Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

Upside down cakes usually feature pineapple, but rhubarb is the spring version that deserves more attention. A full pound of rhubarb stalks get cut into 2-inch pieces and arranged in tight rows over melted butter and sugar in the bottom of a springform pan. As the cake bakes, the rhubarb softens into a tangy, jammy layer while the sugar and butter underneath caramelize into a sticky glaze.

The cake batter itself is a tender, moist crumb enriched with plain yogurt and perfumed with orange zest in both the rhubarb layer and the batter. Yogurt does double duty: it keeps the cake moist while reacting with baking soda for extra lift. The result is a light, almost fluffy cake that doesn’t compete with the intense rhubarb topping.

Arranging the rhubarb matters. Start with the middle three rows and work outward, trimming pieces to fit tightly. Gaps in the bottom layer mean gaps in the topping when you flip. Any leftover chopped pieces get scattered on top of the arranged layer for extra fruit.

Kitchen Tips

• Wrap foil around the bottom of the springform pan before baking. Butter and sugar will leak through the seam otherwise and smoke on the baking sheet.
• Mound the batter slightly higher at the edges than the center. This compensates for how cakes dome during baking and gives a flatter base when inverted.
• Cool for exactly 15 minutes before inverting. Too long and the caramel hardens, gluing the rhubarb to the pan. Too short and the cake falls apart.
• Serve warm. The caramelized rhubarb layer is at its most tender and glossy right after turning out.

Variations

• Scatter fresh strawberry halves among the rhubarb for a strawberry-rhubarb upside down cake.
• Add ½ teaspoon of ground cardamom to the batter for a Scandinavian-inspired flavor twist.
• Serve with softly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream to balance the rhubarb’s tartness.