big crumb coffee cake
This is the Big Crumb Coffee Cake of my dreams, and oh, I have dreamed about this for a very long time–like, 15 years, I’m afraid to say. It dates back to the bakery where I worked in high school that used to fill a sheet tray with gorgeous, cinnamon and brown-sugar clustered buttery crumbs, spread a thin layer of cake doughnut batter over it and, once baked, flip it out onto a tray where it was showered with an avalanche of powdered sugar. The proportions were perfect every time: one-third cake to two-thirds of the kind of rubble that were impossible to walk by without pulling off a piece of crater-leaving telltale sign. Not that I would do a thing like that. Of course not. But I sure did think about it. Honestly, I still do.
I haven’t found an acceptable substitution since, and please do not even waste my time with these so-called excuses for crumb coffee cakes from the Seinfeld-hoarding Drakes to Entenmann’s. I don’t even want their thin, small and barely-adhered crumbs near my Big Crumb Coffee Cake, lest their mediocrity smudge its splendor: a tangy, impossibly moist, vanilla-flavored cake base ceilinged with hefty crumbs that will make all streusels that came before pale in contrast.
Oh, and rhubarb–or the reason it took me eight months to make this. Before I knew it, the rhubarb were gone from the store last summer and I was stuck waiting until this year’s rhubarb season, which is still months away. I tapped my feet. I marked my calendar. I pondered alternative fillings, ones I think you will enjoy as well, but I really wanted rhubarb. Then last week I saw some at the store–not even great-looking ones, mind you–and I snapped. I had Melissa Clark’s Rhubarb Big Crumb Coffee Cake in front of me in a matter of hours, and even though it is gone–foisted on coworkers and friends and anyone who promised to get it out of my arms reach–I can still smell it. I can still taste it.
I miss it so.
‘Big Crumb’ Coffeecake with Rhubarb
Adapted from The New York Times 6/6/07
Not rhubarb season? Don’t fret. I think this cake would be amazing with a blueberry, raspberry, sour cherry or any other tangy fruit filling you can think of. Simply adjust the sugar level accordingly–most of these will need far less than rhubarb does to make them palatable.
Butter for greasing pan
For the rhubarb filling:
1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
For the crumbs:
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick or 4 ounces) butter, melted
1 3/4 cups cake flour (I was out and used all-purpose and it worked great)
For the cake:
1/3 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup cake flour (ditto on the all-purpose flour–worked just fine)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons softened butter, cut into 8 pieces.
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. For filling, slice rhubarb 1/2 inch thick and toss with sugar, cornstarch and ginger. Set aside.
2. To make crumbs [this step now updated, see comment #150] in a large bowl, whisk sugars, spices and salt into melted butter until smooth. Then, add flour with a spatula or wooden spoon. It will look and feel like a solid dough. Leave it pressed together in the bottom of the bowl and set aside.
3. To prepare cake, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add butter and a spoonful of sour cream mixture and mix on medium speed until flour is moistened. Increase speed and beat for 30 seconds. Add remaining sour cream mixture in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of bowl with a spatula. Scoop out about 1/2 cup batter and set aside.
4. Scrape remaining batter into prepared pan. Spoon rhubarb over batter. Dollop set-aside batter over rhubarb; it does not have to be even.
5. Using your fingers, break topping mixture into big crumbs, about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in size. They do not have to be uniform, but make sure most are around that size. Sprinkle over cake. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean of batter (it might be moist from rhubarb), 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely before serving.
Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
Oh god, this I think tops the Babka as too too much. I LOVE crumb cake, and rhubarb, and this just has the two great tastes that taste great together thing written all over it! I thought I had reached the pinnacle in crumb cake with the CI’s ultimate crumb cake, but I think I’ll have to try this just to be sure…uh huh…
That looks fantastic! I grew up with 5 rhubarb bushes in our yard and while I love rhubarb crisp, this certainly looks like a fabulous alternative :-)
Actually, Clark mentions that she adapted the big crumbs from CI! I bet there are more similarities. However, even though my nostalgia is not for a fruit-filled crumb coffee cake, I loved this and think I will only make it with fruit for now on. (Or chocolate chips, if Alex continues to beg.)
This is one of my fav. tea time treats – reminds me of summer. too bad im still living under 4-feet of snow!! My recipe is slightly different, but this one is definitely worth a try. Bring on summer!!
Oh yum. This is making me excited for rhubarb season. My dad’s family is from England, and around this time of year, he always reminds me about this crazy festival in honor of rhubarb in Wakefield, England. He’s coming to CA to visit me next weekend. I’ll have to make this coffeecake for him. thanks!
Oh my…I’ve totally made this exact recipe, per my mother’s request for a way to use up rhubarb. It was delicious. You’ve made me want to go dig out the recipe and make it again. Yum yum!
Oh my. Bring on the rhubarb!
That looks SO good!
Long time reader – this looks fan-freaking-tastic. It also happens to be very similar to my husbands dream cake, so as soon as I pick up some rhubarb I will be making this right away. Thanks for posting :)
Wow! This looks fantastic! I just bought raspberries and was wondering what I was going to do with them! (Of course, I *wish* I could get my hands on rhubarb!!!) Thanks for the idea! Yum!
What a great idea for rhubarb! Brilliant.
Can’t wait to try it!
Mary
This has got to be your best post…every word perfectly describes what will be a delicious tasting coffeecake!
Oh, yummmy… i was just cleaning out the freezer and found one lone leftover bag of rhubarb from summer… I think this will be the perfect use for it… weekend breakfast. (sigh)
Rhubarb!? I’m in love. I’m making this recipe. This week!!
That looks so good. I am always on the lookout for new ways to enjoy rhubarb. Bookmarked.
Hmmm so in Australia currently the only way to get berries or rhubarb is frozen. (tropical fruits on the other hand are awesomely fresh but not so nice for baking – no kiwi or mango coffeecake I think) Usually when I sub I just pretend they are fresh and things tend to turn out fine – I don’t know quite how I would deal with the cornstarch ginger messy frozen fruit step. How would you prep frozen fruit for this cake guy?
Wow, wow, wow — this looks SO GOOD. I can just taste the crumb topping, yum! I’m definitely making this. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
I came across your site about a month ago, and each time I visit I end up making whatever recipe you post. Needless to say, they steal the show every time. You are amazing.
As a Midwesterner transplanted on the East Coast I was intrigued by the “CRUMB CAKE.” As with you, the store brought brands never lived up to the original bakery made cakes. I also finally came up with a worthy recipe (mine included apples), and I’m going to give yours a try. Thanks!
AAAAAAAAAH just the word rhubarb makes me think of spring time! Fan-damn-tastic looking recipe and photos!
I have never had rhubarb before. This makes me want to try it. I’m not a fan of crumb cakes, but they’ve never looked like yours. Maybe I didn’t like them because they weren’t the real deal.
Rhubarb just started appearing a week or two ago at the organic grocery store here and I could not resist buying the beautiful bold red stalks. I had never had rhubarb before but found a delightful rhubarb custard recipe to try. Its ruby red color cooked down to a lovely magenta sunset. And the final custard showed streaks of bold & soft pinks. A wonderful tart custard I will always remember as my true first rhubarb experience. Now I’ll have to get some more & try this delicious crumb cake. Thanks for the story, recipe & enticing pictures!
Deb, That looks amazing. I have rhubarb in my freezer and I’ve been looking for the perfect recipe. Looks like I found it. Now, I have a question. I can’t figure out how to do that cool “Continued after the jump” thing on my blog. Since my posts are long, I have resorted to posting only one per page, but I’d rather do what do you. Any words of wisdom about how to accomplish that on blogger? Thanks!!
Nice photo and great looking recipe. looking forward to trying your version!
I am absolutely in love with this dessert! I’ve just discovered rhubarb and this would really hit the spot for me, thanks so much for sharing.
OH. MY. This looks beautiful. Rhubarb grows like a weed around here–if you looked for it in the grocery store, the workers would get quite a chuckle. Everyone except me seems to have a rhubarb patch–the good thing is almost no one I know can use all that grows so people are dying to get rid of it. I am out of my frozen stash from last season, but this will be the first thing I make once I get my hands on some.
oh. my. lord. i would like to devour my screen. every holiday my parents get the same blueberry coffee cake from michael’s in brooklyn. every holiday I, without fail, eat the entire crumb topping before the cake makes it to the table, and i don’t even like cooked blueberries. rhubarb though, now we’re talking.
Scrumptious. My favorite memory as a kid was waking up on Saturday and eating literally the entire box of Entemanns Coffee Crumb Cake. It was the best thing in the world, but I have a feeling this is better. Thanks!
- The Peanut Butter Boy
Can you work on doubling this fantastic recipe for a 13″ x 9″ pan or perhaps a 9″ or 10″ springform pan?
Oh, yum! The strange thing is, I’ve been dreaming of rhubarb also, and have scoured all the supermarkets here (unsuccessfully)… How is it that you guys in NY have it and we in LA don’t? :) I want to immediately pick all the crumbs off that cake. I think the all-purpose flour is the way to go in this case anyway because it makes for a rougher crumb which just fits this eat-with-your-hands mood of the cake.
http://confessionsoftart.blogspot.com
And I just managed to get rhubarb for the first time today, can’t wait to make this along with some homemade tart YUM!
I bought some rhubarb this week also and made tartlets with it. It tasted like heaven. This coffee cake looks amazingly good!!!
Wow, do I feel ignorant. I had no idea what rhubarb was. When I saw it in the supermarket, I thought it was a funny colored celery. Cake with rhubarb? CRUMBCAKE no less? I have to find a dark quiet corner. I am very confused.
wait… wait..
it only makes an 8 inch square? and you actually had some left to give away? OMG do i admire your willpower.. im afraid to say the bf and i probably would have scarfed it down in 1 sitting. Well – the square i hid away for breakfast the next day.
delish.
Hello Brooklyn
New York New York it’s a hell of a town
The Bronx is up and I’m Brooklyn down
They don’t know my name they only know my initials
Building bombs in the attic for elected officials
I quit my job I cut my hair
I cut my boss cause I don’t care
You tried to get slick you bust a little chuckle
You’re gonna get smacked with my gold finger knuckle
The best crumbs I recall were on the cheese horn(a family size cheese danish) at Rizzi’s Bakery on Jericho in Commack NY. That would have been about 40 years ago.
I loved seeking the best crumbs off the cake, as we drove home from the bakery on Sunday morning after mass.
Thanks for the memories–I can’t wait to try your crumbs!!!
Would it be shameful to just make a big bucket of the crumb topping and eat that?
Sorry, but to me the rhubarb sounds gross. Could this cake be made without any filling, but keeping the rest of the recipe the same?
I’m sure it could be made leaving out the rhubarb filling, but that’s the whole point! Use strawberries instead, or nothing I suppose. Personally I would use either peanut butter or cream cheese.
- The Peanut Butter Boy
Gorgeous. I may or may not have licked my screen. – Lisa
I saw some rhubarb at the store the other day. Dang, I almost bought it but had no clue what to make! I’ll have to go back and then try this recipe.
I’m not a rhubarb fan, but I’d love to try a sour cherry version of this. I don’t know if it’s just that it has ‘BIG in the title, but something tells me this cake means business XD.
A friend once gave me a cake just like this but made with plums instead of rhubarb. After slow progress in re-recreating the (lost) recipe, I am so delighted to see this. I know that this will be an equal (if not better) to that cake. I can tell from the photos that the texture is the most unctuous and satisfying and the fruit adds the perfect moist squidge. Thank you.
wow! this looks amazing! gorgeous photos- as usual! i would love to make this with choc chips instead of rhubarb- we dont have rhubarb over here- how much less sugar do you think i should use?
I am rarely tempted by sweets these days, but as soon as I saw this I had to make it. I didn’t have rhubarb and was too impatient to buy any, so made without any fruit. A delicious, perfect crumb cake, better than any I remember from childhood. But the rhubarb, I’m certain, would make it even better.
Cake looks lip-smackin’ — never made it with rhubarb before. I’m gonna have to try that. Now I don’t usually sing the praises of entenmann’s, but their deluxe coffee cake has similar proportions to yours (little cake, lots of crumb) and it’s to die for.
OH. YUM!! tis one amazing looking crumb cake. You sound like me with muffins…. don’t foist any cupcakes on me when I am searching for a lovely rustic muffin!
Highlight…copy, print…. and bake…must give it a go.
I tried it. I loved it. I’ll try it again!
I think I have some frozen rhubarb in the back of the freezer! I’ve wanted this recipe my whole life! Thank you for inventing it! (grin)
I have so enjoyed reading your blog for over a year now. I just recently started my own and have added your site as a link. I think my friends should visit your blog, too! Anyway, it would be lovely if you would do the same for me. I hope that’s not too forward – I’m new to blog etiquette.
It’s at breadbutterpress.blogspot.com
Thank you!
I can’t stop drooling! I’m a fan of Rhubarb pie, so I will surely love this-looks fantstic!!!
This is not a quick breakfast cake!! It’s very good, I made it with sour cherries, but my crumb was not a solid dough (I pressed handfuls together and broke them back apart) the batter creeped up through the crumb and covered more than half of it (I will try NOT using cake flour next time) and my stupid oven over cooked the top and the bottom was still soggy! PLUS, don’t make this if you still have dinner pans and dishes unwashed from the night before and you have a screaming baby!!! Yikes! This took lots of time and bowls, but my we still liked it and I’m going to try it without fruit next time and put al foil on the bottom of my oven for a more even bake, hopefully…
So I am smitten, and I know I am not the 1st nor the last – your blog is a little bit of heaven, and I knew I had found a kindred foodie when you talked about your ‘pastry shrinking ordeals’ – which by the way I asked Chef Krebs about when I went to his in-house cooking class in Montreux and he said the best solution was a long chilling time – over night when possible, and then the use of cooking paper & weights (I use apricot pits). Please drop by to say hello
YUMM! I’m wondering how frozen raspberries would work….I LOVE me some raspberry crumb cake…..
Our first patch of Strawberries are here in Charleston, and just yesterday I mentioned I can’t wait till the rhubard is in as I like to cook them with berries.
My daughter lives in Alaska and has an overgrowth of rhubarb every season
which yields a freezer full to last till the next crop arrives.
I am a big big fan of the crumb coffee cake and this looks well…………I am not
making the same mistake you did by waiting. I am asking her to ship me a freezer pack of rhubarb.
Deb, I’ve tagged you for an award. I’m sure you get these all the time, but you’re still one of my favs. http://jenyu.net/blog/2008/02/29/wheres-the-love/
I love crumb cakes, Deb, but have never tried rhubarb (it costs a small fortune here in Brazil). I can tell this is delicious, though! :)
Deb, I am totally addicted to your blog! I made this without the fruit, as all I had in the house were rock-hard pears and bananas, and I think it suffered a bit without the added moisture. It was still yummy, but a tad on the dry side. And like another commenter, my batter rose up over the crumbs in a lot of places.
Mine rose up in a few places, too, but I didn’t consider it a concern. I actually liked that it meant that the crumbs were better adhered in those places.
This crumb coffee cake sounds and looks delicious!
I’m so glad you posted this recipe, even if it meant an eight month wait. I’m actually excited to make this and looking forward to experimenting with the different fruit fillings.
quick question… you don’t have to put fruit in it right? if so, are there any changes I need to make to the other parts of the recipe?
This looks so good, I can’t wait to try it!
I think you can definitely skip the fruit filling, and have a classic crumb cake, skipping of course the cornstarch/ginger/sugar that it is mixed with.
I loved this recipe and have already tried it twice, but sadly, I’ve been disappointed. (I figured I didn’t do it right the first time, so the second was my hope to guarantee the awesomeness of the photos and description).
My crumb mixture is way too dry and looks like just flour. It bakes into an “ok” topping, but the texture is certainly not batter-like before baking and cannot be broken into chunks – it’s just a fluffy mixture that sits on top. I was sad to not get the big yummy crumbs I was looking forward to. I used all-purpose flour, too. Should I decrease the flour? Increase the butter? Please help!
I spotted some rhubarb at my green grocer’s last weekend and I resisted as I had a long list of other goodies to make for the weekend. Now I’ve got my fingers crossed now, that they’ll still be some around this weekend. My picky eater boyfriend happens to LOVE rhubarb, and I’m sure this cake will be making a repeat appearance at our house.
I’m not a big rhubarb fan but I’m trying this as soon as I can get my hands on some. Crumb cake is so wonderfully warming. Now I’m craving some….
I tried this out last night. I substituted blueberries for the rhubarb, I just dumped on frozen berries, without any sugar and threw it in the oven. I was worried about the frozen berries but it was just sweet enough.Now, it’s going to be part of Easter brunch!
Made this for breakfast this morning and it was really wonderful! Substituted cranberries that I had in the freezer, which worked out well. The crumb topping was really dry, as others mentioned. Still, super tasty on a rainy morning.
I made this last weekend and I didn’t have enough rhubard so I added strawberries to the rhubard and it was so amazingly fantastic. The crumb topping was perfect! Big crumbs that completely melted in my mouth…. I SO need to make it again!
Made it. LOVED it. Served with ice cream and blogged about it. Couldn’t stop slicing off bite-size pieces and had to send it to work with my boyfriend. I miss it too.
I just recently found this website (and, accordingly, let every person who loves food know about it immediately and berated people who knew for not telling me about this place sooner), and I LOVE it. Just made these and they did NOT stay long either in my house or in the office — they were devoured. I don’t even particularly like rhubarb and I couldn’t stop eating it. It turned out exactly like your beautiful photos and will surely be a repeat recipe for my rhubarb-loving husband. Great site, great receipes, can’t wait to make more!!!
Deb, I just made this today and it was totally excellent! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find rhubarb, not even frozen! (boo!) Anyway, swapped it for cherries and it is delicious. I cut back on the sugar as you suggested, and it turned our just fine. This was a satisfying recipe to make. And the smell of it cooking–pure love!
Thank you for your wonderful blog and the way you write about food. Very inspirational.
Been reading you since December and this is the first of your recipes that I’ve tried. I could find no rhubarb in my South Texas H-E-B store so I used plums instead. I probably over-did it on the cooking time as it was pretty dry on top (hard to see if it’s done with gooey plums in the middle and crumble on top) but it was good anyway.
Made this yesterday and it’s delicious! The cake is really moist and tender (used all-purpose flour). The crumb topping is sweet, but not overly so.
Next up is the brown butter cake! :)
Hi Deb,
I’ve been enlisted to bring coffee cake to an Easter brunch, and since I haven’t made a coffee cake since I was about 12, I did a little Google search and now my mind is spinning with all of the recipes and variationsout there. But this one looks like a winner, for sure. As the token Jew-at-Easter next Sunday, I really want to make sure I don’t don’t fall down on the job.
So…QUESTION: Do you think I’d be asking for trouble if I tried to do this in a bundt pan? And if so, should I double the recipe? I’m a stickler for moistness in cake, and this one looks like it won’t dissapoint on that level. What do you think?
Hi Joanna — I’ll be a token Jew too this Sunday! ;) Good question about the cake. A bundt would be much more festive. According to this handy-dandy PDF I keep on my fridge, a bundt is equivalent to about 2 8-inch circles, so I’d definitely double the volume to bake it in one. Good luck!
Deb: thanks for that great-looking conversion chart. I’m printing it out, and based on it, decided to do the cake in a 9″ round Springform instead of a bundt, as the inversion/upside down aspect of a bundt, on second thought, seems problematic – as far as the crumb topping is concerned.
I agree, rounds just seem more festive to me than squares – maybe it’s that egg/circle of life/ springtime renewal thing I’ve picked up from a lifetime of seders. Happy…Vernal Equinox!
.
I made this with blueberries and a preschooler the other day. :) It was delicious! Plus my son loved making it with me. He put together the fruit filling (using half the sugar) and spent at least 20 minutes mixing the crumb topping while I prepped the cake batter. He especially loved molding the crumbs and dropping them onto the cake. Who knew this recipe would not only taste so good, but also entertain my 3 1/2-year-old for at least an hour? I’m smitten!
PLEASE give tips in how to make the crumbs MORE crummy (moist and piecy), i made this today and I had to cook it a few extra minutes b/c the bottom was not done and now the top is harder than I would like it to be. Ay suggestions?
Hey!
I just watched the video @ http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2008/03/unbelievable-am.html and I must say…these cake pictures are making me drewl like the little doggie in the video.
Love your blog – beautiful pics and always inspiring.
Had a question regarding Cornstarch though. Is there a substitute?
Either I haven’t looked well enough or …perhaps it goes under a different name over here.
I wanna make these cakes for my dear bf* (*FOR him doesn’t mean consumed BY him. It’s the thought that counts eh?! – I mean if he get’s home late or somth :-))
That’s another thing on your site I’m going to have to make. I adore rhubarb and so do my family so we’ll be making this I think.
I’ve made this twice so far…and my crumbs do not look that thick and great! They are almost barely visible. You can taste them, but not see them too well. Next time I think i’m going to put all of the batter in the bottom and skip dolloping the 1/2 cup on top.
I found fresh rhubarb for the first time of the year yesterday, so I wasted no time and made this. De-lish. I like that it was not overly sweet. The crumbs are hugenormous and so buttery-good. I did not have sour cream on hand, so I subbed Stonyfield’s vanilla yogurt. I plan to make again and take this to my IL’s next weekend.
This is now in the oven with raspberries instead of rhubarb. I had a LOT of crumb mixture, so hopefully it will be OK.
I made this cake yesterday and I think that next time I make it I will cut down on the amount of sugar that’s added to the rhubarb so that I can actually taste some of the sourness. It could just be that the rhubarb I used wasn’t particularly aggressive, but the absence of any sour contrast at all was a disappointment. Overall the cake wasn’t too sweet, which is good. I also used nearly double the amount of rhubarb recommended (half a kilo instead of half a pound) and would happily make this using a mix of rhubarb and sour bramley apples, or even just using sour apples if rhubarb is out of season.
I just made this for Mother’s Day yesterday. I used frozen raspberries. It was delicious!!! I even overcooked it and it was still moist and tasty.
When I make it again I might make more crumb topping. My chunks were spread out a lot, and the batter rose up between them. It was still really yummy, but I wanted more crumbs! Maybe a combination of big crumbs and smaller ones would be good?
I made it this afternoon, just ate my first slice, and am completely in love. As another person said- I needed to clump the crumle together with my hands, it didn’t really form a dough. Other than that it went according to plan. I used rhubarb from our garden, and it was delish!
I made this cake tonight with this recipe and it was NOT good. The crumbs have too much flour in the recipe and they turn out way too dry and powder like. You really need to double the amount of butter for the crumbs to be right. The cake part was nothing special at all, I would work on that as well. Over all I was majorly disappointed with this recipe. It needs a mojor revision to be good. Sorry, but it is the truth.
Oh–this is delicious. I haven’t even allowed the cake to cool yet and the rhubarb is a little too warm for comfort (it’s nearing midnight, a girl’s gotta eat sometime!), but I can’t stop. The only thing I need to change, perhaps, is the oven temperature. I may bake it slower longer, since the bottom browned before the center was fully baked. Otherwise, totally delicious. A good use for my rhubarb, since I’m always afraid to “waste” it in desserts.
I have been waiting ages to make this. I finally got my hands on some rhubarb and made it for the Parade crowd this morning.
I agree that the flour measurement in the crumb is to much. It wouldn”t form a dough as suggested and tasted a tad floury as well. I would bake it in a taller pan next time as it rose more than expected. Also the lower slower bake time would help as a PP mentioned I had to dark edges and a rawish inside.
That aside, everyone commented on loving the rhubarb. It wasnt til I came here to post that I noticed the pic & the recipe dont jibe, there is no powdered sugar notation. It would have been prettier with that :)
Made this to bring to my family’s shore house for Memorial Day weekend. I opted to leave out fruit filling all together, since I’ve never dealt with rhubarb before and it made me nervous. I’m assuming the addition of the fruit would have made it more moist, because the cake was a little dry, but overall it was delicious. Even my dad said it could rival their local bakery!
Rhubarb is my new favorite… root? I want to put it in everything, especially after having such fantastic results with the crumb cake and pie! Tangy deliciousness! Keep ‘em coming!
Found this looking for a recipe my brother remembered from meetings of his church 30+ years ago! It was for apple crisp type stuff, and he loved it, I printed it off with the last of my ink! BOO HOO! Can’t print more now! However, this is very similar to what he remembers, and can’t wait to try it out. My rhubarb is tiny yet, we’ve never had much luck with the plants here, used to have wonderful ones in other places. But I do have fabulous frozen rhubarb in the deep freeze, now to make up the recipe. But that has to wait until tomorrow. But I will be making this soon!
I have made a very similar cake but instead of rhubarb I used some whole frozen cranberries I had in the freezer. I didn’t need to add sugar, the tartness was a wonderful contrast to the sugary topping.
Great recipe, especially the rhubarb. I found that the texture of the entire cake improves substantially after it cools completely. The rhubarb wept a bunch of water which I poured off before layering. I would consider using less sugar by half for more sour flavor. The topping had to be squeezed into large chunks individually to hold shape. Other posters noted that the cake rises halfway up through the topping, which I think is to be expected, but my cake had plenty of crunchy topping remaining. My oven has not been holding temperature well so it took over an hour to bake. This is the style of topping that I have seen at all the local bakeries; as a personal preference I might try a topping closer to an apple crisp topping… I’m curious what the texture of the topping would be like with less flour.
this is amazing! and inspiring! thanks for sharing the recipe and photos!
Oh my g*d! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!
It took me a couple of months to make this recipe and now I realize that life is too short to wait for these kinds of cakes…
I made this yesterday for my brother’s birthday and I ate almost half the cake myself….
I couldn’t tell you if it keeps overnight (well, it probably doesn’t so eat it NOW) because it didn’t last long enough…
This recipe is perfect, and so are all the other ones on your website!
PS: Thank you!
I made this for a charity event and I think someone licked the pan clean once the bars were gone. I used frozen wild blueberries instead of rhubarb. All my topping crumbs sunk to the bottom (maybe the blueberries are wetter than rhubarb??). It didn’t matter though because people raved about it! Someone described the crumb topping as “nuggets of perfected yum”. Definitely a winner!
This recipe looks amazing!!! I have been lurking on your blog for some time now and everything I have tried has been a winner….so, I am dying to try this cake and am wondering if you think it would work with apples?? Just went apple picking and have about 20 lbs of apples laying around… any thoughts??
I was looking for my mom’s crumb cake (we always called it coffee cake) and couldnt find it so I found this when I googled. I didnt want the fruit filling so I just made the cake and the topping. It was fantastic.
And you know, all of those directions …. I just dumped everything together for the cake and mixed it in the mixer (melted butter, flour, and all) mainly because I am lazy and always in a hurry… and it came out great.
We topped it with fresh strawberries and whipped cream but its good all by itself.
Woohoo I just found rhubarb at the store! I can’t wait to make this.
I’m so sad – I’ve wanted to make this recipe for 1 whole year since you posted it. I made it last night with frozen raspberries and almost all my crumb sank to the bottom & my cake rose to the top. I used to be an avid baker but I haven’t made anything new in a while. I don’t know what I did wrong! I used cake flour per the original recipe because I didn’t have any all-purpose at home so I don’t know if that had anything to do with it…
This spring I’m definately going to make this cake. I have alot of rhubarb in my garden. I think I might even try it in September with the glut of figs I always have.
I made this for Easter and it was fabulous. I subbed blueberries for the rhubarb–just tossed them in a little cornstarch and a wee sprinkle of sugar. Got nothing but raves. Thanks so much!
ok, my mother and i have been going to starbucks for years, not for their coffee but for this coffee cake they have i THOUGHT was the best. boy was i mistaken! this cake, was so delicious! my mother raved about this cake for days, saying that it was hundreds times better than starbucks’s little coffee cake! i didnt use rhubarb or any fruit, but next time ill think ill throw some blueberries in there, although my mother said she’ll kill me if i add anything to your already perfect coffee cake. thanks a mill!
You know, you can freeze rhubarb. I have a friend who lets me take all I want from her garden. I cut it up like I’m going to cook it and then just put it in quart-size freezer Ziploc bags. Two of those plus two of frozen strawberries (also cut up) makes a 9×13 strawberry-rhubarb crisp. But I will have to use some for this recipe, since DH loves rhubarb anything. (I also freeze rhubarb sauce! I have a large freezer.)
Sure will be trying this!!!
My rhubarb patch is just starting to break through the soil here in Iowa–I can’t wait to try this recipe! Once I start harvesting rhubarb, I love to try new recipes and bring to my workers. They call me Jean-the rhubarb queen!!! I’m sure this one will be a big hit!
I made this this morning (it’s in the oven now as we speak) and my crumb topping also was just like colored, slightly greasy flour. I added half again as much butter and got some “chunks” but not like you describe. Could it possibly be 3/4 cup flour instead of 1 3/4?
The flour level is correct, and it is the level that has always worked for me. However, if you find you are having an easier time with less (there are likely variances in brown sugars, moisture in butters, technique) there’s no reason not to dial it back a quarter cup.
OMG! I Love Rhubarb! Lately I’m addicted to the strawberry rhubarb crumble that Starbucks is selling I have tried many recipes and no luck they have all been great but not the one. Please Please help! I am going to Starbucks now for my fix and it is making me broke! LOL
I can’t wait to try this. I’m not sure if I’ve seen any rhubarb at the fruit market yet but I love it. Last night I had a strawberry pie from McDonald’s in Canada and swore there had to be some rhubarb in it. Why can’t we get pies like that in US without having to go across to Canada just to have a strawberry pie that fits in the palm of your hand. I will definitely try this. So far I’ve made four of your recipes and all have turned out amazingly.
I just pulled this out of the oven and dusted it with powdered sugar and let me tell you, my house smells amazing!! I know I’m supposed to wait till it cools completely, but I just cut myself a delicious warm sliver, I couldn’t help myself. I also used fresh blackberries, and they are slightly sweet, slightly tart, just a perfect crumb cake. Thanks for this recipe!!
Oh my…this looks like the queen of crumb cakes! One point of cunfusion though: the introduction says, “fill a sheet tray with…buttery crumbs, spread a thin layer of cake doughnut batter over it and, once baked, flip it out”, but the recipe part says the opposite, “batter into prepared pan…break topping mixture into big crumbs…sprinkle over cake”. Can you do it either way? I want my cake to be as beautiful as this looks =)
I mention that in the post as the way the bakery I worked in high school made it. This technique is different, and easier.
I’m a baker for a couple of coffee shops, and am given plenty of creative input to what gets made. So when I showed up for work last night and found rhubarb, I knew exactly what I’d be making! The rhubarb I had was massive gigantor rhubarb, so I had to cut it down into 1/2″ chunks (and isn’t it weird that some rhubarb bakes up pink, while others bake up green or clearish?) Anyway, when I make it again, I won’t reserve batter to put over the rhubarb since it all sinks to the bottom anyway, and I’ll try as hard as I can to let it cool before cutting in to it! (And then I totally gave away my secret when I left your website up on the work computer.)
I made this last night using frozen rhubarb, nearly a pound, I love the stuff. What I would think about doing different next time (and there will be a next time) is reduce the rhubarb juice and then add it back to the thawed rhubarb. I don’t think extra cornstarch will do the trick. The center of the cake was a little underdone and the outer was a bit overdone, but still amazingly tasty!
YUM! I just pulled this out of the oven, it is still piping hot on the counter as I type, but I couldn’t resist nicking a nice big crumb off the top to try, and it was heavenly- buttery, sweet, so cinnamon-y and just the right amount of crispness. My cake baked up through it, but only in 2 or 3 spots, and I reckon you’re right Deb, it just makes the crumbs adhere better. My crumbs didn’t form much of a dough, as others had said, but I squished it into handfuls and then broke them into little chunks, and then had lots of much smaller crumblier bits to scatter over. Made mine in a 9″ springform cake tin, which I was a bit nervous about, since the dough had to be spread quite thinly, but it seems to have risen up well enough. Rhubarb hit the shelves here in England a few weeks ago, and my bf and I both love it. Thanks for another brilliant recipe! Also, congratulations on your baby news! I hope you’re doing well.
Thanks for the delicious inspiration! I was out the door elbowing my way down the veggie aisle right after reading this and the cake was a big hit. Thanks for sharing the rhubarb love!!
cupcakemate.blogspot.com
I am thinking of making a double batch of this in a 9 x 13 and using blueberries instead. Anyone have success with that?
I have made this with blueberries many times, and it is fantastic, whether you use fresh or frozen. Use a little less sugar, perhaps swap some lemon zest for the ginger. You can double the recipe to fit it in a 9×13.
I just pulled this out of the oven! I made mine with fresh organic blueberries and instead of ginger I used cinnamon and a little pumpkin pie spice. I had some leftover berries that I tossed with cinnamon and sugar and covered with crumb topping in a second pan…will be awesome over ice cream!
I just made this today, first time…..My crumbs did not get”BIG”, they were just crumbly…..but all in all, it is a good coffeecake…..but I will probably go with a crisp the next time with the rhubbarb….
I made this for Mother’s Day and it was certainly to die for, but my rhubarb sunk to the bottom (which was fine) and my batter rose to the top covering the crumbs. Did this happen to anyone else? What can I do to make the crumbs stay on top?
I made this a few days ago and it was a huge hit. I’m making it again today to take to a potluck!
I made an exact double batch of the batter and fruit mixture. At first I was concerned that there wasn’t enough batter but I remembered what previous posters said–the batter does rise! For the topping, I doubled exactly except for the flour. I used 2 cups of flour instead of 3.5 and the topping held together well, yet was still a little crumbly and crunchy. It came out perfectly as far as I am concerned!
I would recommend making this in a 9 x 13 and using blueberries. I added some lemon zest and used fresh ginger in the fruit mixture.
I made this with blueberries this weekend and I had to tell you this cake is absolutely perfect! I did have just a little cake cook over my 8″ pan so next time (and there will definitely be a next time) I will use a slightly deeper pan.
Just recently stumbled onto SK and I am certainly smitten with you. I just bought a new house and like you am trying to learn to love the new kitchen. Best of luck with the new apartment, baby and keep turning out deliciousness like this!
Made this today with some fresh rhubarb fromt he garden. What a treat and the crumbs were to die for!
i have this in the oven as i write this – i can. not. wait. i love rhubarb! thanks for the great post and amazing pictures :)
Made this tonight for 3 adults and 4 kids <5. It was a HUGE hit with everyone, including the extremely picky 3 and 4 year olds! Thanks for such a consistently awesome source of recipes and inspiration.
My husband made this cake this morning for a brunch and it was a hit! Some of the attendees didn’t even like rhubarb but raved about this recipe!
I made this last night… two in fact – one with rhubarb and the other with no fruit. I made the rhubarb one first and after baking the full time and testing the “cake” it seemed done – later I found the center of the cake was not fully baked. Major bummer for me. The outer edges were excellent though. I also had issues with the crumb – seemed like way too much flour and I added almost 1/4 stick more butter and it still wouldn’t hold together. Still tasted great though. The second cake with no fruit came out beautifully – baked all the way through and I used about 1/2 cup less flour in the crumb topping and it was perfect. Both cakes were delicious and I definitely want to try the rhubarb again. I will not accept defeat when it comes to rhubarb. Thanks for the great recipe.
I’m drooling over this! Peak rhubarb in my neck of the woods!! Can’t wait to try this, perhaps turn my co workers onto rhubarb!!
I have one in the oven now. I made it in a 9″-square pan and there was plenty of batter, even with “pre-tasting”! The rhubarb was fresh out of my garden, picked an hour before I made the cake, so I don’t know if it was half a pound — I used four long stalks. And my crumbs crumbled, too, but I think it’s because the butter in them cooled while I was doing the rest of the recipe. I’d suggest making the crumb mixture last so it’s still warm and doughy. Funny thing is, I don’t even like rhubarb much, but this looked soooo good, I had to try it!
I made this this weekend, and am wondering if some of the confusion over the crumbs not coming together correctly could be due to the way the butter is listed in the recipe. It reads “1/2 cup melted butter”; in retrospect, I’m almost positive this means take 1/2 cup of butter and melt it, but at the time I took it to mean melt enough butter so that you have 1/2 cup. Due to all of the comments/problems about the crumbs (and my intense love for crumb topping) I added just enough flour so that the crumbs came together the way you’ve described. This totalled 3/4 cup of flour. Had I gone ahead and added the complete amount of flour, I think it would have resulted in “flour-y crumbs” others have described here.
So, maybe a bit of clarification?
Thanks so much–the recipe was fab!
Good suggestion, I will clarify. It should be 1/2 cup (one stick or 4 ounces) of butter, melted. I am unsure why the crumbs aren’t coming together for folks; I’ve made this cake half a dozen times and never had trouble. I wish I had a better answer!
WOW! I have never tried rhubarb, ever. I am sold. I think most coffee cakes are too sweet and have a high cake to crumb ratio. This one is just my style.
Next time, I would lower the flour in the crumble but it still tasted great and that is just personal preference. It didn’t taste “floury”.
This is a serious keeper….. I make 90% of all recipes once … but I can’t wait to try it with raspberries or blueberries… yum!
This recipe is not super low maintenance but it is fast for a dessert….especially a dessert with fruit. And, we ate it warm and it was wonderful.
Hi Deb,
I first tried rhubarb when I was 6 – back then, we used to munch away on the freshly picked crispy stalks dipped in a little bit of sugar. I have loved its sour juicy goodness ever since and rejoice when the first batches are available every spring; I find mine at the local co-op and farmers’ markets. I jumped for joy when I saw your Big Crumb Cake post. I have made it twice now, once in an 8×8 pan and also doubled and baked in a 9×13 pan. Though I have a question. When I doubled the recipe, all of the batter seeped up to the top – which changed the texture of the crumb topping since it was all engulfed in batter. It was still delicious – but I would have liked the crumb topping how it was intended (I’m such a sucker for a good crumb topping). Do you have any suggestions as to what I should do differently? With both recipes, I used cake flour and followed all the ingredients and measurements.
Oh and by the way, my boyfriend nearly cried tears of joy when he tasted this for the first time. He is also a lifelong rhubarb fanatic. So thank you!!!
I made this recently and the cake was a little soggy.. maybe i should cut the rhubarb smaller to get more juice out of it while it sits? I had the same problem as many others with the crumbs, but added more butter and it worked out fine.
This crumb cake was the best! My question is, have you ever frozen it? And if so, how long would could you keep it frozen. I have made it twice this past month and everyone loved it. Thanks for such a great recipe.
Any cake can be frozen if well wrapped. How well it keeps in the freezer has to do with your freezer itself — some let that “freezery” smell seep after only a week or so, others will keep things as-is for months.
Thanks for a great recipe! I too love rhubarb and anything crumb-topped. My family and I loved it and I can’t wait to make it again!
Baking this now. I swiped all the rhubarb they had left at the grocery store. MINE! I have enough to bake at least 2 more recipes I think! This one was first on my list!
Thank you for this recipe. I absolutely love rhubarb. I’m not always such a fan of crumb topping, but this recipe has converted me. I took the advice of others and reduced the flour in the topping to about 1 1/4 cups or just enough to make it dough-like in texture and it was great. I’m looking forward to trying this with other fruit when rhubarb sadly goes out of season.
deb-this recipe is absolutely fabulous! thanks for sharing such a great one with us!
I was looking for something to take to the ladies at my mother’s office, and this crumb coffee cake was the perfect thing. I used blackberries instead of rhubarb, since that was what we had on hand, and I added less sugar, since the berries aren’t as tart. Everyone at the office loved it, and they asked for the recipe. I’ll have to make it again with the rhubarb. Thanks for the great recipe!
made this recipe this week – it was WONDERFUL!! my boyfriend loved it. plan on making it again next week (and for as long as we have rhubarb in the stores!)
any advice on freezing rhubarb?
Just came across this (how cool is it that you’re still getting comments over a year later?). I’m wondering if it’s worth trying to make without a stand mixer. Often when I get to that part of a recipe (the one that mentions a mixer) my excitement turns to disappointment and the recipe doesn’t get bookmarked.
One explanation for the crumbs not mixing properly at the stated proportions is adding the flour too soon. By whisking the sugar and butter to the point where the sugar has fully dissolved, the fat and water content of the butter are then available to coat the flour (with the added benefit that the dissolved sugar inhibits gluten formation once the flour is added). To test the problem, I tried combining the butter with the sugar and flour simultaneously, and sure enough, it resulted in a sandy mess. But for a batch where the sugar was fully dissolved into the melted butter first, there was easily enough moisture to then incorporate 1 3/4 c flour.
This was FANTASTIC!! I added fresh cherries and it was sooooo delicious!! If you love coffee cake and Rhubarb, then you have to make this recipe!!! YUM!!
I am not a fan of rhubarb so I made this recipe minus the rhubarb. WOW is what I said when I tasted it!! Really this is out of this world!!! Thanks for the recipee and I plan to make it many many more times!!!!!
What John (147) said! I made this again this morning and paid careful attention to the crumb step. As previously, I did not have an issue incorporating all of that flour to get hearty, boulder-like crumbs but I realize that I mix the ingredients they way John explains it, without realizing it — first stirring the sugars then spices into the melted butter, then adding the flour to the now-liquid mixture. I will update the recipe to reflect this; hopefully, this will help others.
I know I’m about a year and a half late, but I just wanted to say that I made this yesterday and it was AMAZING! I used blueberries instead of rhubarb and swapped out the ginger for some lemon zest (there are pics up on my blog). I didn’t have any trouble with the crumbs, although I used cake flour as the original recipe stated. I’ll definitely be making this again. Thanks!
I know I am, like, years behind on posting but I just tried this recipe with plums (I have a tree full that causes me desperation every fall to use them) and it was TO DIE FOR. O dear, the crumbs were amazing, the plum was sweet but not overly so, and the cake was a perfect base. I did decrease the sugar (just by taste) but I loved the plum maybe more then rhubarb even – and I really like rhubarb. Thanks for the recipe. I have recently found your blog and enjoy it very much.
This is delicious! I had discovered after mixing the batter, and ready-ing the fruit (rhubarb and raspberries!) that I didn’t have enough butter, so I used 1/2 butter and some extra light olive oil ( which tolerates high heat, and can be used in baking!) in the topping and used 4 1/2 T in the batter. It turned out wonderful! Rave reviews from everyone who ate it! I also used spring white wheat organic flour. : )
I am an rhubarb apple crumble expert – can make it with my eyes closed. Grow it. Freeze it. Love it. It’s my daughter birthday on Sunday and when I asked her what kind of cake she wanted – she wanted the crumble. I’m making this one instead. Can’t wait to surprise her. This is just a nice twist and sounds way too yummy. Only thing is I don’t have any fresh rhubarb left … just frozen. I’ve read through the comments and there were a few on the frozen rhubarb. Hopefully it’ll work. The frozen rhubarb can produce too moist results….I’ll make it work! And I’ll be using the wheat organic flour too…. thanks Julie (153) for letting me know it works well.
I made a double recipe to take to work, then got cancelled on the way in for a low census (I’m a nurse). Oh well, more for me! It is delicious. I had never tasted rhubarb before, but I have made about 15 of your recipes (so far) and you’ve never steered me wrong, so I gave it a shot (nurse pun intended). Sooooo good. I’m only sorry I didn’t try it sooner. The great thing about living in Texas is that summer lasts longer and we still have plenty of fresh rhubarb at the stores.
Delicious! I love rhubarb. Thanks for the recipe, can’t wait to make these.
I’m a transplanted New Yorker in search of the crumb cake I grew up with. I just made the very similar Cook’s Illustrated N.Y. crumb cake recipe and I had the problem of the crumbs sinking, like others who tried your recipe. I came here looking for answers , which I didn’t find, but maybe I can help. I believe my crumbs may have sunk because I used jumbo eggs instead of large and I may have overbeaten the batter, making it too light to support the crumbs. CI uses 1 1/4 cup of cake flour vs. your 1 cup, so that might play a role. As for the complaints of dry floury crumbs, CI uses the same measurement of flour but twice the butter as your recipe. The crumbs were great, just at the bottom of the pan.
Made this today, seemed a little on the bland aside from the bites where you get some rhubarb. I also think it would be really good with some ice cream or whipped cream, but today I don’t have room for that many calories.
Can’t wait for this one either. Will frozen rhubarb work ok? I know sometimes its got more liquid. Thanks for any help.
Made this today using leftover cranberry sauce from Thanksgiving – amazing!! The flavors worked together so well and the cake itself was perfectly moist. I believe this will be a weekend-after-Thanksgiving tradition.
I have made this several times with cranberries, tart, but o so pretty
Oh I just made this with blueberries – and it was heaven! Seriously, is there anything better than that crumb-y goodness and then the soft layer of fruit? I think not!
I just made this with rhubarb and blueberries and we loved it!! I didn’t have enough rhubarb left in my freezer so I took some blueberries as well. YUM!
Hi Deb – Made this cake and LOVED it. I just picked up more rhubarb from the farmers market to get more but I have a question. When I made it the first time I noticed that the batter baked up and over the gorgeous crumb. I’ve had this happen before with other crumb style recipes and I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. any suggestions?
Thanks!
Chassie