I have been hungry
for rhubarb upside down cake since rhubarb season began this year. I’m not sure why.... Whatever the reason, I kept purchasing rhubarb
so I could make it. But since I love rhubarb,
my purchases kept making their way into other things:
On Sunday I finally got around to making my
upside down cake.
The recipe is a bit
unusual in that the cake portion is an old fashioned spice cake (instead of the
usual yellow cake). Years ago I ran
across a spice cake version of rhubarb upside down cake in Emily Luchetti’s
Four Start Desserts. I’m not sure I ever
made her exact cake....I just incorporated the spices she used (cinnamon,
ginger and cloves) into the basic buttermilk spice cake I had grown up
eating. The combination of the spices
with the tangy rhubarb is unusual and delicious.
In the past when I
have made this cake I have made it in what I consider to be the
traditional way. I cut the rhubarb into
a uniform large dice, tossed it with sugar and spread it in an even layer in a
cast iron skillet (generously smeared with butter) and then topped the fruit
with the batter before baking. And this
method makes a very satisfactory cake.
But in recent years
when I have made upside down cakes, I have tried to consider the unique
qualities and shapes of a particular fruit when I’m using it in an upside down
cake. I accentuated the fan shape of
cross-sections of fresh pineapple (rather than the traditional donut-like
rings) in my pineapple upside down cake.
And I capitalized on the beautiful color and shape of plums in a spiral
surface for my plum upside down cake. So when I began to think about rhubarb it
was obvious that in order to make the best use of the stick shape, I needed to use a
square pan.
I am not the first
person to think of this (you will see lovely examples of it on other blogs),
but I do have a few pointers to add to the conversation. First, use a ruler. This will give you neat and precise lines.
Measure the exact size of your pan (just because your pan is labeled 9 x 9
doesn’t mean it will be exactly 9 inches square) and then cut the rhubarb into
lengths that are exactly 1/3 of that measure.
If your stalks of rhubarb are
fat, cut them in half lengthwise. Count
up your lengths of rhubarb and divide the number by 9. This is how many stalks you will have to fill
in 9 squares of a three by three grid of squares on top of the cake. If you don’t have an even number, don’t
worry, you will probably end up rearranging and moving some of the stalks around
to account for the fact that some pieces will be fatter and some thinner. Any extra can be tucked in on top of the
others…they will just add more fruit flavor and a better fruit covering of the
cake.
And getting a good
covering of fruit over the cake is what an upside down cake should be all
about. I prefer as solid a layer of
fruit as you can manage without any gaps.
Consequently, my recipe calls for a fairly large amount of rhubarb—anywhere
from 1 to 1 1 /4 lb., depending on how much loss there is when you cut the
lengths.
As with any upside
down cake, in order to get the most attractive covering of fruit, remember you
are working in reverse, looking at the back side of the finished cake
surface. All of the stalks that have
been split should be turned so the cut surface is facing up or to the side
(against another stick of rhubarb)—not face down. To get good coverage, any un-split sticks
that are wider than they are thick should be placed on their narrow side. As with most things, it sounds more
complicated than it is (and is actually more difficult to describe than it is
to execute). If you remember you are
working in reverse and your goal is to get as much rhubarb into the pan in a
single layer as is neatly possible, you will end up with a nice looking
finished cake.
And if all you
really want to do is eat a delicious spice cake topped with a sweetened layer
of rhubarb, you can always make this cake with chopped rhubarb in a 10-inch
round pan or cast iron skillet. But, I admit, I was very pleased with the
cross-hatch/patchwork pattern on the top of my cake. I hope others will give it a go…or maybe try
another design. I’m sure that someone
who is more artistic than I am could come up with a different—more
intricate—design. In fact, I hope
someone will.... cooking and baking are ultimately about making recipes your own.
Rhubarb
Upside Down Cake
1 to 1 1/4 lb. trimmed rhubarb,
rinsed and wiped dry (from 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb. pre-trim weight
3 T. soft unsalted butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. sifted cake flour (6
¼ oz.)
1 t. baking powder
1/4 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
3/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/8 t. ground cloves
2/3 c. whole milk yogurt
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted
butter, softened
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room
temperature
Prepare the rhubarb:
Measure the bottom of the pan (it might be slightly under or slightly
over 9 inches). Divide this number in 3
and cut all of the rhubarb into this exact length. You might have some leftover bits aren’t
quite long enough. Set them aside for
now. Cut any fat lengths (wider than
3/4-inch) in half lengthwise. Count up
the number of lengths and divide by nine.
This is the number you have for each square in your grid of nine. (Your number will most likely not be evenly
divisible by 9. This is fine; you will
just tuck in extra pieces where ever the covering of rhubarb looks a little
sparse.)
Smear the softened butter over the bottom and up the
sides of a 9-inch square baking pan (with sides that are at the very least 1
3/4-inches—a 2-inch depth is preferable), concentrating most of the butter on
the bottom of the pan with just a light coating on the sides. Scatter half of the sugar in an even layer
over the bottom of the pan. Starting in
one corner, lay a ninth of the lengths of rhubarb in one direction, placing
them with any cut surfaces facing up or to the side. For the next square on either side of the
first, lay another set of lengths running the other direction (perpendicular to
the sticks in the first square). Fill in
any gaps with any extra lengths of rhubarb—cutting them to fit if
necessary. Scatter the remaining sugar
evenly over the rhubarb and set the pan aside.
Whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, baking
soda, salt and spices. Set aside. Combine the yogurt and vanilla and set aside.
Cream the butter with the sugars until light and
fluffy—this will take 3 to 5 minutes at medium-high speed using the paddle
attachment. Stop the mixer once or twice
to scrape down the sides. Beat in the
eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides and beating well after each
addition. Fold in the dry ingredients in
3 additions alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the dry
ingredients.
Spread the batter evenly over the rhubarb in the
prepared pan. Bake in a 350° oven until the cake is springy to the touch, has
begun to pull away from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted in the
center comes out clean—about 40 to 45 minutes.
Let the cake rest for 15 minutes in the pan. Carefully run a knife around the inside edge
of the pan. Place a cake plate upside
down on top of the skillet and holding the cake plate firmly to the skillet,
quickly flip the cake over.
Allow the cake to set up for a while before serving. It is best slightly warm or at room
temperature. Cut the cake with a sharp,
thin knife, using a sawing motion. Serve
with whipped cream or ice cream. Serves
9 to 12.
Alternate
presentation: Cut the rhubarb into 3/4-inch pieces. You should have about 4 cups. Smear a 10-inch cast iron skillet or 10- by
2-inch round cake pan with the softened butter, concentrating most of the
butter on the bottom of the pan. There
should only be thin film of butter on the sides. Toss the rhubarb with 3/4 c. of sugar. Spread the rhubarb in an even layer over the
bottom of the pan and sprinkle any sugar remaining in the bowl evenly over the
rhubarb. Proceed as directed with the
recipe above.
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