This delicious rhubarb coffee cake is a lovely moist rhubarb cake, topped with a crunchy crumb topping. It’s a great snacking cake and keeps well for days!
Why you’ll love this rhubarb coffee cake
- This is a great snacking cake and it keeps really well, thanks to the addition of sour cream! We were still grabbing pieces of this cake 5 days out and it was just as good as the first day.
- You can start with fresh rhubarb or frozen. If using frozen, you don’t need to thaw it before using in this cake.
- This rhubarb crumb cake freezes well, too!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Rhubarb – you can start with fresh rhubarb or frozen rhubarb. For frozen rhubarb, no need to thaw. Use it from frozen.
Sour Cream – full fat sour cream is recommended. The fat in sour cream ensures a moist crumb and extends the shelf-life of this cake. A lighter sour cream may affect the quality of the cake. If sour cream isn’t available, you could substitute yogurt, though I would recommend a higher fat, thicker Greek yogurt, if possible. It’s important to note that even a higher fat yogurt is only about 5% butterfat, vs. about 14% for sour cream, so the reduced fat of yogurt may also affect the quality of the cake and shelf-life.
Baker’s Notes
This is a great base crumb cake recipe, so if you can’t get hold of (or don’t like) rhubarb, you can swap out just about any fruit (fresh or frozen) for the rhubarb.
Making Ahead, Storing and Freezing
This cake is perfect for baking ahead, as it stays moist really well (covered at room temperature). It also freezes well!
Get the Recipe: Rhubarb Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the crumb topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cup salted butter, at room temperature
For the cake:
- 3 cups rhubarb, fresh or frozen
- 2/3 cup white granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup salted butter, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream, full-fat recommended
Instructions
- Make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, sugars and cinnamon. Using your fingers, rub in the butter, squeezing to form clumps. Place bowl in freezer until needed.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. (regular bake/not fan-assisted).
- Make the cake: In a large bowl with an electric mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter with 2/3 cup white sugar until combine. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Scrape down bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With mixer on low, stir in flour alternately with sour cream, making 3 additions of the flour and 2 additions of the sour cream.
- Spread batter in to a parchment-lined 9×9-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle batter with 1/2 of the crumb mixture. Top with rhubarb. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp. white sugar over the rhubarb, then top with remaining crumb mixture.
- Bake in the centre of oven until tester comes out clean, about 55-65 minutes.
Notes
More Rhubarb Recipes to Love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Just made some yesterday. I don’t see how you keep it for 5 days, though, as ours is almost gone now. Looks like we will have to make up another cake (or two) today.
Joan
Lol! So glad you are enjoying it, Joan :) Thanks!
Made this recipe yesterday with our first stems of rhubarb of the season. Goes together quickly, moist and delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it, Barb :) Thanks so much!
Wonderful rhubarb dessert. Follow recipe and turned out great. This is a keeper !
So glad you enjoyed it, Jayne :) Thanks so much!
I found your recipe looking for good ways to bake frozen rhubarb. It was a hit with my bridge club. I will be making it again. I had to turn up the oven after 65 mins to 375 for another 10 mins for it to be baked properly. I will definitely keep this recipe. Thank you for posting it.
So glad to hear, Mimi! Thanks :)
Wow! I bought some fresh rhubarb this morning and made this cake. I added a bit more cinnamon to the main cake batter too, and some toasted hazelnut nibs to the topping. It is delicious!
So glad you enjoyed it, Jane! Thanks :)
My neighbors growing up used to have SO much rhubarb in their garden and they’d give it away…if only I could take some of it now..and make this cake!
I know! It’s either feast or famine where rhubarb is concerned :)
looks lovely and am going to make it next week. We too are expecting snow once again.
I also would like ask if you could share the design of your dishes and who makes them. They are lovely and the cake looks so delicious on them. Thank you.
Patricia
Thanks Patricia and yes, it seems Winter is hanging on in lots of places :)
The dishes are called Chippendale. They are made by Johnson Bros. and are a discontinued pattern, but are quite easy to find on eBay or Replacements DOT com.
I made this dessert yesterday, it was absolutely one of the most delicious desserts that I have made, my husband loved it too. I must say that any of your recipes are never a disappointment! The only change I had to make is that I had to substitute the sour cream with plain yoghurt as I didn’t have any sour cream on hand. Also, I did cut back a little on the sugar, I’m going to make this again.
So glad you enjoyed it, Marilyn! I’m anxiously awaiting my Spring rhubarb here, to enjoy a feed of this :) Thanks!
Great recipe! I’ve baked it a few times now with strawberries instead as I can’t get rhubarbs where I live and it turned out great. It also really does taste even better after a day or so as long as you keep it moist in a container.
So glad to hear, Aysun. I must try it with strawberries :)
Such a lovely cake with coffee, I love the crumble topping!
Thanks Laura. I am a crumble topping lover! :)
Hi
I just made this recipe today. It is quite moisture and not so crazy sweet that I like about it . This is very good ! I made using with Fresh Strawberry and Frozen mix berries (cus I don’t have enough fresh Strawberry !! ) But that result was excellent ! Everything goes well ! I’m going to repeat again !! Thank you so much !
So glad you enjoyed it, Yuriko! I am anxious to try a strawberry one, soon :)
Ooo I just got some rhubarb at the market this weekend. This cake looks like a perfect way to use it up!
Thanks Sarah! I think you’d really enjoy it :)
Another gorgeous recipe, Jennifer! I LOVE crumb cake, so I can’t wait to try your rhubarb version :)
Thanks so much, Jennifer :)
I have a rhubarb crumb cake coming up on the blog and after seeing yours I’m feeling a bit inadequate, Jennifer!! Obviously great minds think alike, right? ;) Yours looks fabulous, dear! Totally MUST try yours! Cheers, friend!
Thanks Cheyanne and can’t wait to try yours, too (and yes, great minds do think alike :)
Rhubarb is my husband’s absolute favorite, his grandmother used to make an amazing rhubarb pie. As soon as I spot some rhubarb at the market I’m going to make this for him!
He will love this cake, Sara. Great cake with lots of rhubarb :)
I just started eating rhubarb last year for the first time and I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on something so fabulous all my life!
This is just so pretty, Jennifer, and a perfect celebration of Spring. Are you doing the happy dance in this fabulous weather? I’m going to share your link with friends and family because they’ll all be wanting to make it.
Happy Sunday!
Thanks Robyn and you have been missing out :) One of my favourites! Glad you’ve discovered it now, so you can make up for lost time. And yes. Absolutely loving this weather. At long last!!
I love crumb cake in any form… and this one looks amazing!! I need to go find some rhubarb in my world :) Happy weekend Jennifer!
Thanks so much, MB. You, too! :)
Just bought some rhubarb the other day Jennifer! This looks delicious! I always LOVE a good crumb cake!
Thanks Mary Ann! Me, too :)
A “light cake with a crunchy crumb topping” sounds dreamy! I haven’t seen the rhubarb yet as we’ve had some record low temperatures at night. But … I would love to give this cake a try. It is sure to please everyone! Gorgeous photos Jennifer :)
Thanks Tricia. We’ve been cool here, too. My rhubarb has just now poked out of the ground. Thankfully, I had some in the freezer to get me through :)
A good crumb cake makes my heart skip a beat, but this gorgeous rhubarb crumb cake is in a class by itself… Absolutely can’t wait to make it!
Thanks Michele! Enjoy :)
This cake is dreamy — I can’t wait to find rhubarb this year — I love it so much I have a whole Pinterest board devoted to it — and this is getting pinned there right now :)
Thanks Sue and I am a huge rhubarb fan, too!
A lovely recipe. Thank you.
Thanks Liz :)
Absolutely gorgeous cake, Jennifer!! I would love it with my cup of coffee right about now!
Thanks so much, Julia. Lovely with coffee :)
Your crumb cake looks perfect!! I love a cake like this that fits for breakfast or dessert – so delicious!
Thanks Katrina! I saw yours earlier this week. Great minds think alike :)