Easy Old Fashioned Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe
This easy rhubarb coffee cake comes together in one bowl and bakes up tender, moist, and absolutely loaded with flavor — tangy rhubarb tucked inside a simple old fashioned cake with a buttery cinnamon crumb topping that makes the whole house smell amazing.
The original recipe of this rhubarb cake was given to me by a sweet older lady the very first year we were married. I remember her telling me I must try it, but I don’t think I ever did.
Til now.
And, I’m telling you what – it’s SO DELICIOUS!
Why You’ll Love this Old Fashioned Rhubarb Cake Recipe
I’m a super fan of coffee cake, and this old fashioned rhubarb cake is similar to that. It’s an easy dessert made with diced rhubarb, a simple cake, and a crunchy sugary topping. It’s a wonderful way to use up fresh rhubarb from your garden. Our whole family loved it, and I think yours will, too!
It’s a great cake recipe that can be frozen, if you want to have it handy to use later.
Ingredients
(A printable recipe card with exact ingredient measurments is included below for your convenience.)
- Fresh rhubarb — cut into small pieces and lightly coated in flour to keep it from sinking to the bottom
- Softened butter — gives the cake its rich, tender crumb
- White sugar — sweetens the batter and balances the tartness of the rhubarb beautifully
- Egg — binds everything together and adds moisture
- Flour — the base of the cake; a small amount is also used to coat the rhubarb
- Baking soda — helps the cake rise up light and fluffy
- Buttermilk — the secret to that wonderfully moist, old fashioned texture (see the recipe card for a quick homemade substitute!)
Topping:
- Butter — keeps the topping rich and helps it crisp up in the oven
- Cinnamon — adds that warm, cozy spice that makes the whole kitchen smell incredible
- Brown sugar — creates the sweet, slightly caramelized crunch on top
Rhubarb Cake
This easy & delicious rhubarb recipe is an old fashioned Rhubarb Cake made coffee cake style.
Ingredients
- 2 cups rhubarb, cut in 1/2 inch pieces
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 1 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 2 cups flour
- **1 cup buttermilk (see substitution below)
- Topping:
- 1/4 cup butter
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 cup brown sugar
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle 2 Tablespoons flour over rhubarb pieces. Set aside.
Step 2: Blend together the butter, sugar egg, and 1 tsp flour using a mixer.
Step 3: In a separate bowl, stir together the baking soda and 2 cups flour.
Step 4: Alternately add 1 cup buttermilk and the flour mixture to the butter mixture in the mixing bowl.
Step 5: Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the rhubarb gently.
Step 6: Pour rhubarb cake batter into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan.
Step 7: Mix together the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the top of the batter.
Step 8: Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
Although I'm sure real buttermilk would be best, I've always made this cake with the substitue for buttermilk. Here's how to do it: substitute buttermilk by putting 1 tablespoon lemon juice in the bottom of a 1 cup measuring cup and add enough milk to make 1 cup.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 525Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 8gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 220mgCarbohydrates: 96gFiber: 2gSugar: 52gProtein: 7g
Photos of how to make this tender rhubarb coffee cake
1. Mix together the cake batter in a medium bowl. 
2.Stir in the rhubarb. 
3.Sprinkle on the coffee cake crumb topping.
(This picture was taken when the cake was hot and fresh out of the oven. It was so yummy hot and fresh, but it was also delicious and moist for the next few days.)
How to Serve & Store Rhubarb Cake
- For best results, let the cake cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
- This tender cake is delicious cold, and also delicious served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
- Store the cake tightly covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you want to store it longer than that, place in an airtight container and freeze.
Variations
Strawberry and rhubarb play together so well in desserts, so feel free to cut back on some of the rhubarb and add sliced strawberries with it.
Equipment
Disclosure: The following are Amazon affilate links for your shopping convenience.
I used my favorite Hamilton Beach stand mixer for this cake recipe, along with my favorite blue baking pan I got as a wedding gift. (I can’t find it online anymore but here’s something similar.)
(Don’t forget to check out my Amazon storefront for some of my favorite kitchen tools!)
Other Summer Recipes:
- My Mom’s Amazing Rhubarb Crisp
- This Baked Sticky Rhubarb Pudding is SO GOOD!!
- No Bake Cheesecake in Mason Jars
- Delicious Dessert
- Grandma Bernice’s Strawberry Pie with Jello
- Quick & Easy Blueberry Dump Cake
- Moist Vanilla Cake Recipe with Fresh Strawberry Icing
- Fresh Strawberry Bread with Crumble Topping (Easy Quick Bread Recipe)
- Chocolate Pudding Cake bakes up like magic with a pudding layer under chocolate cake!
PIN THIS RECIPE TO REMEMBER IT LATER:
What a delightful recipe! I love how rhubarb adds a unique zing to desserts. I tried a similar cake last spring, and it turned out wonderfully tangy. Have you ever thought of incorporating some spices like cinnamon?
Okay, this officially made me crave rhubarb cake 😄 Looks absolutely delicious!
Thanks for sharing about Easy Old Fashioned Rhubarb Cake Recipe!
Wow, this takes me right back to my grandmother’s kitchen! The tangy rhubarb and crumb topping combo is unbeatable.