Rhubarb Crumble Cake - Grandma's Tray Bake Recipe (Vegan) (2024)

Moist and fluffy Rhubarb Cake meets Rhubarb Crumble – This German Rhubarb Tray Bake Cake with crunchy streusel topping according to grandma’s classic recipe is incredibly delicious, easy to make and vegan as it requires no eggs, dairy milk and butter! It is the perfect coffee cake for a cozy afternoon and is also easy to make ahead and freeze.

German Rhubarb Cake with Streusel Topping

Everyone loves rhubarb traybake – whether it’s kids, teens, adults, or grandmas and grandpas. Even with people who don’t usually like rhubarb, this crumble cake recipe is always a hit! My grandma says that the vegan rhubarb cake with sponge cake batter and crumble topping tastes better than the classic! She also thinks it’s especially great that the vegan cake is cholesterol-free and much quicker and easier to make than the traditional rhubarb crumble cake. These are all great advantages to bake more often vegan recipes! 🙂

Taste-wise, no one will notice the difference from the classic. Rather, the opposite is the case here! It is the perfect summer cake for parties, birthdays, picnics, potlucks and any other day when you feel like a piece of cake for coffee or tea in the afternoon. The combination of a fluffy soft sponge cake with fruity tart rhubarb and the crunchy sweet crumbles on top is just brilliant!

Fruity Tray Bake Cake Recipe

Of course, you can also bake the crumble cake with other fruits, because the recipe is super versatile! Depending on what berries and fruits you use, you might need to adjust the amount of sugar. Since rhubarb is very tart, you’ll need a little more extra sweetness. With naturally sweet fruits like apples, plums, pears, blueberries, cherries, etc. you don’t need as much sugar. If you use frozen fruit, you should toss it in cornstarch beforehand to prevent the watery fruit from making the cake soggy.

Crumble Cake with or without Almonds

The almond flour in the streusel dough give the rhubarb cake a great nutty note and an even better taste. If you like, you can also substitute a small amount of flour with almond or hazelnut flour in the sponge cake batter. You can also make the cake nut-free by simply omitting the almonds in the crumble.

How to Make the Rhubarb Cake Gluten-free

You can also make the rhubarb crumble cake gluten-free by using a gluten-free flour blend instead of regular flour.

Ingredients

Crumble

• Flour: You can use wheat flour, all-purpose flour, spelt flour or gluten-free flour. To make a healthier crumble cake, you can use whole wheat flour.
• Ground almonds: provide a nutty flavor! You can also omit them as described above.
• Vegan butter: Alternatively, you can also use coconut oil, but the crumble will probably melt faster.
• Sugar: gives the dough and batter the perfect texture! You can use any kind like raw cane sugar, coconut blossom sugar, birch sugar, regular white or brown sugar.

Fruit topping

• Rhubarb: this tart vegetable makes a wonderful contrast to the fluffy sponge cake with the sweet crumbles! As mentioned above, you can also use another fruit. Or make the rhubarb cake even more special by substituting strawberries or raspberries for part of it.

Sponge cake

• Flour: all-purpose, wheat, spelt or gluten-free flour.
• Baking powder: as an egg substitute and to make the crumble cake batter a little fluffier.
• Baking soda: to make the cake even fluffier.
• Vanilla extract: optional for more flavor.
• Salt: just a pinch.
• Dairy-free milk: e.g. soy, oat or almond milk.
• Sugar: variety as desired see above.
• Oil: e.g. butter flavored canola oil or sunflower oil work well.
• Apple cider vinegar: or white vinegar or lemon juice.

How to Make Rhubarb Crumble Cake from Scratch like Grandma used to Make!

As always, I recommend watching the recipe video and checking out these step-by-step instructions first. You can then find the full recipe with the exact quantities in the recipe card below!

Step 1: Prep crumble topping and chill

First, briefly mix all the ingredients for the crumble with your hands. Then place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Step 2: Make the sponge cake batter

First, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a bowl. Then add plant milk, oil, vanilla extract and apple cider vinegar and stir until just combined. Pour the batter onto a baking sheet or large flat baking dish and smooth it out.

Step 3: Top the batter and bake

Wash the rhubarb stalks, pat dry and chop into pieces, removing the woody ends. Spread the rhubarb pieces on top and press them lightly into the batter. Then spread the crumbles over the cake and bake at 356 F (180 °C) for approx. 35 minutes until the crumble is lightly browned. Then remove the cake from the oven and allow to cool.

Step 4: Serve the rhubarb cake

After cooling, cut your delicious fruit cake into pieces and enjoy with a dollop of whipped cream, yogurt or vanilla ice cream!

How to Store

Rhubarb crumble cake can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Leftover pieces can also be frozen for up to 3 months! You can then simply let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

This Rhubarb Crumble Tray Bake Recipe is:

• Vegan
• Eggless
• Dairy-free
• Lactose-free
• Can be made gluten-free
• Very easy to make
• Versatile
• Fruity
• Soft and fluffy
• With crunchy streusel topping
• Perfect as a snack or dessert for the whole day!

Recipe Video

If you try this recipe for rhubarb pie with crumble, feel free to leave me a comment and a star rating! And if you take a photo of your crumble cake and share it on Instagram or Facebook, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I love seeing your creations! Happy baking! 🙂

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