Rhubarb Upside Down Cake, a delicious springtime dessert with a rich, moist and buttery sponge and a caramelised rhubarb topping that is sweet and tangy, and wonderfully refreshing. It's a quick and easy classic dessert that makes the most of the fresh seasonal rhubarb.
Rhubarb is already in season, and I can't think of a better dessert to showcase this incredible produce with such a vibrant colour and sweet and tart taste. It's its very tanginess that makes it ideal in sweet desserts, as it compliments them so well.
You might be able to tell that I love a good old upside-down cake by the amount of variations I have on this blog. From pineapple upside down cake, to wild blackberry upside down cake, fig upside down cake, plum upside down cake, apple upside down cake.
And while all these variations are oven baked, my banana upside down cake is made entirely on the stove top, as it's cooked in a frying pan, rather than baked in a cake tin.
It just goes to show what a versatile cake recipe this is, where you can use pretty much any topping you like, and you still get an incredibly delicious result - so most probably more upside-down cakes coming up at some point.
You don't need to cook the rhubarb beforehand, it might look like it's though, but once baked, it's moist and juicy and cooked to perfection.
And if you happen to have way too much rhubarb around, why not make a small batch of strawberry and rhubarb jam? It's beautifully aromatic and divinely delicious.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Jump to:
Note!
Go to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for exact quantities and detailed instructions!
Ingredients overview
- rhubarb - I used fresh rhubarb cut into sticks of 10 cm / 4 inches, this recipe has not been tested with frozen rhubarb
- self-raising flour - for a nice lift of the sponge
- baking powder - it helps achieve a good sponge height
- granulated sugar - it's used for the sponge
- dark brown sugar - used on the bottom of the pan to add a nice caramel touch to the topping
- vanilla extract - you can also use any other extract of your choice
- soft butter - it's used for the sponge
- melted butter - it's used at the bottom of the baking tray together with the dark sugar
- eggs - make sure they are at room temperature
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- add the granulated sugar and soft butter to a mixing bowl, and use the hand mixer to cream them together to a silky paste ( see photo 2)
- add the eggs one by one, beating well after every adddition (see photo 4)
- sift in the flour, add the vanilla extract and baking powder, and use a spatula to mix everything into a batter
- pour the melted butter over the bottom of a square baking tray ( mine is 24 cm in diameter, 5 cm high)
- scatter the dark brown sugar all over the melted butter, then arrange the rhubarb stalks
- top with the sponge and bake in the preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the sponge comes out clean
- remove the tray from the oven, leave it to cool down for 10 minutes
- run a sharp knife around the edges of the sponge, place a plate on top and quickly flip it over so the topping is at the top and the sponge at the bottom of the plate
Expert tips
Butter the baking tray well all over, even on the tray walls, so that when the cake is removed, it won't stick to the baking tray and ruin the nice topping - make sure you use a good non-stick tray for this cake.
Do not leave the cake to cool down for longer than 10 minutes once it's out of the oven, or the caramel on the bottom of the sponge still harden and it will be pretty impossible to remove the cake from the tray without breaking it.
It might look like there isn't enough batter to cover the entire cake, but the sponge get a lovely lift in the oven, and the cake will rise beautifully.
If you’ve liked this recipe or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM , YOUTUBE, TIK TOK , FLIPBOARD and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
- 4 rhubarb stalks
- 100 g self-raising flour
- 100 g soft butter
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 30 g melted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit).
- Add the soft butter with the granulated sugar to a mixing bowl, and use a hand mixer to beat them together until you get a creamy consistency.
- Add the eggs one by one, beating well after every egg added.
- Sift in the flour, add the baking powder and vanilla extract, and use a spatula to mix everything into a batter.
- Butter a square baking tray ( mine is 24 cm / 9 inches in diameter and 5 cm / 2 inches in height) every well, including the walls of the tin, then spread the melted butter over the bottom of the tray.
- Scatter the dark brown sugar over.
- Cut the rhubarb stalks into sticks of 10 cm in length (4 inches) and arrange them over the sugar.
- Spread the batter over the rhubarb, and pop the tray in the oven for 35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Remove the tray from the oven, and allow it to cool down for 10 minutes.
- Run a sharp knife around the edges of the sponge, place a plate on top of the sponge, and quickly flip it over so that the rhubarb is at the top and the sponge at the bottom of the plate.
- Allow it to cool down completely before slicing.
Video
Notes
- Butter the baking tray well all over, even on the tray walls, so that when the cake is removed, it won't stick to the baking tray and ruin the nice topping - make sure you use a good non-stick tray for this cake.
- Do not leave the cake to cool down for longer than 10 minutes once it's out of the oven, or the caramel on the bottom of the sponge still harden and it will be pretty impossible to remove the cake from the tray without breaking it.
- It might look like there isn't enough batter to cover the entire cake, but the sponge get a lovely lift in the oven, and the cake will rise beautifully.
Leave a Reply