Upside Down Rhubarb Cake

If you love rhubarb, look no further. This is the best rhubarb cake recipe out there! Learn how to make this upside-down rhubarb cake with step-by-step photos!

Ingredients

• Butter. Your butter needs to be softened to room temperature for the cake batter but melted for the cake topping. Since this is a delicately flavored cake I find butter gives great flavor as opposed to using vegetable oil.
• Granulated Sugar. The sugar is creamed with the butter for the cake batter and then also used to sweeten the rhubarb for the topping. I chose to use white sugar instead of brown sugar in this recipe to not have any caramel undertones distract you from the rhubarb flavor.
• Large Eggs. For the eggs to be evenly incorporated into the creamed butter and sugar the eggs should be at room temperature. You can easily get your eggs at room temperature by placing them in a bowl of warm water for 5 minutes before you crack them.
• Cake Flour. Cake flour has a lower protein content compared to all-purpose flour to create a delicious light cake.
• Chemical Leavening Agents. You'll need both baking soda and baking powder to create the best lift without tasting metallicy. The baking soda is activated by the sour cream. But the baking powder is already activated.
• Salt. Salt enhances all the flavor profiles of the other ingredients. Don't skip it!
• Sour Cream. The sour cream needs to be at room temperature.
• Whole Milk. The whole milk also needs to be at room temperature
• Pure Vanilla Extract. Don't use imitation vanilla, pure vanilla extract is best.
• Fresh Rhubarb. You'll need to make sure you have thinly sliced rhubarb so it breaks down as it bakes. I have never tested this recipe with frozen rhubarb.

We love the cake as is but serve it with a little bit of whipped cream or ice cream to add a little extraness.

You could add a ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon if you love the cinnamon flavor.

For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F/180C.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or a large bowl with a handheld electric mixer combine the butter and sugar for a couple of minutes until they are completely creamed together and lightened in texture.

Scrape the sides of the bowl and add one egg and mix on medium speed until no trace of egg yolk remains. Add the second egg and mix again until no trace of egg yolk remains.

In a separate large bowl combine the cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl or a liquid measuring cup with a pour spout combine the sour cream, whole milk, and vanilla extract.

Stir in ⅓ of the dry cake flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined then, add half of the sour cream mixture and mix until just combined. Add another third of the dry ingredients followed by the wet and lastly the remaining dry, do not overmix the cake batter.

Heavily grease a 9-inch cake pan with nonstick baking spray, make sure it is a thick layer. Add the melted butter and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan and then sprinkle the granulated sugar on top. Your rhubarb stalks should be cut into small pieces, if your stalk is especially thick then I cut it in half then dice it into smaller pieces. Add the rhubarb in an even layer then add the cake batter to the prepared pan. I use an offset spatula to spread the cake batter into an even layer.

Bake the cake for 35 to 40 minutes, if you gently press the top it should spring back right away or if you insert a toothpick there should be no wet batter.  

Let the baking dish cool on a wire rack for five minutes then take an offset spatula and gently run it around the sides of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Now place a serving plate upside down on top of the cake and then invert the cake onto the plate to cool completely. The cake is best eaten the day it is made but leftovers will keep in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.

How to freeze

You can freeze this rhubarb cake by letting it cool completely then, wrapping it in plastic wrap tightly, twice, then once in aluminum foil to help prevent freezer burn. Due to the fruit, I prefer not to freeze this cake but you can do it and sacrifice a little on the beauty and taste of this cake.

More rhubarb recipes

My rhubarb crumble is a classic British treat we grew up with.

My sisters fell in love with this rhubarb custard pie.

For breakfast check out my rhubarb muffins recipe!

★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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