Greek Yogurt Rhubarb Coffee Cake features a tender crumb studded with tangy rhubarb and finished with a crunchy cinnamon streusel.
Rhubarb season always sneaks up on me. I keep a bag of frozen rhubarb from the prior year for this very reason—spring arrives late here, and when my patch is ready many people’s season has already ended. If you’re lucky enough to have fresh stalks, this cake is a great way to showcase them.
This Greek Yogurt Rhubarb Coffee Cake relies on Greek yogurt for moistness and a stiff, stable batter so the rhubarb doesn’t sink or make the cake soggy. I considered roasting the rhubarb first (as I do for roasted rhubarb scones) to reduce extra moisture, but instead I reduced the liquid in the batter and achieved a perfectly tender cake without pre-roasting.
How to Make Greek Yogurt Rhubarb Coffee Cake
Line a 9×13″ baking pan with parchment or grease it well. Parchment prevents any reaction between rhubarb and metal pans; a glass or ceramic dish works, but plan to add 10–15 minutes to the baking time.
Start by making the streusel: combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Cut in cold, cubed butter with a pastry blender, fork, or your fingers until the mixture forms pea-sized clumps. Chill until ready to use.
For the cake batter, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk Greek yogurt, canola (or another neutral) oil, the egg, and vanilla. Stir the wet mixture into the dry ingredients with a spatula until just combined.
The batter will be very stiff—more like a soft cookie dough than a runny cake batter. That firmness keeps the rhubarb suspended and prevents a soggy center. Do not add extra liquid to thin it.
Gently fold the chopped rhubarb into the batter and spread it evenly into the prepared pan, working batter into corners so the rhubarb is distributed uniformly. Sprinkle the chilled cinnamon streusel evenly over the top.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached, about 35–40 minutes. If you use frozen rhubarb, add 5–10 minutes to the bake time. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before cutting. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Store leftovers covered at room temperature for up to two days or freeze for longer storage.
Food Science Note
During testing I discovered that too much baking soda reacts with acidic ingredients like rhubarb and can cause the stalks to turn blue and the crumb to brown more than expected. Baking soda increases the Maillard reaction, producing deeper browning. Stick to the recipe amounts for baking soda to avoid off-colors; the cake will still rise properly with the correct proportions.
The photos in the gallery illustrate the difference: the first test used double the baking soda and produced a yellowish-brown cake and bluish rhubarb; the corrected version shows bright pink rhubarb and a normal pale crumb.
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Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake made with too much baking soda. Note the unusual color changes. -
Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake with the correct amount of baking soda: bright pink rhubarb and a normal pale crumb.
Greek Yogurt Rhubarb Coffee Cake Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – needed for both the streusel and the cake.
- Brown sugar – for the streusel; light or dark both work.
- Ground cinnamon – for the streusel.
- Cold unsalted butter – for the streusel; use cold, cubed butter, not softened.
- Granulated sugar – for the cake batter.
- Baking powder – use the amount specified; aluminum-free baking powder is recommended to avoid reactions with acidic ingredients.
- Baking soda – required in a small amount; do not exceed the recipe amount or rhubarb color and cake browning may be affected.
- Salt
- Plain or vanilla Greek yogurt – full-fat or low-fat works; avoid fat-free yogurt for best texture.
- Canola oil – or any neutral-flavored cooking oil.
- Large egg
- Vanilla extract
- Chopped rhubarb – about 3 cups (fresh or frozen). If using frozen rhubarb, add it while still frozen to avoid mushiness and increase baking time by about 5–10 minutes.
Want more rhubarb dessert recipes?
Greek Yogurt Rhubarb Coffee Cake Nutrition Notes
Nutrition information in the recipe is based on 12 servings. Adjust portion size to change the per-piece nutrition. The calculations assume plain regular-fat (around 3% MF) Greek yogurt; using vanilla yogurt adds a small amount of sugar, and low-fat yogurt reduces fat slightly.
Greek Yogurt Rhubarb Coffee Cake
Equipment
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9×13″ baking pan
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Pastry blender (optional)
Ingredients
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup canola oil
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen; don’t thaw frozen)
Instructions
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Stir together flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in cold butter until pea-sized crumbs form. Refrigerate until needed.
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Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and position a rack in the center. Grease or line a 9×13″ pan.
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Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl whisk yogurt, oil, egg, and vanilla. Stir the wet into the dry until just combined. The batter will be stiff—do not add liquid. Fold in the rhubarb and spread the batter in the prepared pan.
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Evenly sprinkle the streusel over the batter. Bake 35–40 minutes, until golden and a toothpick yields a few moist crumbs; the center should reach about 190°F. If using frozen rhubarb, add 5–10 minutes.
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Cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature. Store covered at room temperature up to two days or freeze for longer storage.
Nutrition
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