This rhubarb crumble breakfast cake is part tart, part sweet, and entirely delicious. With oats, yogurt, whole wheat flour, and maple syrup, it's practically a healthy breakfast. However, it also makes a good snack any time of day and is a quick bake when you've got rhubarb to use up.
A few years ago, a generous friend divided up her rhubarb plant and shared some with me to plant in my own garden. Now, each spring, I look forward to seeing it sprout back up when warmer weather arrives.
Rhubarb is an interesting fruit (I mean vegetable), but browse just a few recipes, and you'll notice that people tend to smother it in sugar. Yeah, it has a tart flavor - and yeah, I absolutely hated it as a kid - but with too much sweetness, you lose its charm and flavor. So when I cook with rhubarb, and in this rhubarb crumble cake recipe in particular, you'll find that I go easy with the sugar. It may be cake, but it doesn't taste overwhelmingly sweet.
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For some more of my rhubarb recipes, check out my Rhubarb Banana Bread for a less sweet option. This Cherry Rhubarb Pie is great for dessert, while my Rhubarb Apple Chutney makes a fantastic, not-too-sweet condiment for grilled meat. Of course, there's never a bad time for making a Ginger Rhubarb Gin Cocktail.
I have several other cake recipes you may like as well, including this Carrot Cake sweetened with dates, a Pear and Cardamom Cake coated in caramel, or this more unique Parsnip Cake with orange.
🧾Ingredients
Key Ingredients
- Rhubarb: The star of the cake, and when it bakes, it creates pockets of tart jamminess. You can use fresh or frozen rhubarb. If using frozen, thaw and squeeze out some of the water first.
- Rolled oats: Add texture and fiber to this cake, and they are one of the reasons why this cake works well as a breakfast and not just a dessert
- Whole-wheat flour: Offers more nutritional value and a deeper, nuttier flavor. If you only have all-purpose flour, that works too.
- Ginger: Makes a great pairing with rhubarb
- Greek yogurt: Helps keep the cake super moist. Don't substitute regular yogurt; it's too runny. But you could use sour cream if you prefer.
- Maple syrup: I use real maple syrup as the main sweetener for this cake. Not only is it a better choice, but it also helps to keep the sweetness dialed in.
- Brown sugar: For the sweet and crumbly topping.
See the recipe card below for the complete list of ingredients and quantities.
🍓Substitutions and Variations
Wheat flour: Instead of whole wheat flour, you can use all-purpose flour or a combination of the two.
Brown sugar:
Strawberry rhubarb: You can substitute half of the rhubarb for sliced strawberries if you're a fan of the classic strawberry rhubarb combo.
Dessert: If serving for dessert instead of breakfast, you can sweeten things up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream served over a warm slice of the cake.
🔪 Instructions
- Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.
- Step 2: In a second bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients.
- Step 3: Pour the wet into the dry and use a spatula to gently combine until completely blended.
- Step 4: Add the chopped rhubarb and fold it into the batter.
- Step 5: Spread the batter into a greased baking dish.
- Step 6: In a bowl, combine the crumble ingredients until you have crumbs.
- Step 7: Sprinkle the crumble over the cake batter.
- Step 8: Don't skimp on those crumbles. Make sure the cake is well covered.
- Step 9: Bake the rhubarb crumb cake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until cooked through.
- Step 10: Serve the cake warm with extra brown sugar, cinnamon, and pecans.
✨ Top Tips
- Make sure to use cold butter when making the crumble topping so that it retains some of its texture when baking.
- This is a very wet cake batter. Because of that, the crumb topping may dissolve into the batter and not be quite as crumbly. That's why I set aside some brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans to sprinkle over the cake after baking, to ensure there is still some crunch.
🍰Storage
Since it's such a moist cake, I suggest storing it in the fridge rather than at room temperature. In the fridge, it should keep for up to four days.
📋FAQ
Frozen rhubarb would work fine here. Just proceed with the recipe as written.
Rhubarb has a refreshingly tart or sour taste. On its own, it's probably not that tasty, but in a cake with a bit of sugar, it's well-balanced. It tends to melt down during cooking, and in this cake it creates pockets of gooeyness that I think you'll enjoy.
No, there's no need to peel your rhubarb. Just chop it into bite-sized chunks, and it'll cook down in the oven.
🍵 Pairing
Print
📖 Recipe
Rhubarb Crumble Breakfast Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 9 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This rhubarb crumble breakfast cake is the perfect balance of tart and sweet. With oats, yogurt, whole wheat flour, and maple syrup, it's practically a healthy breakfast.
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- ½ cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup maple syrup
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the pan
- 2 cups chopped rhubarb
For the streusel topping:
- 6 tablespoons light brown sugar
- ¼ cup wheat flour
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment or coat well with cooking spray.
- In a large bowl, stir together the oats, flour, baking powder, salt, and ginger. In another bowl, whisk the yogurt, milk, eggs, vanilla, maple syrup, and oil until smooth.
- Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry and stir just until incorporated. Add the rhubarb and fold into the batter. Pour the batter into the baking dish.
- Make the crumble topping. Combine all but 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and the pecans in a small bowl. Set aside the reserved ingredients in a second small bowl. Use your hands to work the mixture together until you have coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the cake batter with the crumble topping.
- Bake the cake for 35 - 40 minutes or until completely set and when a knife stuck into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool briefly.
- Meanwhile, mix together the remaining topping ingredients in the second bowl. Sprinkle this over the slightly cooled cake and serve warm.
Notes
You can use all-purpose flour if you don't have whole wheat handy.
The cake is best warm, so serve as soon as you can or briefly reheat before serving.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Breakfast
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
K says
Can you use frozen rhubarb? You won’t find fresh in the stores down here!
Steve says
I think frozen rhubarb would work fine!
Rebecca says
I agree, most rhubarb recipes are nasty - but not this one! I used regular yoghurt in place of the Greek yoghurt and milk, added some almonds to the topping, and used even more rhubarb. Tasty for my whole family, thanks!
Steve says
Thanks, Rebecca! Happy you enjoyed the cake.