Rhubarb Upside Down Cake Recipe

upside down rhubarb cake with slice removed.

5 from 3 votes

A wonderful nutty, light hazelnut sponge topped with sweet, tart rhubarb and a drizzle of blood orange syrup. This Rhubarb Upside Down Cake makes for a beautifully delicious and flavourful dessert.

Prep Time15

Cook Time50

Course: Cakes & Cupcakes

Cuisine: English

Servings: slices (20cm/8-inch cake)

Calories: 330kcal

Author: Emma Duckworth

Equipment

Ingredients

Rhubarb

15 g unsalted butter room temperature
30 g granulated sugar
400 g forced rhubarb trimmed (approx. 4-5 stalks)

Hazelnut batter

180 g unsalted butter room temperature
100 g granulated sugar
1 blood orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs room temperature
120 g plain flour (all-purpose)
100 g hazelnut meal (ground hazelnuts)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon fine salt
60 ml milk at room temperature

Blood orange syrup

180 ml blood orange juice freshly squeezed approx, 3 to 4 oranges
50 g granulated sugar

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Make the cake

Prepare the cake pan. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease the base and sides of a 22cm (8-inch) round cake pan or springform pan and line the base with a layer of parchment paper. Smear dollops of butter evenly over the base of the lined pan. Sprinkle with sugar.
Prepare the rhubarb. Trim rhubarb stalks to fit side by side, covering the base of the pan. Keep any remaining offcuts of rhubarb and slice into 1cm (0.5 inch) pieces. Set aside.
Cream butter, sugar, and orange zest. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and blood orange zest on high until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Add in eggs. Add the vanilla extract and then the eggs, one at a time, and beat on medium to high until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
Mix the dry ingredients together. In a separate medium bowl, add the dry ingredients: flour, ground hazelnuts, baking powder, and salt, and stir until combined.
Add all remaining ingredients. Add half of the flour to the batter and beat on low until just combined, then add the milk and chopped rhubarb and mix again. Lastly, add the remaining flour mixture and beat until a few streaks of flour remain.
Spoon into pan and bake. Spoon the cake batter over the rhubarb stalks on the bottom of the prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick entered into the centre of the sponge comes out clean.
Let the cake rest for 10 minutes. Gently run a thin-bladed knife around the edge of the pan and invert the cake onto a plate. Remove the parchment and cool completely.

Blood orange syrup

Make the orange syrup. Whilst the cake is baking, make the blood orange syrup. Add the blood orange juice into a saucepan, set over medium heat, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil for 10 to 15 minutes until the syrup thickens. Make sure to skim away any froth that develops. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

To serve

To serve, drizzle half of the blood orange syrup over the cake. Slice and serve with a little more syrup and a dollop of cream.

Notes

Step-by-Step Photos: My blog post includes helpful step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe.

To store: Rhubarb Upside Down Cake can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Wrap well with plastic wrap and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

To freeze: Allow the cake to cool completely. Then cover the fruit in parchment paper before wrapping the cake in plastic wrap. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving.

TIP 1: Use the brightest, most colourful forced rhubarb that is available. When baked, the colour fades, so the brighter the raw rhubarb is, the better the colour post-baking.

TIP 2: Make sure the butter is at room temperature. When the butter is creamed, it aerates and traps air into it which provides the lift needed when baking to provide a light sponge. Cold butter won't achieve the aeration required.

TIP 3: Scrape down the base and sides of the mixing bowl periodically. I do this after adding each ingredient to the bowl. It just ensures even mixing of the ingredients into the batter.

TIP 4: Get the most out of your zest by releasing the oils. Beat with the butter or rub into the sugar beforehand. Just don't wait to add the zest in with the flour, you're wasting a good opportunity to create more flavour.

TIP 5: When laying the rhubarb across the bottom of your pan, make sure to push them together as tightly as you can. This stops the cake batter from seeping through and will give you a better finish when you upturn the cake at the end.

Alternatives: Upside-down cake lends itself to many different types of fruit. Try it with strawberries, bananas, pineapple, pears or cranberries. Almond meal (ground almonds) can be substituted for ground hazelnuts for an equally delicious upside-down cake.

Nutrition