Rhubarb Coffee Cake

This is a recipe that was already fairly easy to follow and “modern” but I felt needed a few tweaks. When made in the 9×13-inch pan called for, you end up with a very flat cake. The lack of flour in the topping meant that instead of crumbs, you’d get a coating of melted and then congealing sugar and butter —not a glaze either. A crumb topping is so much more satisfying to eat, I think! It makes the cake feel special.

I decided to turn the recipe into a 8×8 inch coffee cake instead. I took the nuts out of the batter and popped them into the topping for more crunch and visual interest. I also added some more spices to the cake to better complement the flavor of the rhubarb.

I used fresh rhubarb (August is the second harvest of rhubarb in many areas) but unthawed, frozen would work as well.

The result is a fluffy, moist, flavorful yet still classic feeling rhubarb cake. The pops of tart rhubarb are amazing. I think it would be a great cake to introduce someone to eating rhubarb on their own rather than paired with strawberries or other fruit.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Adapted and updated from Sheryl Lehman's Rhubarb Cake in Sharing the Loaves and Fishes compiled by Vashon Presbyterian Church Vashon Island, Washington 1997

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Prep Time 8 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

• 1 cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup canola oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• pinch mace
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch salt
• 1 ½ cups diced rhubarb

for the topping:

• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup flour
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• pinch nutmeg
• pinch mace
• ¼ cup sliced almonds

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 350.
• Grease and flour an 8×8-inch baking dish. Set aside.
• In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the sugar, oil, buttermilk, egg, vanilla, and spices until well combined. Beat in the remaining ingredients and mix until a thick batter forms. Fold in the rhubarb. Pour into the prepared pan. Set aside.
• Mix together the topping ingredients with a fork until it forms coarse crumbs. Sprinkle evenly over the cake.
• Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean or with one or two dry crumbs. Cool completely (in pan) on a wire rack.

Keyword cake

Adapted and updated from Sheryl Lehman’s Rhubarb Cake in Sharing the Loaves and Fishes compiled by Vashon Presbyterian Church Vashon Island, Washington 1997