Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe • theVintageMixer.com

Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe

Written by Becky

We came home from our trip to San Diego to a flourishing garden, including tall stalks of rhubarb ready to be harvested. Last year, I sorted through all of my grandma’s spiral bound recipe notebooks and ear marked recipes I wanted to try out.  This rhubarb coffee cake was one of them.   The recipe turned out to be super simple and the rhubarb was just tart enough to balance the sweetness of the cake.  With a cup of smooth coffee, breakfast was served.

I got out my newly gifted tea towels by Janet Morrin, perfectly vintage looking, to set out the coffee cake. Today I’ll be giving away one tea towel of your choosing.  See the end of the post for details.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal

A lot is happening in our friend groups and church right now. Two friends of our just had babies so I delivered them coffee cake and fruit for breakfast.  The memories are still so fresh of the difficulties of managing even a simple breakfast with a newborn.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal

Also, this weekend we had a women’s gathering for our church as week talked about Pentecost and the past and present meaning of the church holiday.  Pentecost is a holiday that for many years has almost gone forgotten in the modern church.  A few friends and I set out to change that in our small congregation. We wanted to learn about the significance of the holiday and to honor it within our community.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal

If you don’t know much about Pentecost, you’re in good company, because I didn’t either. I learned that it was a holiday to honor the giving of the law and commandments to the Israelites on Mt. Sinai.  After hearing these words of how to live, Jews continued to bring meaning to that day by giving their first fruits of harvest and having large gatherings on the day of Pentecost. Some then began to call Pentecost the Harvest Festival.

Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal

The one thing many of us recall about Pentecost was that in the early church, the Holy Spirit was given to believers on that day. So the day when many used to give of their harvest in honor of the law, became a day of liberation and a new birthday to the church as the believers now had God’s spirit with them as they went out into the world to share the good news of God’s love and grace.

This holiday that is so easily ignored now has new meaning and significance for me.  I hope to bring honor to God, as the Jews did, when I harvest up the first fruits of my garden and I hope to fully embrace and further understand the role of the Holy Spirit in my life.

Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.  The mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.  -Romans 8:6

Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe • theVintageMixer.com #eatseasonal

More Rhubarb Recipes:

Strawberry Rhubarb Coconut Crisp
Noodles with Kale and Spicy Rhubarb Sauce by Naturally Ella
Strawberry Rhubarb Jam by Mountain Mama Cooks
Strawberry Rhubarb Yogurt Parfaits by Cookie and Kate
Strawberry Rhubarb Stuffed French Toast by Completely Delicious

Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe • theVintageMixer.com

Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe

A simple coffee cake recipe perfect for using spring rhubarb.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 cup coconut oil, or butter
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, white whole wheat or all purpose also work
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 tablespoon chia seeds, optional
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped into 1/4 inch slices

topping

  • 1/4-1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup nuts, I used hazelnuts
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, optional

Instructions
 

  • In a stand mixer cream together the coconut oil or butter along with the brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time.
  • In a separate bowl, mix together the dry ingredients - flour, salt, baking powder and chia seeds. The chia seeds are totally optional.
  • Add in the dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk.
  • Fold in rhubarb.
  • Pour batter into a greased and parchment lined 9 inch springform pan (you can also use a 9 x 13 inch rectangle pan or a 9 inch round pan.
  • Mix together the additional sugar, nuts, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle this mixture ontop of the batter.
  • Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve warm.

GIVEAWAY: These beautiful tea towels are made by Janet Morrin.  You can find her designs at her etsy shop.  Leave a comment for a chance to win a tea towel.  Winner will be announced on Wednesday Rebecca from Strength and Sunshine is the winner!

Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe

Comments (57)

    • Abby, it was so refreshing to learn some new things over the weekend. And it’s fun to hear that more churches are paying attention to Pentecost. Thanks for stopping by my blog – it’s great to meet you!

  1. Wow, I never would have thought about using Rhubarb in a coffee cake. That’s so neat-I’m going to have to try it. The only thing I’ve made with rhubarb has been pie so it will be interesting (and delicious) to expand my horizons!

    • Meena, you’ll have to check out the blog Naturally Ella for more rhubarb recipes – she does lots of savory recipes with it too! I have a few on here – a crisp, oatmeal with strawberries and rhubarb and baked french toast with strawberries and rhubarb. Lately, I’ve especially been enjoying baking with rhubarb outside of it’s strawberry pairing!

  2. I have a bag of rhubarb just waiting to be baked into something delish–this looks like the perfect recipe

    • Oh Emily… you must!!! You will fall in love with it. If you don’t tend to like tart things you may mix it with strawberries but in this cake it just adds a slight tart flavor to the sweet cake. Let me know when you have your first rhubarb taste – I want to hear what you think!

  3. i love rhubarb anything and that coffeecake looks like another winner.

    Thanks for teaching me what Pentecost is about.

  4. Thank you for explaining the meaning of Pentecost. The coffee cake looks delicious, and the tea towels are beautiful!

  5. I am a fairly new follower to your blog and have been loving your recipes. I can’t wait to try this one. Rhubarb can be tricky for me. And those tea towels…outstanding!

    • Amanda, I’m so glad you visited my blog! Rhubarb is good and tart so it pairs perfectly with sweeter foods like this cake or strawberries. Hope you enjoy it!

    • Susan, I love rhubarb too! And I’m using it more by itself lately, without strawberry and a lot of sweetener. It’s actually really good, in its natural tart state.

  6. My mom has those green and white bowls! I want them now. Wonder what will be the things our kids get a kick out of. Immersion blenders? The towels are sweet. Love your blog Becky.

  7. What a pleasannt find…searching for something to make for fellowship. I was led to rhubarb, and blessed by scripture.
    Thank you, I look forward to making this this coming weekend, with rhubarb from my grandma’s patch that is over a hundred years and still growing!

    • How incredible that your grandma has a 100 year old rhubarb patch. I’m honored you’re using my recipe and encouraged that you enjoyed the scripture!

  8. I loved learning about Pentecost, I grew up nondenominational Christian and never knew much of Pentecost. And for the food, rhubarb is amazing and I’ve never cared for stawbewrries (one of the few who doesn’t like strawberries, weird I know ) and this coffee cake is AMAZING!! I know what I’ll be doing this weekend 😉

    • Kassandrah, I grew up similarly and never really even heard about Pentecost. It’s such a fascinating event!! I have so much to learn. And as for rhubarb – I’ve also been enjoying it outside of it’s strawberry counterpart 🙂

  9. This is one of your most beautiful posts, Becky. I am not much of a pre-breakfast prepped or baker but I do connect with the first fruits of gardening concept, and you may have encouraged me to try out the cake ❤️

  10. The rhubarb cake looks wonderful. I’m going to go and cut some now and make it! I like to cut the rhubarb into one inch chunks and add about two cups of water and cook it til it breaks down. Then I add a box of strawberry jello. Yum!is very nice when strawberries are not in season. My Mom taught me that. Feeding a bushel of children makes you creative.About Pentecost. Jesus had told the disciples to go and wait in Jerusalem on Pentecost when the Isrealite nation would be gathered to give thanks. This is in the book of Acts. The Apostles were given the Holy Spirit in order to be able to communicate the gospel to the Isrealite nation..the fact that Jesus.. whom they had just crucified was the Messiah. The Christ that had been foretold in the old testament. Then they asked what they should do..Acts 2:38 and its the same for everyone today…. “Repent and be immersed for the forgiveness of your sins and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

  11. Matthew 28:18.20 Jesus himself, after his resurrection spoke to them saying: “All authority has been given me in heaven and on the earth. Go therefore and make disciples of people of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy. Spirit, teaching them to observe all the things I have commanded you…

  12. I made this for brunch today and added raspberries and there is not a single bite left. It was such a hit and turned out so beautiful. Thanks for the lovely recipe!

  13. I just discovered your blog… and what a treasure it is! Love your notes on Pentecost… and the rhubarb recipe. I just discovered frozen rhubarb at my local Harris Teeter, and have been looking for the perfect way to use it… Can’t wait to try your cake. Better yet, I’ll take it to my friends who have just had a baby!

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