The Rhubarb Coffee Cake that Won Us Over

Carrots tend to take center stage in spring, but it’s also the height of rhubarb season! Rhubarb is a vegetable that’s used more like a fruit in recipes, but can never be eaten raw. When cooked, rhubarb softens and mellows, but is still quite tart and tangy. Sugar tames it, which is why rhubarb is most often used in sweet baked goods. It’s a popular addition to crisps, crumbles, pies, and cakes, like this award-winning, dairy-free rhubarb coffee cake.

Why You’ll Love this Dairy-Free Rhubarb Coffee Cake

• Grand Prize Winner: Not many recipes can say they won the top prize in a dairy-free recipe contest with hundreds of recipe submissions – but this one can!
• Moist & Tender Cake: The texture is so wonderful, despite the fact that it’s free of milk and eggs.
• Balanced Sweetness: Sugar is needed since rhubarb is so tart, but the cake doesn’t go overboard with sugar. The cinnamon-sugar sprinkle and sauce are options for adding flavorful sweetness.
• Breakfast or Dessert-Worthy: Enjoy the cake alone with coffee in the morning, or drizzle it with the sweet, creamy sauce for Mother’s Day, Easter, afternoon tea, or a special brunch.

Helpful Recipe Photos

This recipe was submitted by Jenny Dunklee for a recipe contest we held in 2014. The photos above and in the recipe were taken by our Associate Editor, Sarah Hatfield, who has made this recipe many times! But Jenny was kind enough to share some select process photos for extra guidance.

Slice the rhubarb stalks to an even thinness of about ¼-inch thick (as shown above) to ensure they cook through properly. The slices should be quite tender once baked.

When done, a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake should easily pierce the rhubarb pieces and should come out clean (no wet batter or overly moist crumbs). If it is browning too quickly and isn’t cooked through, you can tent the cake lightly with foil before returning it to the oven.

You can make the sauce while the cake cooks, and let both the cake and sauce cool at the same time. Jenny says to whisk it every 5 minutes in the recipe, but you can whisk it more often. Better safe than sorry!

The sauce will thinly coat the back of a spoon when ready. It will thicken a bit more as it cools. Be sure to let it cool completely, and then drizzle it over each slice just before serving, not over the whole cake. Store any leftovers separately from the cake.

Rhubarb Tips

Since rhubarb is a vegetable that many home bakers don’t use regularly, I thought some tips would help:

• Timing: Fresh rhubarb has a relatively short season that falls firmly in spring, from April through June.
• Selection: Look for firm, crisp stalks that snap cleanly when broken. Color (red vs green) isn’t a measure or ripeness or sweetness – they’re simply different varieties.
• General Storage: Store the stalks in your vegetable keeper in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, depending on freshness. Keep them loosely wrapped and do not wash until ready to use.
• Prolonged Storage: If you want to make this dairy-free rhubarb coffee cake off season, you can freeze rhubarb stalks.
• Preparation: Always remove the leaves (they are toxic if consumed). Trim the ends and rinse well. Peeling isn’t usually needed, but you can do it if the stalks are quite thick. See above for slicing guidance.

Have Extra Rhubarb? After you enjoy the dairy-free rhubarb coffee cake recipe below, see our Dairy-Free Rhubarb Recipes for more options.

Special Diet Notes: Rhubarb Coffee Cake

By ingredients, this recipe is dairy-free / non-dairy, egg-free, nut-free, peanut-free, soy-free, vegan, and vegetarian. Just be sure to choose the dairy-free milk alternative, yogurt, and buttery sticks that suit your dietary needs.

Jenny Dunklee

Dairy-Free Rhubarb Coffee Cake

5 from 1 vote

This moist and tender cake is a favorite on lazy weekend mornings with coffee or tea, but it's also perfect for brunch or dessert. The cinnamon-sugar topping and creamy vanilla sauce offer that bakery-like touch.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings: 9 servings

Course: Baking, Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Calories: 436

Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

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Rhubarb Coffee Cake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅔ cup unsweetened milk alternative (Jenny uses coconut milk beverage)
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• ½ cup dairy-free buttery sticks
• ¾ cup unsweetened dairy-free yogurt (Jenny uses So Delicious coconut milk yogurt)
• 1 ½ cups rhubarb sliced thin (about 3 large stalks)

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Vanilla Coconut Sauce

• 11 ounces canned coconut milk or coconut cream
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons agave nectar
• ⅛ teaspoon salt or to taste
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

 

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 350ºF and lightly grease an 8×8-inch baking pan.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk alternative, zest, and vanilla.
4. In a mixing bowl, cream the 1 1/4 cups sugar and butter alternative with a hand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the yogurt and mix well.
5. Add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the milk mixture, mixing after each addition until the ingredients are just combined. Do not overmix.
6. Fold in the rhubarb.
7. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and even it out.

Cinnamon Sugar Topping

1. In a small bowl, combine the 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle this mixture evenly on top of the cake.
2. Bake the cake for 55 to 65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
3. Let the cake cool completely before serving or garnishing with the sauce.

Vanilla Coconut Sauce

1. While the cake is cooking, combine the coconut milk, brown sugar, agave nectar, and salt in a small pan and bring to a simmer.
2. Let simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, whisking every 5 minutes to make sure it doesn't burn or bubble over.
3. You will know it’s done when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. It should reduce down to about 1/2 of the original.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the vanilla. Let the sauce cool completely.
5. Drizzle the cooled sauce over the cooled cake.
6. Store leftover sauce tightly sealed in a jar or container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. It will thicken as it cools, but you can warm it gently to thin it out.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice cake with sauceCalories: 436kcalCarbohydrates: 62.7gProtein: 3.2gFat: 19.3gSaturated Fat: 10.1gSodium: 213mgFiber: 2gSugar: 40.4g

Notes

Editor's Note: Sarah, our Associate Editor, made this recipe one more time, and decided to add a little salt. Her family was happy with this addition, so we've modified Jenny's recipe slightly to include salt, and to clarify the instructions.

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