This Rhubarb Streusel Cake recipe is just like Grandma used to make! It’s the perfect tender cake recipe with fresh rhubarb and a sweet and crispy streusel topping, and it’s absolutely lovely with a cup of coffee or tea!
Like the look of this recipe? You’ll love this Chocolate Layer Cake or this Classic Carrot Cake!
This Rhubarb Streusel Cake recipe is so easy to make and it’s perfect for beginning bakers because it’s really hard to mess up. It’s tender and moist with a sweet and crunchy streusel topping with just a hint of warmth from a little cinnamon. My grandma used to make different versions of this cake all summer long at the lake using whatever fruit she had on hand of course, so making streusel cakes likes this always makes me think of her.
This Rhubarb Streusel Cake is so moist and the tang of the rhubarb is perfectly balanced out by the sweetness of the streusel topping. Desserts like this stand the test of time, and for good reason. It just doesn’t get any better than good old butter and sugar and really, why would you even try to modernize something so simple and tasty? Sometimes you just need a good, old-fashioned cake like Grandma used to make! I know you’re going to love this recipe!
Like this recipe? You’ll love these Old Fashioned Cinnamon Sugar Baked Donuts or this Blueberry Nectarine Cobbler!
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I hope you enjoyed this Rhubarb Streusel Cake recipe! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite old-fashioned, tried and true dessert?
Looking for even more delicious desserts? Check out these below!
This Easy No Bake Tiramisu Icebox Cake contains no raw eggs or alcohol, but it’s got all the flavors of a traditional Tiramisu!
This No Bake Black Forest Icebox Cake is SO easy to make and it’s made with fresh cherries!
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Rhubarb Streusel Cake
This Rhubarb Streusel Cake recipe is just like Grandma used to make! It's the perfect tender cake recipe with fresh rhubarb and a sweet and crispy streusel topping, and it's absolutely lovely with a cup of coffee or tea!
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Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 342kcal
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream full fat is best
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter for greasing the cake pan
- 2 1/2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb
For the streusel topping:
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 4 tbsp melted butter
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wash 3-4 stalks of rhubarb and chop them into bite sized pieces (you'll need about 2 and a half cups of chopped rhubarb to cover the cake.). Set them aside in a bowl while you prepare the cake batter.
- Add the butter and the sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer and beat them together until the mixture is fluffy and becomes a pale colour (about 4-5 minutes). It's important that the butter is at room temperature before you begin. This will allow it to integrate properly with the other wet ingredients.
- Feel free to use a hand mixer if you prefer.
- Add the eggs and the vanilla and beat them in on medium speed until the mixture is smooth. It's a good idea to scrape down the bowl periodically to make sure everything is incorporated evenly.
- Add the milk and sour cream and beat in these ingredients on low speed until they're combined.
- To a separate bowl add the flour, the baking powder and the salt and mix these ingredients together with a fork or a wire whisk. Once they're all incorporated, dump the flour mixture into the bowl of the stand mixer with the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer on low and watch the batter come together. As soon as you see the batter form with streaks of flour throughout, turn off the mixer and remove the bowl.
- Over-mixing at this stage can cause an overly dense and dry cake with large air bubbles, which you definitely don't want. Using a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl by hand and gently fold in the remaining flour. Be sure to stop folding as soon as everything is combined.
- Grease a 9x13 rectangular glass cake pan with some butter and pour the batter into the pan, using the spatula to push the batter into the corners and even out the surface. Don't worry, the batter will seem thick but it's supposed to be like that.
- Spread the rhubarb over the top of the batter.
- In a clean bowl mix together the flour, sugar and cinnamon for the streusel topping. Add in the melted butter and mix everything together with a fork until the mixture becomes crumbly.
- Sprinkle the streusel mixture over the cake and the rhubarb, making sure to spread it at evenly as possible and into all the corners.
- Bake the cake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 47-50 minutes. When it's finished baking the topping will be slightly browned on top, the rhubarb will be bubbly, and when you insert a toothpick into the centre of the cake it will come out clean.
- Try to let the cake cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before cutting into it...if you can wait that long!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 342kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 65mg | Sodium: 108mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 528IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @busybakerblog or tag #busybaker!
*This recipe is one I came up with by adapting two recipes I’ve made many times: joyofbaking.com’s Blueberry Cake and Chef Anna Olson’s Raspberry Ricotta Buckle.
Sue/the view from great island says
This is gorgeous, wish I had a piece right now for breakfast — pinned!
Chrissie says
Thanks Sue!
The Busy Baker says
Thanks!
Trish @ Rhubarbarians says
Oh man. You KNOW I'm drooling over this one! I'll take the whole pan please!
Chrissie says
Thanks Trish!!
Renee says
This looks delicious Chrissy! I love the tart sweet taste of rhubarb.
Chrissie says
Thanks so much Renee! Me too 🙂
Simi says
Very tasty, my boyfriend was more than delighted as he's a big fun of rhubarb:)I have promised him to bake another one soon:)
Chrissie says
That's great! So glad you enjoyed it!
Jeanne says
This looks really good to me, but there’s a dairy allergy in my house. Any ideas on what I could use to sub out the sour cream? If not, would substituting my own basic white cake recipe work for that portion of your recipe? I have two big rhubarb plants going crazy right now so I’m looking for lots of new rhubarb recipes to try. Thanks for any suggestions you might have.
Chrissie says
Great question! I’ve actually had success with substituting the sour cream for a dairy-free yogurt and a small splash of lemon juice (to replace the acidity of the sour cream). But you could also substitute your own cake recipe for the base if you’d like. I know you’ll love this recipe! 😉
Raynette says
can you make this with frozen rhubarb
Chrissie says
Absolutely! I do all the time 🙂
Rhonda says
Is there a printer friendly version of this recipe?
Chrissie says
Hi Rhonda, I recently had my site redesigned and I’m in the process of making all my recipes printable. This one is next on my list and I’ll get it done for you as soon as I can 🙂 Thanks for your patience!
Doris Annemarie Smith says
I am looking for the print option as well
Doris
Chrissie says
The print button is at the top of the recipe card (big yellow box), just under the photo. It says “Print”. Just click it and it should open a window with the printable recipe!
Johanne says
Made this cake today and it was a success. Thanks for sharing!!
Chrissie says
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake!
Lori J Jankowski says
I’ve been trying different recipes using fresh rhubarb lately, Chrissie (love when it’s in season). My most recent is this one, and it was thoroughly enjoyed by my family! So much so that I’m about to make it again this afternoon!
The Busy Baker says
I also love to cook with fresh seasonal ingredients!! Hope it went out well!😊
Ellen says
If using frozen rhubarb, does it need to be thawed before use?
The Busy Baker says
Yes, that’s how i do it too! Let me know how it was 😊
Lesley says
I made this today for 25 aged care residents and everyone absolutely loved it. Thankyou for a beautiful desert.💛
The Busy Baker says
You’re welcome! So glad they loved it! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment! 🙂
Sarah says
Stop whatever you are doing right now and make this cake! It is divine. Everyone in my family loved it, from the sweet tooth to the non-cake eater. I used plain yogurt instead of sour cream (because I didn’t have any), and it still turned out amazing.
The Busy Baker says
You are so sweet! Thank you so much Sarah!! We love this cake recipe too!🙂
Lana says
Can you use almond milk instead of milk
Ana Ghiran says
Sure thing! I do it all the time because my husband is lactose intolerant.
Mary says
This looks amazing and I will definitely be making it but wonder about your comment of substituting other fruits. Any tips for doing that? What other fruits work well and do you simply substitute? e.g do you think it would work to substitute 2 1/2 cups of apples, blueberries, or peaches? Thank you so much for sharing this recipe and answering questions!
Ana Ghiran says
Thank you for your question. I actually have streusel cake recipes containing apples and peaches(you can also just substitute blueberries). I’m linking them below for you.
https://thebusybaker.ca/caramel-apple-streusel-cake/
https://thebusybaker.ca/peach-streusel-cake/
Marla says
Not fans of rhubarb so can anything else be substituted?
Chrissie says
Yes, chopped apples work well!
Andrea says
Awesome. Added some oats to topping
The Busy Baker says
Nice! Thanks for the comment!
Minnie says
I’m glad I came across this recipe. It is perfect in every way. The amount of sugar is just right to complement the tartness of the rhubarb. The cake is moist and light.
The Busy Baker says
Thanks Minnie! I know we love this recipe too!😊
Alana Cantil says
Hi! Beautiful photo. I’ve got lots of rhubarb but not a lot of time in the mornings. Can this be baked/made ahead of time and reheated the following morning for breakfast? Thanks.
Chrissie says
Yes, you can absolutely reheat it!