Is that ad-hoc one with error control? My guess is that with the large system, it might be stiff and the adaptivity could be turning the dt down?
There is a CashKarp in the ExplicitRK form. ExplicitRK(tableau=constructCashKarp()) (requires using DiffEqDevTools).
For examples of ExplicitRK in use with chosen tableaus, you can see for example:
Though I can almost guarantee you that it’s not a tableau thing and is likely more to do with adaptivity trying to use error controls and your adhoc version not being error corrected. But you can give this a try and see.