Greek Yogurt Rhubarb Coffee Cake
Greek Yogurt Rhubarb Coffee Cake features a tender cake studded with tangy rhubarb pieces and a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping.
It’s time for rhubarb again. Luckily for me, I still had a bag of frozen rhubarb in my freezer from last year, because by the time my rhubarb plant is ready to use, rhubarb season will most likely be over for many people. It is just so cold, and spring is so late this year.
But, due to my forward thinking from last season, I’ve got this Greek Yogurt Rhubarb Coffee Cake recipe ready to share for everyone who has a rhubarb plant that’s thriving.
I debated roasting the rhubarb in advance for this cake as I do for my Roasted Rhubarb and White Chocolate Scones, in order to avoid a soggy cake. However, I figured most people would want to avoid this lengthy step, so I simply cut back on the liquid in the cake batter. This ended up working out well, as the cake was perfectly tender with no soggy bits in sight, and no unnecessary roasting was needed.
How to Make Greek Yogurt Rhubarb Coffee Cake
To make this summery cake, start by prepping a 9×13″ baking pan by lining it with parchment paper. While I don’t normally use parchment for cakes that will be cut in the pan, in this case, it’s important to prevent the rhubarb from reacting with the metal pan. Alternatively, you could use a glass or ceramic baking dish, but you will need to increase the baking time by 10-15 minutes.
Next, make the streusel topping. Whisk together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Blend in the cold butter cubes with a pastry blender or with your fingers. The mixture should form roughly pea-sized clumps. Place the bowl in the fridge until ready to use.
To make the cake batter, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl (or large measuring cup), whisk together the Greek yogurt, canola oil, egg, and vanilla. Pour the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture and stir together with a spatula.
Note that the batter will be very stiff – it will resemble a soft cookie dough more than a cake batter. This is necessary to prevent the rhubarb from sinking to the bottom of the cake, and to prevent the cake from baking up soggy because the rhubarb will release a lot of liquid. Resist the urge to add additional water or liquid to thin the batter.
Fold the rhubarb into the batter and spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Do your best to spread batter into the corners and to make sure that the rhubarb is evenly distributed in the pan. Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with crumbs clean or with clinging to it. Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Store leftovers in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the freezer for an extended period of time.
Food Science Note
The first time I tested this cake, I used a little too much baking soda. I thought the amount would be ok because of the amount of acidic yogurt I was adding to the batter, and I wanted to make sure that the stiff batter got enough of a leavening lift. This version of the cake came out vastly different from what I was expecting. While the cake tasted ok, the basic baking soda in the batter reacted with the rhubarb, causing it to turn blue.
The batter itself also browned much more than I was expecting, giving the cake an unusual yellowish-brown color. This is because baking soda speeds up the Maillard reaction, which causes foods to brown (this is where pretzels get their deep brown color). Moral of the story: don’t use more baking soda than you need – your cake may end up looking very strange.
The only change I made between the two cakes in the photos below is the amount of baking soda used – the first cake had double the amount of baking soda.
Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake made with too much baking soda. Note the odd yellowish-brown color of the cake and the bluish color of the rhubarb. Greek Yogurt Coffee Cake with the correct amount of baking soda. Note the bright pink rhubarb and (normal) pale crumb of the cake. The cake still rose just fine.
Greek Yogurt Rhubarb Coffee Cake Ingredients
- All-purpose flour – you will need flour in both the streusel topping and the cake batter.
- Brown sugar – You will need brown sugar for the streusel topping. You can use either dark brown or light brown sugar.
- Ground cinnamon – You will need cinnamon for the streusel topping.
- Cold unsalted butter – You only need butter for the streusel topping. It shouldn’t be softened; it should be cold.
- Granulated sugar – You will use granulated sugar in the coffee cake batter.
- Baking powder – You will need baking powder for the cake batter. I recommend using aluminum-free baking powder for this recipe to avoid any reactions with the acidic rhubarb.
- Baking soda – You will need baking soda for the cake batter. Be careful not to add more than the recipe says, or you will get a reaction in which the rhubarb turns an unpleasant blue color.
- Salt
- Plain or vanilla Greek yogurt – You can use either full-fat (3.25% or even higher if you like) or low-fat Greek yogurt. I don’t recommend using fat-free yogurt for this recipe.
- Canola oil – or feel free to use any other neutral-flavored cooking oil.
- Large egg
- Vanilla extract
- Chopped rhubarb – You will need anywhere from 1 or 2 large to 4 or 5 small stalks, it just depends on their size. I prefer baking with red rhubarb because it results in a much nicer color, but they both taste the same. You can also use frozen chopped rhubarb for this recipe. I recommend adding it to the batter while it is still frozen, or it will get mushy when you’re trying to mix it. You will likely have to add about 10 minutes onto the cooking time if using frozen rhubarb.
Want more rhubarb dessert recipes?
Greek Yogurt Rhubarb Coffee Cake Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information is for one piece of cake if you cut the recipe into 12 pieces. If you cut your cake into more (smaller) or fewer (larger) pieces, the nutrition information will vary accordingly.
The nutrition calculations use plain, regular-fat (3% MF) Greek yogurt. Using vanilla Greek yogurt will slightly increase the sugar content of the cake, and low-fat yogurt will slightly reduce the fat content. I don’t recommend using fat-free yogurt for this recipe.
Greek Yogurt Rhubarb Coffee Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
Instructions
- Stir together ⅔ cup (83 g) all-purpose flour, ½ cup (110 g) brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon (2 g) ground cinnamon in a medium bowl. Cut in 4 Tablespoons (56 g) cold unsalted butter with a pastry blender (or a fork, or your hands) to form roughly pea-sized crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Prepare a 9×13" baking pan by greasing it with butter or neutral-flavored cooking oil. Move an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350°F.
- Whisk together 2 cups (240 g) all-purpose flour, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder, ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking soda, and ½ teaspoon (3 g) salt in a large bowl. In a separate medium bowl (or large measuring cup), whisk together 1 cup (227 g) plain or vanilla Greek yogurt, ⅓ cup (75 g) canola oil, 1 large egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
- Fold the Greek yogurt mixture into the flour mixture until no pockets of flour remain. Note that the batter will be very stiff – don't add extra liquid. Fold in 3 cups (370 g) chopped rhubarb. Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon streusel topping mixture evenly over the cake batter and transfer the baking pan to the oven. Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few crumbs clinging to it, and the center of the cake reaches an internal temperature of 190°F, 35-40 minutes. Note that if you're using frozen rhubarb, you will likely have to increase cooking time by 5-10 minutes.
- Place the pan on a wire rack and cool the pan in the pan for at least 20 minutes before cutting. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Cover any leftovers with plastic (or a lid) and store at room temperature for up to two days, or in the freezer for a longer period of time.
Nutrition
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