With fresh berries and rhubarb, plus a crunchy crumb topping, this Raspberry Rhubarb Skillet Coffee Cake is the perfect combination of sweet and tart. Start your day off right and enjoy a slice with your morning coffee this summer!
Easy Crumb Cake with Rhubarb + Raspberries
The raspberries have just started to ripen out in the garden, right on cue. I can always expect the raspberry patch to kick into high gear right around the 4th of July.
And just a few feet from the raspberries are the rhubarb plants.
You know where I’m going with this, right?
This Raspberry Rhubarb Skillet Coffee Cake recipe is a beautiful combination of sweet raspberries and tart rhubarb, all gathered up in a deliciously buttery coffee cake. You will LOVE it!
Why I Love this Coffee Cake
So many people only use their cast iron skillets for savory cooking. But I love to use mine for both savory and sweet. And a skillet works perfectly for this beautiful summery coffee cake!
This raspberry and rhubarb skillet coffee cake is super tender and perfectly moist with the loveliest crumb. Not overly sweet, the cake sits nice and tall, studded with tart pockets of rhubarb throughout. And sprinkled over the top are ruby red raspberries, naturally sweet and oh-so-pretty.
More sweet recipes baked in a skillet:
- Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
- Peach Streusel Coffee Cake in a Skillet
- Cranberry Orange Skillet Cake with White Chocolate
Raspberry and rhubarb complement each other so well, the raspberries sweet where the rhubarb is tart. It’s a bit of a match made in heaven when it comes to baking with them.
Also. The crumb topping. Oohhhhhhh, that beautiful crumb topping. Thin and crinkly and sugary…it’s totally “my thing”. There’s just so much to love about this recipe!
What You’ll Need
This raspberry rhubarb coffee cake is made with basic baking ingredients, making it easy to bake on a whim when there’s fresh rhubarb available!
For the Rhubarb Coffee Cake
- All-purpose flour – Your basic all-purpose flour works well in this recipe.
- Baking powder – Allows the coffee cake to rise.
- Cinnamon – Adds some cozy, warm flavor.
- Salt – Just a pinch.
- Unsalted butter – Butter should be softened, but not melted.
- Sugar – Adds just the right amount of sweetness.
- Eggs – A baking staple.
- Milk – Your favorite dairy milk works.
- Vanilla & almond extracts – These add a light flavor to the coffee cake – the almond is especially lovely!
- Rhubarb – I love to use it fresh from the garden, but also look for it at the farmers market and grocery store.
- Raspberries – I highly recommend fresh berries for this skillet coffee cake, but frozen will work in a pinch.
For the Crumb Topping
- Flour – More flour is used in the topping.
- Sugar – The sugar helps give the slight crunch and sweetness to the topping.
- Salt – Just a pinch for the crumb topping too.
- Butter – It’s important to use COLD butter for the crumb topping. Keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
How to Make Raspberry Rhubarb Skillet Coffee Cake
This raspberry rhubarb coffee cake comes together in a few easy steps. Give it an hour to cool and you’ll have breakfast or dessert ready to go!
- Preheat oven. Preheat the oven to 375° F and grease your cast iron skillet with butter.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat the wet ingredients. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the eggs and milk. Beat until smooth, then add the vanilla and almond extracts. It may look a bit curdled but that’s okay. Mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Add the raspberries and rhubarb. Gently fold in the rhubarb, then transfer to the skillet. Add the raspberries to the top, gently pressing them down.
- Make the crumb topping. Mix together the flour, sugar, and salt, then cut in the butter with a rigid pastry cutter or fork. Sprinkle over the coffee cake batter. Be sure to allow the raspberries to peek through.
- Bake. Bake for 50 minutes, until the coffee cake is puffed up and set in the center, and golden brown. Cool for at least an hour before cutting and enjoying.
Tips for Success
For perfectly tender, moist, and sweet coffee cake, keep these tips in mind.
- Use a 10-inch skillet. A smaller skillet will overflow and not work for this recipe.
- Serve warm. While you can enoy this raspberry rhubarb skillet coffee cake at any time, I highly recommend diving in when it’s still a bit warm from the oven. It’ll be incredibly tender and irresistible!
- Use cold butter. It’s essential that the butter used in the crumb topping is cold. Otherwise, it will melt and your topping won’t have any crumb pieces!
- Use other berries. Don’t have any fresh raspberries on hand? You can easily make this with strawberries, blueberries, or other berries too!
Serving Suggestions
Coffee cake is one of my favorite excuses for eating cake for breakfast. That’s when I typically enjoy a big slice of rhubarb skillet coffee cake, along with my morning cup of coffee. Coffee cake also makes a great addition to brunch, and can even work as dessert!
While you can enjoy this at room temperature, I love eating it warm. If it’s not fresh from the oven you can easily pop it in the microwave for a few seconds.
How to Store Leftovers
Leftover rhubarb skillet coffee cake will last at room temperature for up to two days. You can either tightly cover the skillet with plastic wrap and foil or place it in an airtight container.
You can also store this in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Can I Freeze Rhubarb Coffee Cake?
Yes, you can freeze your rhubarb coffee cake. Remove it from the skillet and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, followed by a layer of aluminum foil. You can freeze the entire cake or individual pieces. Properly wrapped, your coffee cake will stay fresh for 2-3 months.
Remove from the freezer and place on the counter to thaw before enjoying.
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Raspberry Rhubarb Skillet Coffee Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
for the coffee cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup plus 1 teaspoon unsalted butter softened (not melted), divided
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb cut into 1/2″ pieces
- 6 ounces fresh raspberries about 3/4 to 1 cup
for the crumb topping:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- pinch of salt
- 6 tablespoons cold butter cut into 1/2″ pieces
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease a 10" cast iron skillet with tall sides (a smaller pan will not work!) with the 1 teaspoon of butter. Set pan aside.
for the coffee cake:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- In a separate large bowl, or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream together the remaining 3/4 cup of butter with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs and milk and beat until smooth, and then mix in the vanilla and almond extracts. Don’t worry if it’s a bit curdled looking.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the rhubarb and spread into prepared skillet. Sprinkle the top of the batter with raspberries, pressing them into the batter just a bit.
for the crumb topping:
- In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter with a rigid pastry cutter or a fork until you have pea-sized pieces. Sprinkle over the top of the coffee cake batter, taking care to let most of the raspberries peek through.
- Place skillet in oven and bake for about 50 minutes, or until coffee cake is puffed up and set in the center, and nicely golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Let cool for at least 1 hour before serving. When served still warm, it will be very tender (and also highly irresistible!).
Notes
Nutrition Information:
More Rhubarb Recipes:
- Rhubarb Cheesecake Pie
- Rhubarb Muffins with Cardamom Crunch Topping
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Bars
- Loree’s Rhubarb Nut Coffee Cake
- Grandma Renelt’s Rhubarb Custard Pie
- Old Fashioned Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
This post was originally published in 2014, and then updated in 2021.
I adore coffee cake like this.. perfection. And when you need some rhubarb, you absolutely need some rhubarb!
Exactly! Some people just don’t get it. ;)
I tried this today, didn’t have cast iron, I made it up in a 10 inch ceramic baking dish. I had to back for about an hour 10 minutes. Turned out yummy
Wonderful!! Thanks for coming back to let me know. :)
I was talking about your raspberry patch yesterday with Grandma Veoma. I think we decided that I should plant my raised garden with raspberry plants since it is partially shaded and veggies aren’t really happy there anyway. I thought they would take too long to start producing but she told me that I should do it because her patch in town grew quickly and started producing quite fast. This will be my first project after school gets out.
Yay! I’m hoping to start some strawberries this year. Can’t wait!
I absolutely love rhubarb + raspberries together and love how you can see the raspberries peaking out … so pretty! Don’t feel bad for purchasing rhubarb from the store! that’s what most of us have to do! I’m excited for you that you will have rhubarb from your yard in the summer! So jealous! Happy Mother’s day, Brenda!
So many people call rhubarb a “weed”, they would never buy it! I surely don’t think of it that way, but am used to always having it available from the yard, ever since Mom had it growing on the farm. Hope you had a lovely Mother’s Day!
Oh, this coffee cake looks lovely, Brenda! Would love a piece of it for breakfast tomorrow.
You MUST make this, Mom. You’ll love it! xo
Such a fabulous flavour combo! So yummy!
Thank you, Katrina!
I’ve always been scared to try rhubarb. It’s not something we ever had growing up. Your coffee cake makes me want to take the plunge. It looks beautiful.
This would be a lovely place to start, indeed. Don’t be afraid of rhubarb! It’s just a bit tart. And the raspberries on top offset it with fresh pops of sweetness.
Oops, my friend reported your blog. Hope you rhubarb comes soon! :)
Anna, you should come to my place to rhubarb has taken over and I could give you as much as you like…want some at soccer tomorrow :)
I think I’m going to have to try this recipe it looks delish! I made rhubarb cookies the other day and the kids and neighbours love them.
So beautiful and such a delicious spring dessert!
Thanks, Gaby! :)
Looks delicious. If you don’t own a cast iron skillet – what would you recommend baking this in and any adjustments to the temp or time? Would a 9in springform pan work? I noticed you mentioned it but stuck with the skillet.
A reader recently left a new comment, saying they used a 10″ ceramic baking dish and it turned out great. I would also like to try a springform pan. If you only have a 9″ springform pan, this cake will be even thicker/taller, requiring more baking time to get the center set.
Thank you Brenda for a great recipe. Happy Mother’s Day!
You’re welcome, Liz! :)
Looks yummy! No cast iron pan tho…maybe the next recipe…
I say…invest in a good cast iron pan! ;) I love using it! But…also give a springform pan or a large deep dish pie plate a try.
I’m so hoping to find rhubarb at the market this weekend! And Happy Mother’s Day to you Brenda, it’s a joy to see the happiness you share with your daughters.
Awwwww, thank you so much Amanda. And I hope you find rhubarb, too! :)
Thank you for highlighting seasonal flavors in your recipes! Our rhubarb is slow to here in Michigan but it’s coming along. This recipe would make a lovely Mother’s Day brunch recipe. Happy Mother’s Day Brenda and to all of your readers too!
Thank you so much, Wendy – hope you had a lovely day!
Reminds me of something my grandmother use to make using rhubarb and cinnamon. Now I need to find the darn rhubarb. Wouldn’t this be lovely for Mother’s Day?
I hope you can find some rhubarb! It should be widely available soon!!
Our rhubarb is almost ready! Can’t wait to make this!
Yay! Hope you like it, Maria. And I hope you had a lovely Mother’s Day. :)
My kind of flavour combo! ;) Looks lovely can I can’t wait to try it!
Thank you, Aimee. Hope you had a lovely Mother’s Day!
So prefect for spring and Mothers day this weekend. Gorgeous Brenda!
Thank you, Tieghan! :)
This coffee cake looks absolutely wonderful! I love the rhubarb raspberry combo too!
Thank you, Jenna! :)