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Rhubarb Sour Cream Cake

Rhubarb sour cream cake is a tender, moist coffee cake baked with visible rhubarb pieces and a crunchy cinnamon streusel topping. The crumb stays soft and sliceable, with a clean-toothpick finish and a golden top.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Cooling 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For cake
  • 2.5 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1.5 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 0.5 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 3 cup fresh rhubarb, diced
For topping
  • 0.5 cup brown sugar
  • 0.25 cup all-purpose flour
  • 0.25 cup butter, cold
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Bake the cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking pan.
  2. Whisk together all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
  3. Mix sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until combined.
  4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed, then fold in fresh rhubarb, diced.
  5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Add streusel and bake
  1. Mix brown sugar, all-purpose flour, and cinnamon, then cut in cold butter until crumbly.
  2. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the batter.
  3. Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean (golden and set).
Cool and serve
  1. Cool the cake for 30 minutes before serving so the crumb finishes setting.

Notes

For clean slices, cool to warm (30 minutes) before cutting; the rhubarb pieces stay visibly tender while the streusel keeps its crunch. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Freeze slices in an airtight container for up to 2 months, thaw in the fridge overnight. For a lighter option, replace vegetable oil with an equal amount of unsweetened applesauce and expect a slightly softer crumb.