• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Food Meanderings
  • Start HERE
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
    • Courses
      • Breakfast and Brunch
        • Pancakes, Waffles & French Toast
        • Breakfast Potluck Ideas
      • Lunch
        • Sandwiches and Burgers
        • Salads
        • Soups, Stew & Chili Recipes
      • Dinner
        • Main dish
        • Pork Recipes
        • Pasta & Pizza Recipes
        • Casseroles
        • Chicken Recipes
        • Beef
        • Beef Recipes
        • Fish & Seafood
      • Desserts
        • Baked Goods
        • Bars and Squares
        • Cake
        • Cookies
        • Cupcakes
        • Frosting and Icing Recipes
        • Frozen Dessert Recipes
        • Healthy Dessert Recipes
        • No Bake Desserts
        • Pie and Pastry Recipes
        • Sweets
    • Cuisine
      • Asian Recipes
      • Italian Recipes
      • Mediterranean Recipes
      • Mexican Recipes
      • Southern Recipes
    • Dish Type
      • Appetizers
        • Dip Recipes
      • Breads
        • Bread Machine Recipes
        • Muffins
      • Side Dishes
        • Vegetables
      • Snacks
      • Sauces, Spreads and Condiments
      • Drinks
        • Smoothies
        • Mocktails
      • One-Pot and One-Pan meals
    • Cooking Style
      • Dinner Party Recipes
      • BBQ & Grilling
      • Healthy Recipes
      • Seasonal Cooking
      • Slow Cooker Recipes
      • Vegetarian
    • Special Diet
      • Gluten-free Recipes
      • Vegan Recipes
      • Vegetarian
      • Weight Watchers Friendly Recipes
    • Holidays
      • Canada Day
      • Christmas Recipes
      • Easter Recipes
      • Earth Day Recipes
      • Father's Day Recipes
      • Cinco de Mayo Recipes
      • 4th of July Recipes
      • Halloween Recipes
      • Mother's Day Recipes
      • New Year's Eve Recipes
      • St. Patrick's Day Recipes
      • Stampede Recipes
      • Thanksgiving Recipes
      • Birthday Recipes
      • Valentine's Day Recipes
      • Game Day Recipes
    • Ingredient
      • Meat
        • Pork
        • Poultry
      • Pasta
      • Beans
      • Potatoes
      • Fruit
      • Rice
      • Egg Recipes
      • Chocolate
  • Meanderings
    • Articles
      • My Weight Watchers (WW) Journey
      • Weight Watchers Tips & Tricks
      • Comfort & Baked Expectations
      • Gingerbread: The Art of Food
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Start HERE
  • Recipes
  • About Me
  • Contact Me
×

Home » Recipes » Courses » Desserts » Cake

Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe

Published: May 18, 2022 by Terri Gilson · Modified: Jun 9, 2022 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links · 26 Comments

Sharing is caring!

632 shares
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Reddit
  • Yummly
  • Mix
Jump to Recipe
piece of rhubarb coffee cake on a white plate with a fork on the left side

I thought they were gone forever - all of them. But then my Auntie Tania said she had the recipe for the Rhubarb Coffee Cake that Baba used to make! This is the cake that made me love rhubarb. It was Baba's favorite, she told me. I remember she used to make it all the time, often sending it home with us. I even ate it for breakfast on occasion. Most importantly, it's the only recipe I have of hers, so it's beyond special! And that's why I'm sharing it here, with you...

rhubarb coffee cake cup up, in off-white baking dish, with piece being lifted out with blue spatula

If you have fresh rhubarb this spring, this is the cake you need to make! However, you can use frozen rhubarb as well. This Rhubarb Coffee Cake with streusel topping, is moist, delicious and will make your rhubarb sing! And while we're on the subject of rhubarb, I would also recommend you try my other rhubarb recipes: Rhubarb Squares, Sticky Rhubarb Pudding, No Bake Strawberry Rhubarb Cheesecake, No Bake Rhubarb Dessert, my Healthy Rhubarb Muffins, Stewed Rhubarb Recipe (with Strawberry Gelatin)and my 2 Ingredient Rhubarb Lemonade!

Jump to:
  • 🥘Ingredients
  • 🔪Instructions
  • ⏲️ Baking time
  • 📖Variations & Substitutions
  • 👪 Serving Size
  • 🍽Equipment
  • 🌡️Storage
  • 💭Top tip
  • 🦺Food safety
  • ❔ Frequently Asked Questions
  • ⭐ Reviews
  • 📋 Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe
  • 🌱More Spring Recipes

We had a late start to spring, so although it's officially rhubarb season, my rhubarb is a bit small for mid-May. But fortunately, I was able to get some fresh rhubarb at my local grocery store. Hopefully I'll be harvesting my own by mid-summer!

rhubarb plant by a fence

🥘Ingredients

You'll need the following ingredients for this Rhubarb Sour Cream Coffee Cake (cake and topping). The 4 dishes, at the bottom of the photo, for the topping (sugar, salt, flour and cinnamon):

Rhubarb Coffee Cake ingredients in glass dishes, labelled
  • eggs
  • white granulated sugar
  • baking soda
  • salt
  • all purpose flour
  • sour cream
  • fresh rhubarb 
  • cinnamon
  • unsalted butter

*See recipe card for quantities.

🔪Instructions

How do you make rhubarb coffee cake?

Cake

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/ 175 degrees C and spray a 9X13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. In a large mixing bowl, add, egg, flour, sour cream, salt, baking soda and sugar.
  2. Beat with electric hand mixer, on medium speed, until smooth (about 1 minute).
  3. Fold in rhubarb with spoon.
egg, flour and sugar in a large glass bowl with a glass bowl of rhubarb in background
Step 1
ingredients for cake mixed in glass bowl , beaten with hand mixern
Step 2
rhubarb folded into cake batter, with dark wooden spoon
Step 3
  1. Pour into prepared baking dish.

Crumble Topping

  1. In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut butter into flour mixture (see Top Tip). Mix until crumbly and combined.
  2. Sprinkle crumb topping over top of batter.
Rhubarb cake poured into a prepared baking dish
Step 4
crumble topping mixed together in glass bowl
Step 5
crumble sprinkled over top of cake
Step 6

⏲️ Baking time

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean. Cool on wire rack.

📖Variations & Substitutions

  • Sugar- you can use brown sugar instead of white sugar for the topping, if you prefer.
  • Rhubarb- use fresh or frozen (defrosted) rhubarb
  • Butter- you can use salted butter, but just skip the salt in the recipe!
  • Add-ins - you can add nuts to the topping (almonds, pecans or walnuts) if you like.
piece of rhubarb coffee cake on a white plate with a fork on the side, on a blue surface

👪 Serving Size

This recipe makes 12 servings. However, you can half, double or triple the recipe by clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust. You'll just need additional cake pans.

🍽Equipment

You can use any type of 9X13 inch baking pan/cake pan but it will need to be 3-4 inches deep. You'll need mixing bowls and spoons, as well as an electric mixer.

🌡️Storage

Store this rhubarb cake in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge. This cake can be frozen for up to 3 months in a sealed container.

💭Top tip

I love to keep my butter frozen and grate it directly into my recipes. It's easier and less messy!

butter being cut (for pastry) with a cheese grater

🦺Food safety

  • Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
  • Wash hands after touching raw meat
  • Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
  • Never leave cooking food unattended
  • Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
  • Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

❔ Frequently Asked Questions


What makes a coffee cake a coffee cake

Coffee cake is a single layer sweet cake with a cinnamon-infused flavor and streusel top made from flour, butter, and sugar. It is meant to be eaten with a cup of coffee.

Can you use frozen rhubarb in cake?

Yes, you can use frozen rhubarb in cake. Just be sure to defrost it and drain off excess liquid, but do NOT squeeze out the liquid.

piece of rhubarb coffee cake on a white plate with a fork on the side, on a blue surface

My Amazon Recommendations (affiliate links)

If you're looking for a great way to use up that extra rhubarb in your garden in a scrumptious and tender cake, this Easy Rhubarb Cake Recipe is one the entire family will love! It's perfect with a cup of coffee (even for breakfast 🙂 )!

⭐ Reviews

Did you make this Rhubarb Coffee Cake recipe? If you loved it, please leave a 5 star rating and a comment below!

Here's what others are saying! "I love rhubarb but this recipe takes my love to a whole new level. This is super delicious!!" ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Please SUBSCRIBE  (get my FREE E-cookbook) and be sure to FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST!

rhubarb coffee cake cup up, in off-white baking dish, with piece being lifted out with blue spatula
Food Meandering Logo

📋 Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe

This Rhubarb Coffee Cake recipe is made with fresh or frozen rhubarb and sour cream. It's moist and delicious and will make your rhubarb sing! Its the perfect way to get the most out of your rhubarb this spring.
4.89 from 9 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American, Canadian, North American
Keyword: coffee cake, rhubarb, sour cream
Special Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 12 pieces
Calories: 295kcal
Author: Terri Gilson
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

Cake

  • 2 eggs
  • 1 ¼ cup white granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 ½ cup fresh rhubarb * can use frozen (defrosted)

Crumble Topping

  • 1 cup white granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼ cup butter (unsalted)
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F/ 175 degrees C and spray a 9X13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, mix egg, flour, baking soda, salt, sour cream and sugar together.
    egg, flour and sugar in a large glass bowl with a glass bowl of rhubarb in background
  • Beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth (about 1 minute).
    ingredients for cake mixed in glass bowl , beaten with hand mixern
  • Fold in rhubarb with spoon.
    crumble topping mixed together in glass bowl
  • Pour into a prepared pan.
    Rhubarb cake poured into a prepared baking dish

Crumble Topping

  • In a medium bowl, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter (see Top Tip)
    crumble topping mixed together in glass bowl
  • Mix until crumbly and sprinkle over top of batter.
    crumble sprinkled over top of cake
  • Bake for 45-50 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Notes

*See post content for important information on variations, substitutions and tips!
Nutrition Facts
📋 Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 295 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 1g
Cholesterol 39mg13%
Sodium 228mg10%
Potassium 138mg4%
Carbohydrates 60g20%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 38g42%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 235IU5%
Vitamin C 2mg2%
Calcium 62mg6%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 295kcal (15%) | Carbohydrates: 60g (20%) | Protein: 4g (8%) | Fat: 5g (8%) | Saturated Fat: 3g (19%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 39mg (13%) | Sodium: 228mg (10%) | Potassium: 138mg (4%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 38g (42%) | Vitamin A: 235IU (5%) | Vitamin C: 2mg (2%) | Calcium: 62mg (6%) | Iron: 1mg (6%)
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review below!
Rate this Recipe

🌱More Spring Recipes

More Cake

  • Black Forest Yule Log Cake
  • Ukrainian Walnut Torte
  • Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie Recipe
  • Daffodil Cake

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mags

    May 24, 2022 at 12:53 pm

    Your directions to make the cake are quite confusing. Beat sugar, eggs and flour together. Then add rhubarb. Put in pan and bake.
    You've missed the other half of the ingredients.

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      May 24, 2022 at 1:56 pm

      Hi,
      I'm not sure where you are seeing that? I just double-checked and I have full directions in the post and in the recipe card (with photos).
      Can you send me the screenshot of what you are seeing?
      Thanks,
      Terri

      Reply
      • Colleen

        June 04, 2022 at 9:52 am

        Not meaning to be picky, though maybe it is. I have this baking right now and I'm certain it will be delicious. Not sure it's needed, but you have salt in your ingredient list so you should add it to the cake instructions. Can't wait to cut into this!

        Reply
        • Terri Gilson

          June 04, 2022 at 10:15 am

          Thanks, Colleen and not picky at all! DONE! I must have been having a brain blip that day because I missed adding a few ingredients to the directions 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!
          Terri

          Reply
    • Becky Johnson

      May 29, 2022 at 6:32 am

      I agree. I do not see anywhere in the instructions where it says to add the baking soda or sour cream.

      Reply
      • Terri Gilson

        May 29, 2022 at 7:04 am

        Hi Becky: Thank you for specifying what was missing, as I thought she meant steps below were missing. I have corrected it - the sour cream and baking soda are added at the same time as the other cake ingredients and mixed together. Sorry for any confusion!

        Reply
        • Kathleen Cheek

          November 09, 2022 at 6:14 pm

          I just finished using up a gallon bag of frozen rhubarb that had partially thawed during a power outage 2 days ago then refrozen in the freezer OMG turned out absolutely delicious!!! I had to make the recipe x3 and everyone is raving
          Thank you for sharing this!!!!!

          Reply
          • Terri Gilson

            November 10, 2022 at 7:16 am

            That's great, Kathleen! I'm so glad you loved it as much as we do!

          • Terri Gilson

            November 13, 2022 at 9:28 pm

            I'm so glad you love it, Kathleen! It's my Baba's recipe and the ONLY one I have so it's very special to me 🙂

  2. Bernice

    May 24, 2022 at 6:33 pm

    Excellent recipe! We loved it as part of our long weekend brunch spread. I love how rich and flavourful it is.

    Reply
  3. Elaine

    May 24, 2022 at 6:44 pm

    That crunchy streusel topping on this oh-so-good rhubarb cake keeps everyone coming back for seconds! A keeper recipe!

    Reply
  4. nancy

    May 24, 2022 at 7:25 pm

    it was so crunchy and moist center. so tasty!

    Reply
  5. Colleen

    May 25, 2022 at 10:13 am

    We loved this cake! The streusel topping is perfect and the cake is so tender and moist. I'll be making this one again. Thanks!

    Reply
  6. Asha

    May 25, 2022 at 3:56 pm

    I love the nostalgic baking recipes that I grew up watching my grandmother make. It's so special that you shared yours. Thank you! The rhubarb in this coffee cake is scrumptious

    Reply
  7. Sean

    May 28, 2022 at 1:56 pm

    I've been craving rhubarb lately, and this looks just perfect. Nice and simple, easy to put together, and great with that crumble topping. Cool tip about the frozen butter too - I didn't know that one!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      May 28, 2022 at 6:44 pm

      Thanks, Sean! I know what you mean about craving it - as soon as spring hits!
      Enjoy....
      Terri

      Reply
  8. Raylene De Bruyn

    May 31, 2022 at 10:01 am

    I love rhubarb but this recipe takes my love to a whole new level. This is super delicious!!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      June 01, 2022 at 8:23 am

      I'm so glad you loved it, Raylene!

      Reply
  9. Tania

    June 04, 2022 at 12:14 pm

    This one is a keeper. Easy, fast & so yummy..#1 on my list.
    ......Especially during this rhubarb season.❤️

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      June 07, 2022 at 6:23 am

      Tania - I agree! 🙂

      Reply
  10. Judy

    June 23, 2022 at 7:32 am

    Can this recipe be divided into 2 8x8 baking dishes?

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      June 23, 2022 at 12:00 pm

      Hi Judy,
      Yes it can!
      Terri

      Reply
  11. Amber

    July 09, 2022 at 7:22 pm

    Delicious! So crunchy on top! I did however add vanilla to the batter and doubled up on the cinnamon. Next time I may add cinnamon to the batter. But either way, it's delicious!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      July 13, 2022 at 11:52 am

      I'm so glad you loved it, Amber! Vanilla is a great idea! You must really love cinnamon 🙂
      Terri

      Reply
  12. Elllen

    August 02, 2022 at 4:44 pm

    I have this lovely looking cake in the oven. Can't wait to try it with company. They're ok with being experimented on!
    I found the photos very helpful but had to scroll back and forth between directions and ingredient amounts. The adverts are Hugely annoying too.
    It would be nice to skip the blah blah and have a straight forward recipe with instructions and amounts all melded together.

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      August 08, 2022 at 6:53 pm

      Hi Ellen,
      Thanks for your feedback - your experience as a reader is very important to me! I will take a closer look at the flow of my posts. I do have a “jump to recipe button” so you can avoid the “blah blah” but unfortunately it was glitching at the time. It’s working now. Although you find the ads annoying, I do need them to be able to pay all the expenses to keep this blog up and running and to be able to provide readers like you with free recipes.
      I hope you enjoyed the cake!
      Terri

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

I'm Terri, a passionate home cook and baker, an award-winning recipe developer and a busy working mom that is trying to eat healthy and fit everything into not enough hours in a day! My mission is to share not only my recipes, cooking hacks and tips with you, but also my secrets to successful weight maintenance.

More about me →

Comfort Food Recipes

  • Easy Turkey Pot Pie (with cream of chicken soup)
  • 31 Healthy Fall Soup Recipes
  • Reuben Soup
  • Lentil and Sausage Stew (with spinach)

More Comfort Food Recipes->

Footer

Featured On:

Taste Of Home Logo Parade Logo MSN Logo Master Chef Canada Logo Huffpost Logo Good Housekeeping Logo

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
  • Accessibility Policy

Subscribe

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Work with me

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2023 Foodmeanderings.com

632 shares