This Rhubarb Nut Coffee Cake is super tender, with tart little bites of rhubarb contrasting with a sweet sugary crunchity topping with chopped nuts.
This might very well be the first recipe I ever requested from my mother-in-law, Loree. She had made this super tender coffee cake while Blake and I were back in North Dakota visiting for a weekend. I couldn’t help but fall in love with its tart little bites of rhubarb contrasting with the sweet sugar crusted topping. And the scattering of chopped pecans over it all was just the perfect finish. I know that Loree’s Rhubarb Nut Coffee Cake will grace our table for many years to come.
Loree on a high school class trip.
If you’re wondering how to pronounce my mother-in-law’s name, it’s “Lor – ay”. And it’s exactly this wondering that brings my MIL much dismay. She can’t believe that her mother gave her a name that nobody can get right, both in spelling and pronunciation (“Lorie this, Lorie that…”). She really, really, REALLY dislikes her name.
But I don’t. I think Loree is a beautiful name for a beautiful woman with a gigantical beautiful heart. I really, really, REALLY do!
If you have some fresh spring rhubarb on hand (if you don’t, I’ll bet a neighbor or co-worker has some they’re trying to get rid of!), give this excellent coffee cake a try. The cake is sweet, perfect with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk. It’s also not short on calories. But I like butter, sugar, and cream, and I’m not ashamed to say so. Everything in moderation, my friends.
I think the perfect time to eat this rhubarb nut coffee cake is about an hour after it has been removed from the oven and slathered with the creamy buttery yum. The cake is still warm at this point and the yum will have a crunchy edge to it. Enjoy!
Loree’s Rhubarb Nut Coffee Cake
Ingredients
for the cake:
- ½ c. unsalted butter
- 1.5 c. sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 c. buttermilk
- 2.5 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 3 c. cut rhubarb about 1/2″ pieces
- 1 c. packed brown sugar
- ½ c. chopped nuts whatever kind you prefer (I like to use pecans)
for the creamy buttery yum:
- ½ c. unsalted butter
- 1 c. sugar
- ½ c. cream
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- Spray a 9"×13" pan with cooking spray and set aside.
- For the cake, cream together butter and sugar, then beat in egg. Stir in buttermilk. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, mixing gently until combined. Stir in vanilla. Fold in the rhubarb and pour into your prepared pan, spreading evenly.
- Sprinkle with all of the brown sugar and then the nuts, pressing the nuts into the cake a bit with the back of a spoon. Bake for about 55 minutes, or until center of cake has firmed up. Remove from oven.
- Place all of the creamy buttery yum ingredients into a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Stir for 1 minute to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat. Pour the warm yum evenly over the warm cake and let it soak in. Sometimes I poke small holes into the top outside perimeter of the cake to allow the yum to soak in better. Try to not let a big amount of the yum to pool onto the center of the cake, or that part of the cake will get overly saturated. Sometimes I don’t use all of the yum. Up to you!
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Here are a few more rhubarb recipes you might enjoy:
- Lemon Rhubarb Scones with Vanilla Bean Glaze
- Raspberry Rhubarb Skillet Coffee Cake
- Rhubarb Muffins with Cardamom Crunch Topping
- Strawberry Rhubarb Pie from Girl Versus Dough
- Strawberry Rhubarb Jam from Mountain Mama Cooks
- Rhubarb White Chocolate Blondies from Foodness Gracious
This post was originally published May 2010. Photos and some of the text were updated June 2016.
Wow!!! This is the most addictive cake I’ve ever tasted! I can’t stop eating it. Love the super moist texture, crunchy topping and the contrast of the tart rhubarb and the sweet cake. My husband, who claims he does not like rhubarb, even loves it, particularly the texture.
I made this today with Namaste gluten free flour and it turned out delicious! I’ll definitely be adding this to my rhubarb dessert rotation :) Thanks for the great recipe! That yum sauce on top is really incredible..!!
Do you know if this freezes well? If it should be frozen before or after the “buttery yum”? Thank you!
Hello,
Can I make this the day before a big BBQ?
Looks delicious!
Thank you!
This was so good! I’ve had numerous compliments and requests for the recipe. I was nervous about dumping the sauce on the top but it was wonderful. Definitely a keeper. So good I’m making another one tomorrow now that the last piece was eaten since I have loads of rhubarb.
I just made my grandmother’s rhubarb cake this weekend (actual provenance unknown, but recipe in her handwriting)! Very similar to yours, though her recipe calls for “1 c. sour milk — add tsp. vinegar,” nuts are “optional,” and it is topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar. I grew up with rhubarb plants that originated in my great-grandmother’s garden in Melrose, MN. Mine are from the garden center, alas, but are going gangbusters this year, and I should get a couple more rhubarb-strawberry crisps and perhaps some jam out of them before the season is over. Thanks for sharing your MIL’s recipe!
Thanks for sharing, Tracy. Cheers to rhubarb!
The nuts on top are a great addition! This cake sounds lovely!
Thanks, Katrina! Happy Weekend!
Very similar to my grandmothers rhubarb cake that I always make for my birthday. Her’s is a bundt cake with cinnamon sugar coated pan. Nuts stirred into batter and none of that yum.
Another nice recipe. Thanks so much.
Hi, I really understand the whole name thing. My name has always been …..well lets say a little bit unusual. I can’t say I’ve ever minded, it’s always been an ice breaker or conversation starter. The misspelling can really be funny but the pronounciation is hilarious. By the way, I’m Phyllis Knudsen’s sister, originally from Rosholt too. I love that your mom puts your recipes on facebook!!!! Keep the great recipes coming!!!!
I have always loved Loree’s name! (and her of course!) but I have also been able to totally relate to her with the frustration of everyone (and I do mean EVERYONE!) mispronouncing your name! I have been called Carrie my whole life… and I as well, have always hated my name! I did ask my Mother one time WHY she named me that- she said it was her Great-Grandmother’s name and they (my Mom and Dad) never imagined it would be mispronounced… in Norway it’s never pronounced as “Carrie”- I told her maybe I should move to Norway then!!
Can’t wait for you to make this for me! ; )
The picture is spectacular! Please tell Lor-ay I said so.
After eating this at your home I had to get the recipe from you. I agree, it is yummy! And yesterday your Dad asked me to make something with rhubarb!