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Rhubarb Breakfast Cake

Rhubarb breakfast cake with tender, lightly sweet crumb and pockets of diced rhubarb, finished with a cinnamon crumble. Baked in a 9x9 pan so the topping sets into a golden layer for coffee cake-style slices.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
cooling 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings: 9 servings
Course: Breakfast
Cuisine: American
Calories: 330
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For cake
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup butter, melted
  • 1 egg
  • 0.75 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cup fresh rhubarb, diced
For topping
  • 0.33 cup brown sugar
  • 0.25 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp butter, cold
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Prep the pan and oven
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x9-inch baking pan so the cake releases cleanly.
Make the cake batter
  1. Whisk together all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
  2. Mix melted butter, egg, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth and uniform.
  3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined, then fold in fresh rhubarb, diced.
  4. Spread the batter into the prepared 9x9-inch baking pan in an even layer.
Add cinnamon crumble topping
  1. Mix brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and cinnamon, then cut in cold butter until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.
  2. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the batter so it bakes into a golden layer.
Bake and cool
  1. Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
  2. Cool for 15 minutes before serving warm so the crumb firms up slightly.

Notes

For the best rhubarb distribution, fold the fruit in gently right after mixing the batter so it doesn’t bleed too much. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 3 days; rewarm slices briefly in the microwave. Freezing is not recommended for best texture. For a simple dairy-light swap, use milk and butter that are plant-based (make sure the butter is solid/cold for the crumble).