It's these simple recipes with common ingredients that end up being favorites. I especially love recipes that incorporate a good portion of seasonal fruits and vegetables. You know when it's harvest time, the bounty tends to come all at once. This cake uses A LOT of rhubarb, way more than most I've come across, and you'll soon find out how the tart flavor shines in this simple cake.
Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
For the batter, mix together:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup milk
Put 6-8 cups of rhubarb (cut into 1/2" pieces) in bottom of 9x13 pan. Sprinkle 1 cup (short) and a little cinnamon over the rhubarb pieces. Mix together and spread in pan. Pour batter over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.
That's it. Easy. Unless you misread the recipe thinking the 1 cup of sugar from the list of batter ingredients is the cup you should sprinkle over the rhubarb. I short sugar in pretty much every recipe I make, but without that sugar, your batter ends up being more like a biscuit than a cake. Even if you add a little more milk, it's pretty hard to spread over the rhubarb, but hey, it's literally HALF the sugar! I (mis)made it for a work pot luck and the reviews were positive so I'm sharing the 1/2 sugar version.
Messed Up Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
For the batter, mix together:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup milk
Put 6-8 cups of rhubarb (cut into 1/2" pieces) in bottom of 9x13 pan. Sprinkle 1 cup (short) and a little cinnamon over the rhubarb pieces. Mix together and spread in pan. Pour batter over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.
Recipe origin: Adapted from Deloris Judes in the Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread cookbook from Trinity Lutheran Church in Grove Lake, Minnesota. I love that the page in the cookbook also included this bible verse:
Put your hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 1 Timothy 6:17
RHUBARB, the springtime vegetable that cooks up like fruit. It's a perennial plant that explodes early and is commonly found on old farmsteads. You just pull these incredibly sour stalks right up out of the ground (don't break them off). Do cut the leaves off (they are considered toxic), trim the ends, wash and dice. Some say you need to peel the outer layer off, but it's not necessary. Just make sure you have a sharp knife and you can dice a big pile of rhubarb in no time. Freeze it for later use or get back to mixing and enjoy another seasonal treat with those you love, because this pan of cake (either recipe) won't last long!
Some favorite rhubarb recipes include:
- Rhubarb Strawberry Jelly
- Rhubarb Torte
- Rhubarb Crunch
- Rhubarb-Orange Tart
Spring! I think it means more to those of us who come through the Minnesota winter. When the grass greens up and lilacs start blooming, don't forget to harvest that rhubarb (and asparagus).
