German Rhubarb Streusel Cake
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This delicious German rhubarb streusel cake recipe features a wonderful moist and tender crumb with the sweet and tangy flavor of fresh rhubarb. Delicious on its own, with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or my homemade German vanilla sauce!
Mutti’s Rhubarb Cake
I grew up in Germany eating rhubarb every year when it was in season. My mom would bring it home from the farmer’s market and would make things like rhubarb compote, rhubarb crisp, rhubarb jam, and rhubarb cakes. Whatever she made with it, we loved it! The last several years we have been growing rhubarb in our garden and I look forward to it every season.
This German Rhubarb Streusel Cake, as with most German cakes, isn’t overly sweet and the tanginess of the rhubarb provides a nice contrast and balance. The buttermilk adds a nice bit of additional tang and makes the crumb so wonderfully moist and tender. Serve it with some vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and you’ll be in rhubarb cake heaven.
Where Did Rhubarb Originate?
Here’s just a little rhubarb history for those of you who, like me, are fascinated by this kind of stuff. Rhubarb goes back a long way. It has been used in Chinese medicine for thousands of years. Over the centuries the rhubarb trade increased and in Medieval Europe its value exceeded that of fine spices such as cinnamon and saffron! Rhubarb entered the U.S. in the 1820’s and has been enjoyed in the popular form of pies, crumbles, compote, and preserves ever since.
By the way, did you know that rhubarb is technically a vegetable? Yet interestingly it was designated as a fruit in the U.S. in a 1947 court ruling for the purposes of regulations and duties. What’s interesting is that even though rhubarb is a vegetable, it’s generally only used in sweet dishes as a fruit. Yet tomatoes, which are technically fruits, are generally only used in savory dishes as vegetables. Have any of you ever made or seen rhubarb served as a vegetable or tomatoes served as fruits? Chime in if you have!
One last interest tidbit about rhubarb from Wiki: “In British theater and early radio drama, the words “rhubarb, rhubarb” were repeated for the effect of unintelligible conversation in the background.” Pretty amusing, huh?
So grab some rhubarb and make this fantabulous German Rhubarb Buttermilk Streusel Cake! A tender and moist crumb with a delightful buttery streusel topping (which, incidentally, comes from the German verb “streuen,” which means to sprinkle or scatter) . This cake is truly lovely and it’s easy to make.
German Rhubarb Streusel Cake Recipe
Let’s get started!
Cream the butter and sugar in large mixing bowl with an electric mixer.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract. Beat until combined.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour, alternating the flour and buttermilk.
Be careful not to over-stir. Some lumps of flour will remain, and that’s okay.
Wash the rhubarb. Peel off the outer skin if it’s too tough. Dice the rhubarb and add it to the batter. Fold the rhubarb into the batter.
Spread the batter into a greased 8×8 inch square baking pan.
To make the streusel, combine the butter, sugar and flour in a bowl. Crumb the mixture between your fingers.
Evenly crumble the streusel over the batter.
Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees F for 35-45 minutes or until the streusel is a light golden brown in places and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean.
Let the cake cool before slicing it.
Serve with some ice cream, whipped cream, or my homemade German Vanilla Sauce, and you’re all set!
Enjoy!
For more delicious delicious rhubarb and other fruity recipes try my:
- Rhubarb Crisp
- Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
- Strawberry Rhubarb Jam
- Rhubarb Compote
- French Almond Plum Cake
- German Apple Cake
- German Plum Cake
- Limoncello Cake
- Cherry Marzipan Streusel Cake
- Pineapple Cake with Marzipan
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German Rhubarb Streusel Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 1/2 cups rhubarb diced
- For the streusel topping:
- 1/4 cup butter melted
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 8×8 inch square baking pan.
- Cream the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the vanilla extract and egg and beat until combined.In a small bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, and salt.Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the wet mixture, alternating with the buttermilk. Be careful not to over-stir. Some flour lumps will remain and that is okay. Stir in the rhubarb.Spoon the batter into the greased baking pan.
- To make the streusel topping, combine all the ingredients and crumble with your fingers. Evenly sprinkle the streusel topping over the cake batter. Bake the cake for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.Let the cake cool before cutting into squares. Serve with ice cream, whipped cream, or homemade German vanilla sauce.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet July 26, 2013
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Hi,
Could you use a spring form pan?
Thanks!
B
Hi Becky, yes you can!
Could you use frozen rhubarb? Or does it need to be thawed?
Hi Bonnie, to prevent the cake from being too wet let the rhubarb thaw first to allow the excess liquid to drain.
Thank you
This is my 4th or 5th time making this cake. It’s delicious and everyone I’ve ever served it to LOVES it. It’s super moist and not too sweet. So many Daring Gourmet recipes have become staples in our house and this is definitely one of them!
Thank you so much as always, Kitten, you’re a gem! :)
I have been making this cake for 2 years now. And I have shared this recipe many times to people who tried mine and had to have the recipe. It is the best use of rhubarb in any baked dessert by far that I gave found. Absolutely delicious and addictive. I have had people fight over the crumbs! Only change I gave made is to add more rhubarb than stated. Up to 4 cups is our preference. Thanks for the delicious recipe that has become a family fav!!!
Thank you so much, Beth, I’m thrilled it’s become a favorite!
Just ate my first piece of this deliciously moist coffee cake! It is still a bit warm which is good but I believe it will be even better at room temperature with some real whip cream or ice cream! Only change I made was added some chopped pecans to the streusel, because what isn’t a tiny bit better with toasted pecans right? Keeper recipe for sure! Thanks
Thank you, Jayne, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Such an amazing recipe. I never get tired of baking so adding this to my favorites.
Woah! Thanks for sharing the recipe, it looks delicious. Will make this recipe for my kids.
Woah! Thanks for sharing the recipe, it looks so great. Going to try this tommorow morning
we made this recipe twice this weekend it was so good. i have tried a few cake based recipes for rhubarb, but this one is by far the best. Everyone loved it so much including my son who is not a big cake fan. I added more rhubarb then listed. 3+ cups. I highly recommend this recipe.
I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that, Beth, thanks so much for the feedback!
This turned out perfectly, just like the pictures! I did accidentally add twice as much butter as the recipe calls for in the cake batter… whoops! I used about a cup of strawberries and reduced the rhubarb to about 1 3/4 cups, and reduced the sugar to about 3/4 cup to compensate for the sweetness of the strawberries.
This is definitely an easy, delicious recipe that I’ll make again! (I’ll try it with the right amount of butter next time. Ha!)
Wonderful, Josie, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! And adding twice the amount of butter probably wasn’t such a bad thing, lol :) Thanks so much for the feedback!
Hey Kimberly…I really glad to read your posts, and this perfect for treat, love your idea as well..Thanks for sharing….!
Can spelt flour be used or is this not a good choice?
Oh. I found the rhubarb at Whole Foods market
Spelt will work great, Pam. As with any whole grain it will be a bit coarser and drier, but whole grain is what I usually use for most baked goods. You “might” need to add just a tad bit more liquid since you’re using whole grains. I’m so glad you found the rhubarb!
I love rhubarb. Just can’t find it here in the south. Maybe I’m not checking in the right stores. Any clue
Hi Pam, I wish I had some suggestions but I’m in the PNW. Rhubarb season typically runs from April through September with its peak being mid-summer, but it does prefer cooler climates so it may just not be as readily available in the south. Perhaps some of our southern readers can chime in with suggestions.
Moist cakes r the best way to show ur professional baking skills!This looks perfect!
In Burmese cooking, there is a vegetable that is very like rhubarb and is used in stews and curry.
And in China I have often seen cherry tomatoes on top of birthday cakes!
That’s super interesting, Ruth, thanks for sharing!