Strawberry-Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake
Updated April 19, 2016
Craig Lee for The New York Times
- Total Time
- About 1 hour 30 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
THE TOPPING
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 1 to 2 teaspoons for greasing the pan
¾ cup light-brown sugar
⅓ cup sliced almonds
1 pint strawberries (about 12 ounces), stemmed, hulled and halved
3 cups rhubarb, trimmed, cut across into ¼-inch-thick slices, blanched for 2 minutes and drained well
THE CAKE
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 to 10 servings)
51 grams carbs; 71 milligrams cholesterol; 372 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 17 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 214 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein; 33 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch round pan (at least 2 inches deep) with parchment paper and grease the parchment with 1 to 2 teaspoons softened butter. To make the topping, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. Add the brown sugar to the remaining butter and cook until the sugar is melted, stirring until smooth. Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Scatter the almonds over the brown-sugar mixture. Arrange the strawberries over the almonds in concentric circles, cut-side up. Top with the rhubarb and set aside.
- Step 2
To make the cake, using an electric mixer cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Combine the vanilla with the milk. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined.
- Step 3
Spread the batter over the fruit in the pan. Bake until the cake springs back when touched in the center, about 1 hour. (Cover the cake with foil if the top browns too much before the cake is done.) Remove the cake from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a cake plate. Replace any fruit that sticks to the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Private Notes
Comments
I've made this several times, using the same sized pan. The results have varied so I'll make a suggestion. While the taste has been identical, there's a small window concerning moisture. If in doubt, use a minimum layer of strawberries and thoroughly drain the rhubarb after blanching. It's best to squeeze the moisture out within cheesecloth to avoid too much. One cake failed in that it boiled liked a soup, so learn from my mistake. After doing that, perfect.
The pairing of strawberries and rhubarb is historical. They are "ripe" at roughly the same time, and the strawberries help sweeten the rhubarb without having to add so much sugar.
I have never understood why everyone HAS to pair rhubarb with strawberries, which latter merely disintegrate and add little other than color
Made this with just rhubarb and serve with sweetened whipped cream.
So delicious, I’ve made this a few times and it’s always delectable. I serve with freshly whipped sweetened cream with a dash of vanilla and it compliments it perfectly!
Followed the instructions to the letter and it came out great. I did need to cover the cake for the last 10 minutes. The fruit is moist enough to drench the top of the cake. Delightful.
I used pecans (cause I had them), half n half for milk, and 3/4C sugar in cake. Fresh picked rhubarb and grocery store strawberries. Served warm 10 minutes after removing from oven. Delicious. Will make again to use up my fresh rhubarb!