Rhubarb Upside-down Cake

Life is messy. Sometimes you just need cake.

Moving is definitely one of the more messy times in life. I absolutely hate it. There are still a few boxes lingering around the house, taunting me, and hopefully they will get unpacked soon. But there’s always one box left unpacked in my house, always, so it would be weird to unpack them all right? But I have found the time for a bit of baking here and there. It keeps me sane int his new place that I’m calling my home. And like I said, sometimes you just need cake.

There’s nothing that says spring more to me than the longer days, itchy eyes and the pinkish hue of fresh rhubarb that come along with it. Living in England, I’ve come to appreciate the sunshine more and more, and during the warmer months the sun stays in the sky until well into the evening. If I can get my newly acquired allergies under control, it really is the best time for sitting outside the pub or late night night barbecues with friends. These have come to be some of my favorite things about living here, well, that and rhubarb of course.

I told you a story about my first memories of this quirky vegetable when I made Rhubarb Crumble Muffins. Ever since I have had a fascination with it. It must be because it’s pink (most of the time). When I found some beautiful magenta-fleshed rhubarb last week, I began to think about how I could create something that would show off this elegant produce. What better way than a sticky, sweet Rhubarb Upside-down Cake?

This recipe is so great. The crumb topping ends up as this crust at the bottom of the cake, almost giving it this graham cracker style crust. The cake is moist and squidgy and dense (it the best possible way!) which almost resembles cheesecake. And finally, the pink hued, caramelized rhubarb which, after inverted, seeps deeply into the flesh of the cake. Mmmhmm. Make sure you place the rhubarb delicately into the cake pan however, as you can end up with some stalks sinking into the cake rather than staying on top! Happy baking!

Rhubarb Upside-down Cake

Yield: One 9 inch cake

Ingredients

For the topping:

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
Coarse salt

For the cake:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for buttering pan
1 pound rhubarb, trimmed and cut on a very sharp diagonal about 1/2 inch thick
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest plus 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
2 large eggs
1 cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Make the topping by mixing together butter, flour, sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until moist and crumbly.
Then make the cake:Butter a 9-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep). Dot with 4 tablespoons butter (cut into pieces).
Toss rhubarb with 3/4 cup sugar; let stand for 2 minutes. Toss again, and spread in pan.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
Beat remaining stick butter and cup sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in zest and juice.
Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl after each addition.
Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with greek yogurt/sour cream, until smooth.
Spread evenly over rhubarb. Crumble topping evenly over batter.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and top springs back when touched, about 1 hour. Let cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake, and invert onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.

Notes

Recipe from Flick of the Whisk. All images and content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or simply link back to this post for the recipe. Thank you.

http://www.flickofthewhisk.com/2014/05/rhubarb-upside-cake/