Perfectly pink rhubarb upside-down cake is a delicious and stunning dessert recipe for spring! A smooth honey caramel balances out the tartness of the rhubarb.
Caitlin BenselYields: 6 - 8 serving(s)Prep Time: 30 minsTotal Time: 1 hr 10 minsSavePrintWhen rhubarb comes into season in the spring, take advantage of its beautiful pink hue and sweet-tart flavor. This elegant rhubarb upside-down cake shows off the fruit in all its glory, no decoration or fiddling with frosting necessary. Rhubarb reminds Ree of her grandmother—and she loves it just as much for its unique, one-of-a-kind taste. “Strange and beautiful and tart,” she says. Can't argue with that!
If you end up with a surplus of rhubarb in your kitchen, treat yourself to a rhubarb crisp or strawberry rhubarb pie next.
An upside-down cake is a cake that's baked with its toppings on the bottom. Once the cake is fully baked, it is flipped out onto a serving platter to reveal the beautiful underside. In this recipe, pink rhubarb is cut into diagonal pieces and arranged on the bottom of the cake pan. Then, a sticky-sweet caramel sauce is poured over the rhubarb. Finally, the batter goes in, and the cake is baked. Once the baked cake cools for a few minutes in the pan, it's flipped onto a plate so the rhubarb and caramel sauce are on top. The same process is used for pineapple upside-down cake.
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Step
1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with baking spray with flour. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper; do not spray again.
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2
Cut the rhubarb into 2-inch diagonal pieces. Cut each piece in half widthwise so that each piece has a pink side and a green-white side. Place the rhubarb in a large bowl and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and the cornstarch. Toss to combine. Place the rhubarb in the prepared pan pink side down, trimming the pieces to fit snugly in the pan.
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3
In a medium stainless-steel skillet, melt ¼ cup of butter over medium heat; stir in the brown sugar, honey, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer; cook until the sugar is melted and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Slowly pour in the orange juice, whisk until combined and smooth. Pour the caramel over the rhubarb.
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4
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the remaining ½ cup of butter, remaining 1 cup of granulated sugar, orange zest, and vanilla at medium speed until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides of the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
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5
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger, baking soda, and the remaining ½ teaspoon of salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the sour cream, beginning and ending with the flour mixture, beating just until combined after each addition. Carefully dollop the batter onto the rhubarb and gently spread it with an offset spatula, making sure not to press too hard or move the rhubarb.
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6
Bake for 30 minutes. Place a piece of foil on top of the cake to prevent excess browning and bake until a wooden pick comes out clean, 15 to 20 minutes more. Remove the foil and let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cake to loosen; carefully invert the cake onto a serving plate, removing the parchment. Let cool.
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7
Serve warm, room temperature, or cold with ice cream or whipped cream.
