The Best Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe With Sour Cream
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This rhubarb coffee cake with sour cream is the perfect mix of sweet and tart, topped with a crunchy streusel. Easy to make and a family favorite!
One of my favorite memories of early summer is rhubarb season. Growing up my Aunt would always bring over lots of fresh rhubarb from her garden and we would bake lots of rhubarb pies, rhubarb jam, and freeze lots to enjoy through the winter for easy desserts.
This is why I still always have rhubarb plants growing in my garden.
This rhubarb coffee cake recipe has to be one of my favorite summer desserts.
Even the pickiest eaters in my family love it and it’s easy to see why this moist cake is packed with the flavor of tangy rhubarb and topped with a brown sugar streusel, it’s the perfect balance of tart and sweet.
Ingredients
This easy rhubarb cake recipe uses simple pantry staple ingredients. The full list and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Rhubarb – You can use fresh rhubarb or frozen in this cake. Any type of rhubarb will work a red type like strawberry rhubarb will look pretty with little pink slices inside the cake but I often use green rhubarb or a mix.
All purpose flour – It’s used in both the cake and the topping.
White Sugar – Sugar is important to help balance out the tartness of the rhubarb.
Baking soda – Of course to help the cake rise.
Salt – To bring out the flavors of the other ingredients.
Sour cream – Adds moisture and richness to your cake.
Vanilla extract – Vanilla helps to enhance the flavor of your cake.
Brown sugar – Brown sugar makes the best topping it helps the streusel to hold together better and has a richer taste than white sugar.
Butter – You’ll want to soften the butter before adding it to the topping. It makes it easier to cut into the streusel topping.
Ground cinnamon – Helps to give a great flavor and warmth to the topping.
How To Make Rhubarb Coffee Cake
Get your oven preheating to 350F and grease your baking pan.
Wash your rhubarb under cool water and cut it into 1/2 inch pieces, you’ll need 3 cups of rhubarb, set it aside.
In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, white sugar, baking soda, and salt, and stir the flour mixture until well mixed.
Into the dry ingredients add in the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Mix with an electric mixer on medium speed until well blended.
The batter will be very thick, you might be tempted to add more liquid but don’t it will come from the rhubarb as it cooks.
Then fold in the rhubarb.
Pour the batter into your 9×13 pan and spread the mixture out evenly, set it aside.
Next, you’ll make the streusel crumb topping.
In a medium sized mixing bowl add the brown sugar, all purpose flour, and ground cinnamon, stir until it’s well combined. Then add the softened butter and stir or cut in the butter until it’s well combined and in small pea-sized pieces.
Spread the topping over the cake batter and bake for 45 minutes or until the center tests done. Remove the cake from the oven and let the cake cool until it’s just warm enough to eat.
Serving Ideas
This cake is a delicious treat on its own with a cup of coffee but it’s also great served with:
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream
- Whipped cream
- Carmel sauce drizzled over top
Can I Use Frozen Rhubarb?
Yes, frozen rhubarb works great in this recipe. Measure the rhubarb while it’s frozen and add it to the batter. Frozen rhubarb will shrink as it thaws and release a lot of liquid so it’s easier to measure before thawing.
If your rhubarb thaws before you bake the cake add the liquid from it into the cake batter, it needs the juice for moisture.
Can I Make This In A Stand Mixer?
Yes, you sure can, just use the paddle attachment in your mixer.
More Rhubarb Recipes
Rhubarb Coffee Cake With Sour Cream
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups white sugar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3 cups rhubarb diced
Streusel
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup butter softened
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Instructions
Cake
- Wash the rhubarb under cool water, then cut it into half-inch slices.
- Preheat oven to 350F and grease and flour a 9×13 baking dish.
- In a large mixing bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
- Stir in the eggs, vanilla and sour cream until smooth, then fold in the rhubarb.
- Pour the batter into your baking dish and spread evenly, set aside.
Topping
- Stir together the sugar, cinnamon and butter until smooth. Then add the flour and stir until the mixture is crumbly.
- Sprinkle on top of the cake and bake for 45 minutes or until the center tests done.
Notes
Nutrition
These values are from a nutritional database and automatically calculated, and should only be used as an approximation.
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Kim Mills is a homeschooling mom of 6 and lives on an urban homestead in Ontario, Canada. Blogging at Homestead Acres she enjoys sharing tips to help you save money, grow and preserve your own food.
