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The Sugar Free Rhubarb Coffee cake tastes so good, that you won’t believe it is sugar free. The cake is light and fluffy and it is topped with rhubarb and a glorious crumble topping. Many of our other diabetic-friendly desserts use Almond flour but in this recipe, we are using Carbalose flour as we like it better in cakes. If you have a diabetic-friendly pantry, you will already have some Carbalose flour handy.
Sometimes people ask if this Rhubarb Coffee Cake recipe has coffee in it since it is called coffee cake. Even though this is called coffee cake, there isn’t any coffee in it. Coffee cakes have been around since the 1800s and they don’t often have coffee listed as an ingredient. They were meant to be served with coffee and they are a perfect side dish for a freshly brewed cup of your favourite coffee.

The difference between coffee cakes and regular cakes is the streusel topping. Traditional coffee cakes will have a brown sugar crumble on top. Our Sugar Free Rhubarb Coffee cake has a tasty layer of fresh rhubarb and is topped with a final layer of sticky pecan crumble. Even if you don’t drink coffee you will want to try this delicious Sugar Free Rhubarb Coffee Cake. Rhubarb makes more than just Rhubarb Pie and Rhubarb Crisp and even if you are not a rhubarb lover, the rhubarb flavour in this cake is not overpowering.
In this post, I will share a list of kitchen tools needed to make this recipe, a shopping list of ingredients, the recipe for Sugar Free Rhubarb Coffee Cake, the nutritional values per serving and some tips on substitutions and storage.

Kitchen tool needed
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring spoons
- Mixing Bowls
- Electric Mixer
- Cutting board
- Chef’s knife
- sifter or sieve
- silicone spatula
- 8-inch Springform pan
Shopping List of Ingredients
- Butter
- Eggs
- Cream cheese
- Half and half cream. ( 18 percent cream)
- Splenda granulated sweetener
- Carbalose Flour
- Almond Flour
- Baking powder
- Vanilla Extract
- cinnamon
- Walden Farms Maple Walnut syrup
- Chopped Pecans

The Sugar Free Rhubarb Coffee Cake recipe

Sugar Free Rhubarb Coffee Cake recipe
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups sliced Rhubarb (1/2 inch pieces)
- 1/3 cup Splenda granulated sweetener – for soaking the rhubarb pieces
- 5 eggs room temperature
- 1/2 cup butter – softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup cream cheese – softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup Half and Half cream (18 percent)
- 1/2 cup Splenda granulated sweetener
- 1 cup Carbalose flour – sifted
- 1/4 cup Almond flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
Streusel Topping
- 3 tbsp Almond flour
- 1 tbsp butter – melted
- 1 tbsp Walden Farms maple walnut syrup
- 1 tbsp Splenda granulated sweetener
- 1/4 cup Pecans – chopped
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon – ground
Instructions
- In a small mixing bowl combine the cut rhubarb pieces and the 1/4 cup of Splenda and stir well.
- Set aside.
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C)
- Grease and flour your 8 inch springform pan. ( use a small amount of butter and Carbalose four)
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and add the eggs.
- Add the cream cheese and beat until mixed well.
- Add the half and half cream and vanilla extract and mix well.
- Add the sweetener and blend well.
- In a medium sized bowl, sift the Carbalose flour, Almond Flour, baking powder and salt.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, in intervals, mixing with an electric mixer in between additions.(a couple of tablespoons at a time is good)
- Once the batter is well combined pour the batter into a greased and floured springform pan
Streusel Topping
- Mix all of the streusel topping ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
- set aside.
- Drain any liquid out of the rhubarb pieces.
- Spread the cut rhubarb pieces onto the top of the batter, spreading them evenly over the top of the cake.
- Spoon the crumble over the rhubarb, evenly over the top of the cake.
- Bake in a conventional oven (no convection fan) for approximately 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Greasing and Flouring the pan
Use a small amount of butter and wipe it around the sides and onto the bottom of the pan. I usually use a clean paper towel for the butter part. Then add a tablespoon of Carbalose flour into the pan and swirl it around so that the sides and bottom are coated. This will prevent the cake from sticking to the bottom and sides of the pan.
Substitution Tips
Sweetener – In this recipe I use Splenda granulated sweetener. You can use any sweetener if you have a preference. remember that not all sweeteners are zero calories and zero carbs. Know the nutritional information before using it. Make sure the substitute that you choose is also heat-stable, meaning it can be used for baking and withstand oven temperatures.
This ingredient is important when making the streusel topping. If you have another favourite that has a syrup consistency feel free to use it. Walden Farms products are our preferred ingredient in the streusel topping as it is zero calories, zero carbs and zero fat. If you don’t like the maple walnut flavour, they do offer other flavours, such as caramel or strawberry, which also blend well with the rhubarb taste.
Pecans
You can feel free to substitute the pecans with chopped walnut, chopped almonds or your favourite nut. Not all nuts are low in carbs, so you should always be aware of the net carb differences when it comes to substitutions.
If substituting nuts, chop them and use them in the recipe as the pecans in the streusel topping.
I love Carbalose flour, simply because it is the closest thing to real flour I have found yet. I find the almond flour is good, but unless you get a super fine grind, it can be gritty. Carbalose flour is similar to pastry flour, but a little denser. Always make sure you sift or use a sieve to sift the Carbalose flour before using it in any of our recipes.
Carbalose is wheat flour that is put through an enzyme process where the gluten is removed. It is low carb and very versatile. The only drawback (so far) is that it is heavier and does not work well when rising is required. It is also Keto-friendly.
if you want to substitute the Carbalose flour for another product, feel free to use almond flour. Your cake will not be as light and may be moister but it will be ok.

Nutritional Information
The nutritional value listed is for one serving (The Sugar Free Rhubarb Coffee Cake makes 12 servings)
- Calories – 189
- Total fat – 16 gr
- Saturated fat – 7.25 gr
- Carbohydrates – 7 gr
- Fibre – 3. gr
- Sugars – 1 gr
- Protein – 6 gr
Storing Sugar Free Rhubarb Coffee Cake
Store your Sugar-Free Rhubarb Coffe cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I do not recommend that you freeze it. The rhubarb gets watery when defrosting causing the cake to be wet.

I hope you enjoy this Sugar Free Rhubarb Coffee Cake. It is a great coffee break treat and no one even needs to know it is sugar free.
Thank You for visiting The Naked Diabetic
Disclaimer -This post may contain affiliate links. When a purchase is made through our links, The Naked Diabetic may receive a commission, at no cost to you.