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This Rhubarb Coffee Cake is topped with crunchy streusel and studded with rhubarb! An easy-to-make sheet cake recipe that’s perfect for spring and summer.

A piece of this Rhubarb Coffee Cake topped with whipped cream is the perfect ending for every summer meal. This rhubarb and streusel topped sheet cake is not only easy to make completely from scratch but it’s also a perfect dessert to make in advance. It tastes even better on the next day!

Why you’ll love this cake:

100% from scratch cake
a crunchy cookie-like streusel topping that bakes up into little cookie-like shortbread balls
filled with fresh rhubarb
bakes in a standard 9×13 cake pan

What does rhubarb taste like?

Did you know that rhubarb is a vegetable? Rhubarb on its own can taste a bit tart but when it’s cooked down with a bit of sugar or baked into a cake it becomes sweet with only a little bit of tartness left.

How do you make rhubarb coffee cake?

As a first step, slice the fresh rhubarb. You don’t have to remove the strings from the rhubarb for baking. If the stalk is large, you can slice it lengthwise in half to make two thinner pieces. Then simply slice it into pieces. Don’t make them any bigger than 1/2″ thick.

Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9×13-inch baking pan. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs. Mix for 3-4 minutes at medium speed until combined.
In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
With the mixer running at low speed, alternately add flour mixture and milk in two portions. Mix until just combined. Don’t overmix.
Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with sliced rhubarb and spread evenly.
To make the streusel, combine flour, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, and butter in a bowl. Mix for 2-3 minutes until all the flour is incorporated. Distribute the streusel evenly over the rhubarb.
Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

How do you store rhubarb cake?

The rhubarb keeps the cake moist and fresh so you could also make this cake one day in advance and store it covered at room temperature. Serve it with a big dollop of homemade whipped cream and you have the perfect summer dessert!

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

4.24 from 21 votes

This Rhubarb Coffee Cake is topped with crunchy streusel and studded with rhubarb! An easy-to-make sheet cake recipe that’s perfect for spring and summer.

Servings 20

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 5

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Ingredients

For the Cake:

1 cup salted butter room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1/2 cup milk
5 1/2 cups sliced fresh rhubarb sliced ¼ inch thick

For the Streusel Topping:

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 cup salted butter (cold, and cut into cubes)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment combine butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and eggs. Mix for 3-4 minutes at medium speed until combined.
In a small bowl combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
With the mixer running at low speed, alternately add flour mixture and milk in two portions. Mix until just combined. Don’t overmix.
Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with sliced rhubarb and spread evenly.
To make the streusel, combine flour, sugar, vanilla extract, salt, cinnamon, and cubed butter in a bowl. Mix for 2-3 minutes until all the flour is incorporated. Distribute the streusel evenly over the rhubarb.
Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool then serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Video

Notes

The calories shown are based on the cake being cut into 20 pieces, with 1 serving being 1 slice of cake. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**