Streusel-Topped Buttermilk Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe

Do you grow (and love) rhubarb? Looking for more great ways to use it? Then, this is a recipe you’ll definitely want in your recipe box.

Jump to:

• Why Rhubarb?
• Why Streusel-Topped Buttermilk Rhubarb Coffee Cake?
• Streusel Top Buttermilk Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe
• Ingredients:
• Instructions:
• Streusel-Topped Buttermilk Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe

Why Rhubarb?

Rhubarb is a perennial plant that produces loads of delicious, tart stalks. It is low maintenance. With a mulch layer and a bit of compost in the fall, you can almost forget about it for most of the year (though the plants should be divided every few years to keep them large and growing strong).

Rhubarb is also nutritious. It contains a high level of Vitamin K, fiber comparable to oranges and apples, and contains moderate levels of Vitamin C. Rhubarb is high in antioxidants, too!

Did you know?
Rhubarb used to be called “pie plant” because it was primarily used to make pies in early America. The plant was brought to the Americas from Europe, where it has been enjoyed for eons. Rhubarb remains popular around the world, though maybe less than it used to be. Great recipes like this one are sure to shine a bright light back on this easy-care, delicious, nutritious vegetable (which many consider a fruit, but it’s not)!

Why Streusel-Topped Buttermilk Rhubarb Coffee Cake?

This recipe is quick and easy to prepare. It only takes about 15 minutes to prep the batter, and then about 35 minutes to bake the cake. You can serve it warm or cool, so it’s a versatile dessert or snack.

The best part about this cake is it is moist, with a light streusel layer (that’s not too much and not too crumbly but lends a nice touch of spice). It puts a new twist on baking with rhubarb.

The cake keeps well, for several days, but that’s hard to tell because it doesn’t last long enough to test the theory!

You can also make this into muffins – a quick, delicious morning grab-n-go with some vitamins and nutritional boost.

This recipe can also be prepared with previously frozen rhubarb.

Streusel Top Buttermilk Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe

On to what you’re here for – here's the recipe for this Streusel-Topped Buttermilk Rhubarb Coffee Cake!

• Oven temp: 350 F, 176.6 C
• Pan size: 13x9 cake pan
• Baking time: 35 to 40 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 cups rhubarb, chopped small (use fresh or frozen; see notes for frozen below)
• ½ cup plus 1 ⅓ cup sugar, divided
• 1 cup softened butter (2 sticks)
• 4 eggs
• 3 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ cups buttermilk or sour milk (can make using vinegar or substitute yogurt or sour cream)

For the streusel topping:

• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F (176.6 C).
2. Prepare your cake pan. Spray with baking spray or grease and flour the pan. Set aside until ready to use.
3. Wash and chop rhubarb into small, diced pieces.

4. Combine one-half cup of the sugar with the chopped rhubarb. Set aside.
5. Sift the following ingredients together in a separate bowl: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
6. With an electric mixer or in a stand mixer, cream together the butter and the remaining 1 ⅓ cups sugar. Mixture should be light and fluffy.
7. Add eggs one at a time. Beat after each addition until light, fluffy, and uniform.
8. Add the vanilla extract and mix through to combine.
9. Now, add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, alternating for an even mix. Start with part of the dry sifted ingredients, then add some buttermilk. Repeat until all are used, ending with the buttermilk. The batter should be smooth and consistent.
10. Fold the rhubarb and sugar mixture into the batter with a spoon (not with a mixer!).
11. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
12. Prepare the streusel topping. Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together with a fork.
13. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the batter evenly.
14. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until done. (Test with a toothpick or cake tester inserted near the middle; the cake is done when the tester comes out clean).

*For a smaller cake, cut ingredients in half and bake in a 9-inch square, round, or bundt cake pan. Reduce baking time to 25 to 30 minutes.

How to prepare using frozen rhubarb

To make this recipe using frozen rhubarb, do the following:

• Remove the rhubarb from the freezer and measure the rhubarb while still frozen
• Thaw the rhubarb completely
• Drain the juices off in a colander
• Do not press the rhubarb to remove extra liquid
• Use the drained rhubarb in place of the fresh rhubarb, as instructed

How to make Streusel Topped Buttermilk Rhubarb Muffins

• Prepare the batter as above
• Instead of baking in a 9x13 pan, portion the batter into prepared muffin tins (grease the tins or use paper muffin wrappers)
• Sprinkle the cinnamon and brown sugar streusel over the tops of each muffin
• Bake as directed, but reduce the baking time to 20 to 25 minutes and start checking the muffins at 20 minutes for doneness
• Muffins are done when a toothpick or cake tester inserted in the center of the muffin in the middle of the pan comes out clean
• Let cool in muffin tins for 5 minutes before removing

Want to make it Strawberry-Rhubarb Coffee Cake?

You can do that, too!

Here’s a recipe to convert this to a Strawberry-Rhubarb Buttermilk Coffee Cake that you can make with either fresh or frozen berries and rhubarb.

Enjoy!!