake as it’s baking.