This rhubarb crumb cake is soft, buttery, and topped with crunchy streusel crumbs. An easy rhubarb coffee cake recipe perfect for spring baking. Ready in 1 hour!
Rhubarb crumb cake is one of the easiest and most comforting cakes to bake during rhubarb season.
Crumb cakes and fruit streusel cakes are especially popular in Germany and Central Europe, where seasonal baking with rhubarb, plums, cherries, or apples is common during spring and summer.
If you enjoy baking with rhubarb, try this Rhubarb and Ginger Cake or Rhubarb Apple Crisp.
For more sweet and savory ideas, see these Rhubarb Recipes.
Ingredients: 9 + salt | Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 45 minutes | Servings: 24 | Difficulty: Easy
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Recipe ingredients
Rhubarb: You will need about 750 g/ 1.7 lbs cleaned rhubarb stalks, cut into small pieces. Discard the leaves; they are poisonous.
- Fresh rhubarb works best, but frozen rhubarb can also be used. Defrost it in a sieve and pat it dry before adding it to the cake.
Crumb topping: This is my favorite basic streusel recipe because it is easy to remember:
- 2 parts flour
- 1 part sugar
- 1 part butter
For this cake:
- 300 g flour
- 150 g sugar
- 150 g butter
Cold butter creates larger, crispier crumbs, while melted butter gives softer, finer crumbs. Both versions are delicious, but I prefer using cold butter for more texture.
Extra flavor: Add a pinch of salt and a little vanilla extract for extra flavor. You can also add cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, or allspice.
- Try this Apple and Rhubarb Crumble, too.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make rhubarb crumb cake?
- Step #1: Clean and chop the rhubarb stalks and set them aside.
- Step #2: Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add cold butter pieces and vanilla extract. Rub with your fingers or mix briefly with a dough hook until crumbs form. Place the crumbs in the refrigerator while preparing the batter.
Tips: Work it with the electric mixer (dough attachment) or your hands until you get coarse crumbs (the link opens in a new tab). If working with your hands, ensure they are also cold. Place the topping in the fridge while you make the batter.
- Step #3: Beat butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy.
- Step #4: Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in vanilla extract.
- Step #5: Mix flour and baking powder separately. Add the dry ingredients and yogurt alternately and mix briefly.
- Step #6: Spread the batter onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Step #7: Scatter the rhubarb evenly on top. Cover with the crumb topping.
- Step #8: Bake for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and crisp on top.
Variations
- You can swap the rhubarb for pretty much any other fruit or berry. For example, I love making similar streusel-topped cakes with peaches or nectarines, plums, cherries, mixed berries, etc.
- For a strawberry rhubarb version, replace half the rhubarb with sliced strawberries. Or make this delicious Strawberry Rhubarb Tart.
Good to know!
Measurements: Using a digital kitchen scale gives the most reliable baking results, especially for crumb toppings and sheet cakes.
Make ahead: You can bake the cake one day ahead. Once cooled, cover it loosely with a kitchen towel. The crumbs will soften slightly over time, but you can refresh them in the oven for about 10 minutes before serving.
More crumb cakes: German Apple Crumble Cake, Coconut and Cherry Cake, and Cherry Crumb Pie.
Storage
Keep leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freezing: The cake freezes very well. Freeze the cooled slices first on a tray, then transfer them to freezer bags or containers. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To serve, thaw at room temperature or warm briefly in the oven until slightly crisp again.
How to serve?
Serve the cake slightly warm or at room temperature. Cut it into 12 large pieces or 24 smaller ones and serve it lukewarm or at room temperature.Â
It is especially good with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, German Vanilla Sauce, coffee, or tea.
Rhubarb Crumb Cake
Equipment
- Baking sheet about 12x16 inches/ 30x40 cm
- Mixer with dough attachments and beaters
Ingredients
- 1.6 lbs rhubarb Note 1
Crumb topping:
- 2½ cups all purpose flour Note 2
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- â…” cup unsalted butter chilled
- pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Batter:
- 1 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- pinch salt
- 3 eggs large
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ cup + 1 Tbsp Greek yogurt 5.5 oz, Note 3
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/ 180°C. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Rhubarb: Clean and chop into pieces about 1.5-2 cm/ ½ - 1 inch. Set it aside. 1.6 lbs rhubarb
Crumb topping:
- Mix flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut cold butter into small pieces and add them to the bowl. Add vanilla extract. Work with the mixer fitted with the dough attachment or with your cold hands. Place the topping in the fridge while you make the batter (Note 4). 2½ cups all purpose flour + ¾ cup granulated sugar + ⅔ cup unsalted butter + pinch salt + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cake batter:
- Wet ingredients: Beat soft butter, sugar, and salt until light and fluffy with the mixer fitted with the beaters. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well in between, about 1 minute per egg. Stir in vanilla extract.1 cup unsalted butter + 1 cup + 2 tablespoon granulated sugar + pinch salt + 3 eggs + 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add dry ingredients: Mix flour and baking powder in another bowl. Add them to the batter together with the yogurt and mix briefly. 2¼ cups all-purpose flour + 2 teaspoons baking powder + ½ cup + 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
Bake:
- Spread the batter on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with rhubarb and top with crumbs.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until the crumbs are golden brown and slightly crunchy (Note 5).
Notes
- You can substitute rhubarb with pretty much any fruit or berries you like, for example, peaches or nectarines, plums, cherries, apples, currants, mixed berries, and so on.
- Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking; it guarantees the best results (the Amazon link opens in a new tab).
- Butter: For sandier, crumblier crumbs, melt the butter in a small pot and mix it with the flour, sugar, and salt using a fork.Â
- Substitute yogurt with sour cream.
- Reheat: If desired, the cake can be reheated in the oven; the procedure makes it nice and fresh again. Leftovers can be frozen for up to three months.
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