Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

Rhubarb upside down cake is a perfect way to use up any rhubarb this summer season. This recipe features a fluffy cake baked with tender rhubarb, giving the perfect balance of sweet and tart.

Info and tips for upside down rhubarb cake

I chose to make a fun X shape design for my upside down cake but it is completely optional. It requires a bit of extra effort, but the end result is so pretty. If you want to go the less effort route I recommend using a square cake pan. That way you don’t have to cut the ends of the rhubarb to fit into a circular pan. It will still taste amazing no matter what way you do it!

To make the X design I used a piece of circular parchment paper and folded it into a quarter. I then aligned the rhubarb onto the parchment paper and cut off the ends that hung over the parchment paper. I repeated this step four times until I had 4 quarters, and aligned them into my cake pan.

Make sure when you are done baking the cake you flip it a couple minutes after coming out of the oven. This way the cake is still very hot and should flip easily. Having parchment paper on the bottom will also help ensure the rhubarb doesn’t stick to the pan.

Equipment

I used an 8-inch Cake Pan for the rhubarb upside down cake.

These Round Non-stick Parchment Paper Sheets are perfect for these cake pans.

Ingredients for rhubarb upside down cake

• parchment paper
• rhubarb (enough to fill the bottom of your pan, I used about 4 very large stalks)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 & 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• pinch salt
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1-2 tbsp strawberry jam (for topping)
• ice cream (optional for serving)

Instructions

1. Start by preheating the oven to 350.
2. Prep your rhubarb by cutting it to fit the size of your cake pan (circular or square). Use your parchment paper as a guide. Get creative if you’d like and cut a fun shape! Check out the “info and tips” section, or watch my video for more guidance.
3. Grease your cake pan with 1 tbsp of butter and add your parchment paper. Arrange the rhubarb on top of the paper in any design you’d like.
4. Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of butter with the brown sugar in the microwave until melted (about 30-60 seconds) and spread over top of the rhubarb. This will help caramelize it.
5. Next cream together the white sugar and 1/2 cup of butter in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.
6. Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Continue to mix until incorporated.
7. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
8. Add half of the flour mixture and 1/3 of the milk to the wet ingredients. Mix until just incorporated before adding the other half of the flour and 1/3 of the milk. Mix again till combined, don’t overmix.
9. Spread over the rhubarb evenly. The batter should be very thick, don’t worry this is normal.
10. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
11. Remove and immediately flip upside down onto a serving plate. Remove the parchment paper, and brush the top with strawberry jam.
12. Serve with ice cream if desired and enjoy!

See below for a video tutorial!

If you liked this recipe be sure to check out these!

• Saskatoon Berry Danish
• Soft & Chewy S’more Cookies
• Homemade Carrot Cake

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Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

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Desserts

By Kenna's Cooks – Serves: 1 cake

Prep Time: 25 minutes – Cooking Time: 35 minutes – Total Time: 1 hour

Rhubarb upside down cake features a fluffy cake baked with tender rhubarb, giving the perfect balance of sweet and tart.

Ingredients

• parchment paper
• rhubarb (enough to fill the bottom of your pan, I used about 4 very large stalks)
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 white sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1 & 1/3 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• pinch salt
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1-2 tbsp strawberry jam (for topping)
• ice cream (optional for serving)

Instructions

1

Start by preheating the oven to 350.

2

Prep your rhubarb by cutting it to fit the size of your cake pan (circular or square). Use your parchment paper as a guide. Get creative if you'd like and cut a fun shape! Check out the "info and tips" section, or watch my video for more guidance.

3

Grease your cake pan with 1 tbsp of butter and add your parchment paper. Arrange the rhubarb on top of the paper in any design you'd like.

4

Heat the remaining 2 tbsp of butter with the brown sugar in the microwave until melted (about 30-60 seconds) and spread over top of the rhubarb. This will help caramelize it.

5

Next cream together the white sugar and 1/2 cup of butter in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until light and fluffy.

6

Add the egg, vanilla, and almond extract. Continue to mix until incorporated.

7

In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

8

Add half of the flour mixture and 1/3 of the milk to the wet ingredients. Mix until just incorporated before adding the other half of the flour and 1/3 of the milk. Mix again till combined, don't overmix.

9

Spread over the rhubarb evenly. The batter should be very thick, don't worry this is normal.

10

Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

11

Remove and immediately flip upside down onto a serving plate. Remove the parchment paper, and brush the top with strawberry jam.

12

Serve with ice cream if desired and enjoy!