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Rhubarb Breakfast Cake

Rhubarb breakfast cake with a tender crumb and cinnamon crumble topping studded with diced rhubarb. Baked in a 9x9 pan, it’s a coffee-cake style morning cake that stays moist and fragrant.
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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: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

cake
  • 1.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 cup butter, melted melted and cooled slightly
  • 1 egg
  • 0.75 cup milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cup fresh rhubarb, diced diced into small pieces
topping
  • 0.333 cup brown sugar
  • 0.25 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp butter, cold cut into small cubes
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Preheat and prep pan
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x9-inch baking pan with a thin coating of butter or nonstick spray, so the cake releases cleanly after baking.
Mix dry ingredients
  1. Whisk together all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined with no visible lumps.
Mix wet ingredients
  1. Mix melted butter, egg, milk, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl until smooth and fully blended.
Combine batter
  1. Pour wet ingredients into dry and stir until just combined, then fold in diced fresh rhubarb until evenly distributed without overmixing.
Add topping
  1. For topping, mix brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and cinnamon, then cut in cold butter until crumbly and sprinkle evenly over the batter.
Bake
  1. Bake for 35-40 minutes at 350°F until golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center.
Cool and serve
  1. Cool for 15 minutes before serving warm to let the crumb set; slice and serve while still slightly warm.

Notes

For the best crumb, stir the batter just until no dry flour remains; overmixing can make it tough. Store covered at room temperature up to 2 days or refrigerate up to 4 days; rewarm individual squares briefly. Freezing is yes—freeze slices airtight up to 2 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. For a dairy-light option, use plant-based butter and milk with the same measure to keep the texture similar.