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a piece of crumb cake on a plate
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4.80 from 5 reviews

Rhubarb Crumb Cake Recipe

Eileen Gray
Soft buttermilk cake loaded with fresh rhubarb & crowned with brown sugar crumb topping.
Prep Time30 minutes
Bake Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 15 minutes
Servings:16 portions

Ingredients

Crumb Topping

  • 6 ¾ oz cake flour (1 ½ cups, see note)
  • 5 ¼ oz brown sugar (⅔ cup)
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 4 oz unsalted butter (room temperature)

Cake Batter

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 yolk
  • 6 oz buttermilk (¾ cup, divided)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 9 oz cake flour (2 cups)
  • 6 oz granulated sugar (¾ cup)
  • 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 4 oz butter (room temperature)
  • 1 pound rhubarb (cut into ½" dice (about 3 cups))

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Butter and flour a 9" square cake pan. Cut an 8"x16" piece of parchment paper and line the pan in one direction, leaving a short overhang on each side.

Crumb Topping

  • Combine 6 ¾ oz cake flour, 5 ¼ oz brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon ground ginger into the bowl of a stand mixer or into a large mixing bowl. Mix on low speed until completely combined. With the mixer running, add 4 oz unsalted butter in chunks and continue to mix until the topping looks like wet sand. Remove from the mixer and transfer to a small bowl by squeezing handfuls to create large clumps. Set aside while you mix the batter.

Batter

  • Combine 1 large egg, 1 yolk, 6 oz buttermilkalf the buttermilk and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a small bowl and set aside.
  • Sift 9 oz cake flour, 6 oz granulated sugar, 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, and ¼ teaspoon salt into the bowl of a stand mixer or into a large mixing bowl. With the mixer running on low speed, add 4 oz butter and the remaining buttermilk. Mix until completely combined. Scrape the bowl and beater. Mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes to lighten the batter.
  • Scrape the bowl and add the egg mixture in two batches, scraping between additions. Remove 1 cup of the batter and spread it into the pan. By hand, fold the rhubarb into the remaining batter. Spread the batter with the rhubarb into the pan.
  • Sprinkle the crumb topping over the batter, breaking it into marble sized clumps as you scatter it over the cake batter.
  • Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45-50 minutes. Cool at least 30 minutes in the pan. Use the parchment to carefully lift the cake out of the pan.
  • Cool completely on a wire rack

Notes

If measuring the flour by volume use the “dip & sweep” method. That is, dip the measuring cup into the flour bin, overfill it, then sweep away the excess.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 301kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 179mg | Potassium: 150mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 433IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 1mg