This is a German rhubarb cake that I’ve been making since I was about ten years old. It’s a family favourite. My omi requests it whenever rhubarb is in season, my great-grandmother made it often, and my mom taught me when I was little.
Rhubarb streusel cake is very popular in Germany in the springtime and I’ve always made it with the first rhubarb from our garden. The pinkest rhubarb you can find will always look best, though it doesn’t really change the flavour. If you don’t like rhubarb, the base recipe can be used with any number of fruits.
This is a yeasted recipe, with a sweet bread base and the rhubarb and crumble topping. Streusel is just sugar, fat, and flour mixed into a crumbly blend, the same thing you’d use to top a rhubarb crisp. In this case it’s coconut sugar, coconut oil, and spelt flour. No oats are used.
It’s best the day it’s baked, but still good a day or two later. The topping softens a bit as it sits because of the liquid in the rhubarb, but it’s not bad. Serve it with coconut whipped cream or yogurt, or enjoy it plain. If you’re looking for a recipe that doesn’t use yeast, try this vegan lemon rhubarb cake instead.
Ingredients

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Non-dairy milk: I always use oat milk. With homemade milk, make sure not to boil, as it has a tendency to thicken.
- Coconut oil: this should be solid. Refined if you don’t want any hint of coconut flavour, though I don’t find it noticeable in this recipe. Butter can be substituted.
- Yeast: instant or traditional doesn’t matter as it’s blooming before being mixed with the flour. You may see slightly different rising times depending on type.
- Light spelt flour: also called sifted or white spelt. Substitute plain white flour if preferred. Several readers have had success making this recipe gluten-free by using a 1:1 GF blend like the mix from Bob’s Red Mill. I haven’t personally tested this and can’t offer guarantees, but it seems to work pretty well.
- Rhubarb: this recipe needs quite a bit of rhubarb, great if you have an older plant or it’s in excess at the market. If it’s quite late in the season, the rhubarb can be peeled.
- Coconut sugar: use regular cane sugar in place of coconut if preferred.
Step by Step

Step 1: mix the milk, sweetener, and yeast. Set aside for the yeast to bloom.
Step 2: stir part of the flour into the yeast mixture.
Step 3: mix in the remaining bread ingredients and knead into a smooth ball.
Step 4: cover and set aside to rise until doubled in size.

Step 5: roll the dough out and place on a large baking sheet.
Step 6: prepare the rhubarb and the streusel topping.
Step 7: cover the base in the rhubarb and streusel.
Step 8: bake until lightly golden and cool before serving.
Recipe Notes
There are a number of notes here, but they don’t mean the recipe is complicated – just that I want you to succeed even if you’ve never made a yeasted cake before. Please read through this if you haven’t and keep them in mind as you go through the recipe.
Dough Tips
The milk mixture cannot be too hot before mixing with the yeast. If it is, it’ll kill the yeast. Use your fingertip to gauge this – it should be skin temperature or just barely warmer, and definitely not uncomfortably warm to touch.
If you don’t think your milk was too hot and it still didn’t bubble 15 minutes after adding the yeast, your yeast was dead and you need to buy new. Yeast should be refrigerated to keep it fresh for a longer time.
The amount of flour is given as a range because it depends on the humidity of you home. The end goal is a soft dough that just barely sticks to your hands, so add the amount of flour needed for that.
It generally takes a couple of hours for my dough to rise fully, unless it’s a very warm and sunny day. Yours may rise much faster in a warm house, or a bit slower in a very cool place. Keep in mind that it needs time, same as any other bread, but it will vary a bit.
Topping Tips
Your streusel might be a little more or less crumbly depending on your flour, how dry your sugar is, and the humidity. If it’s too wet, it usually needs more flour. If it’s holding together but not really crumbling, add more sugar. If it’s too dry then sparingly add more oil.
Add small amounts until you get the consistency you want. The milk makes the streusel act a bit more like a butter-based version when baking (butter is fat and water, not pure fat like coconut oil).
If your coconut oil is very hard, if it’s been stored in a cold place, using your hands to mix it with the streusel ingredients will heat it enough to incorporate. Alternatively, if it’s melted, measure it out and then refrigerate until hardened.
There’s no need to peel the rhubarb for this recipe. Adding a tiny bit of lemon and sweetener isn’t completely necessary, but really improves the taste of the fruit. If you use a different fruit, still mix with the lemon juice and maple syrup beforehand.

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How to Store
Storage: this cake will keep for 2-3 days in a sealed container, but the topping will soften and the bread base will dry out over time. It is best fresh.
Freezing: freeze in an airtight container for up to three months. It is slightly dry after being frozen, but not too bad.
Expert Tips
- Test your yeast: if you’re unsure whether your yeast is still active or not, test a small amount in a bit of warm (not hot) water before beginning. The yeast should expand after a few minutes if it’s still active.
- Keep yeast chilled: on the same note, keep your dry yeast in the refrigerator for the longest shelf life.
- Use other fruit: if you’d like to make this at times of year when rhubarb isn’t in season, a number of fruits can be used in its place. Plums and apples are traditional, but apricots, peaches, blueberries, and many others are good too. It will be quite a bit sweeter when using alternatives due to rhubarb’s natural tartness.
More Rhubarb Recipes
Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler
Rhubarb Almond Cake
Rhubarb Banana Muffins
Honey Rhubarb Lemonade
Late Spring Salad with Roasted Rhubarb
If you make this Rhubarb Cake or any other vegetarian dessert recipes on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Rhubarb Streusel Cake
Ingredients
Cake Base
- 250 ml non-dairy milk
- 60 ml maple syrup or honey
- 60 grams coconut oil
- 20 grams fresh yeast ½ of a cube or 2 teaspoons dry yeast
- 525 to 600 grams light spelt flour
- ½ teaspoon vanilla powder optional
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
Rhubarb Topping
- 500 grams rhubarb, chopped, or around 6 stalks
- Juice of a lemon about 3 tablespoons
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or honey
Vegan Streusel
- 150 grams light spelt flour
- 100 grams coconut sugar
- 60 grams coconut oil*
- 1 tablespoon non-dairy milk
- Pinch sea salt
Instructions
Cake Base
- Place the milk, maple syrup, and coconut oil to a small saucepan and heat on low until the coconut oil is melted and the mixture is just warm to the touch.
- Pour this mixture into a large mixing bowl and crumble/sprinkle the yeast over it. Let this sit for 15 minutes, or until it is bubbling or foaming, before adding the remaining ingredients.
- Add 150g (1 cup) of flour, along with the vanilla and salt to the mixing bowl and stir to combine. Stir in another 150g (1 cup) of flour, then start adding it in 75g (½ cup) increments, stirring to fully incorporate between each addition.
- Once it becomes too difficult to stir, generously flour a large surface (your countertop) and turn the dough out to knead it. Knead for about 10 minutes, adding more flour as necessary, until a smooth, soft dough forms.
- Grease a large mixing bowl and place the finished dough in it to rise. Cover the bowl with a tea towel and place it in a warm place, like your oven with the light on, for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and line a large baking sheet (or two smaller ones) with parchment paper. Gently punch the dough down.
- Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface into a large rectangle about 40x30cm (~12x16in.) in size (or two smaller rectangles).
- Place the rolled out dough onto the prepared baking sheet(s). Cover this with a tea towel again to rise slightly while you prepare the rhubarb and streusel topping.
- Add the rhubarb in an even layer over the cake, then top with the streusel, going right into the corners.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the edges of the cake are golden. Remove from the oven and let it cool before serving. Serve with coconut whipped cream or yogurt.
Rhubarb Topping
- Coarsely chop the rhubarb and place it into a bowl with the lemon juice and maple syrup. Use your hands or a wooden spoon to coat the fruit, then add it to the cake.
Vegan Streusel
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and use your hands to squeeze the ingredients together until a crumbly mixture forms. Sprinkle over the rhubarb onto the cake in an even or chunky layer.
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
This post was originally published in May 2017. It has been updated with improvements to the text and recipe as of June 2021.

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Meike says
This dough was the best yeast-dough I have made in a long time! I played a little around with the milk-oil ratio according to my liking. I added a few strawberries since they were already very soft and sweet, waiting to be eaten!
This is indeed the traditional Rhubarb Streusel Cake I know from my mum! Thanks so much for this wonderful and perfect recipe! 🙂
Alexandra Daum says
That is lovely to hear, thanks Meike!
Anna says
How big is your baking sheet and how thick should we press the dough out to?
Alexandra Daum says
I have typical European baking sheets, about 60cm, but the cake doesn’t fill the whole pan. It is very forgiving. The dough can be about 2cm.
Anna says
Thanks. Our rhubarb has gone a bit mental this year so this cake sounds like such a good use of it (other than dumping a load of rhubarb into a mega size crumble!)
Jennifer Patterson says
Could you recommend a substitute for the coconut oil? I am trying to eat oil free, this sounds like a wonderful way to use my rhubarb!!
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Hi Jennifer, I’m afraid I don’t know a substitute for oil in the crumble topping here. You could maybe make the base without oil (using a high fat milk, maybe?) but not the streusel.
Ruth Grentz says
I tried this recipe with wheat and gluten free and it turned out both ways! My mother-in-law made the traditional streusel cake many times. I made this for Mother’s Day this year. It brought back many memories . Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Jen says
Looks great and I will try it, but could please take out the honey (not vegan) in your recipe so the cake isn’t given to a vegan by mistake. Folk do try to bake for vegans but don’t always realise the mistake and it can cause upset.
Alexandra | Occasionally Eggs says
Hi Jen, the honey is there for those who might not have access to maple syrup, not to provide a non-vegan option. That’s why the substitution is noted – and I’m sure someone baking for a full vegan would know this : )
Heidi | The Simple Green says
The streusel topping on this cake looks so perfect and I love the idea of a yeasted cake base. I’ll be adding this to my notebook of recipes to make from your blog lol xx
Heidi | The Simple Green says
The streusel topping on this cake looks so perfect and I love the idea of a yeasted cake base. I’ll be adding this to my notebook of recipes to make from your blog lol xx
Joanne Ochej says
This cake looks fantastic – what a great blend of flavours & textures!
Emily says
This sounds completely delightful, Alexandra! The yeasted dough as a base looks and sounds wonderful and such a perfect vehicle for the rhubarb streusel. That first photo is stunning!
Gabrielle @ eyecandypopper says
I rarely use yeast in my baking, but this looks so pretty! I can almost taste it. Such a great tradition to have and share with others! My German grand-mother never made this. haha I wish she had!
Shannon says
Such a cool idea to incorporate yeasted dough into this recipe! I'm going to have to try it on my next rhubarb adventure 🙂 🙂