Cast Iron Rhubarb Upside Down Cake with fresh strawberries

Summer snuck up on me. The long hot days, fruit ripe and heavy on the vine, roses in full bloom- all clues I missed. Graduation ceremonies, squirrels doing mad dashes and dances on branches dappled green and shadowed, the sun high in the sky, the hum of air-conditioners, and the intermittent buzz of sirens.

My body is trapped in the city, brow damp, I slowly unpack boxes and plans. But today, the day before the longest day, I will eat cake, sweet and tart and stained with summer, and pretend I’m on a picnic with my favorite ladies. Imagine that we have spread out blankets and low-slung chairs on the soft grass. We recline in the shade of an enormous oak, the sort of tree that Alice fell asleep under and dreamt of Wonderland. We sip from cold glasses of Rose or frosty tumblers of lemonade. We reminisce about adventures at sea and laugh until we cry. We watch the clouds transform into turtles and dragons and we eat cake. Cast Iron Rhubarb Upside Down Cake with fresh strawberries and real whipped cream.

Cast Iron Rhubarb Upside Down Cake with fresh strawberries and real whipped cream

Adding the strawberries after the cake has cooked keeps the delicate berries fresh and adds a beautiful decorative touch to this classic(ish) upside down cake.

Inspired by:

https://food52.com/recipes/28413-rhubarb-upside-down-cake

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3175-strawberry-rhubarb-upside-down-cake

ingredients

for the toppings

• 4 cups chopped rhubarb
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 TBSP butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 pint fresh strawberries

for the cake

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk (1/4 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup milk)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups All Purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 TBSP cornstarch
• 2 large eggs

directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F
2. In a nine inch cast iron pan combine 4 TBSP butter, sugar, rhubarb and lemon. Cook over medium heat until rhubarb is soft and a little bit golden- about 6-8 minutes.
3. Turn off heat and allow to cool slightly using this time to combine the milk (and yogurt, if using) with the vanilla extract.
4. Cream together sugar and butter in an electric mixer until well combined and light and fluffy.
5. Sift together remaining dry ingredients.
6. Add eggs one at a time to butter sugar mixture, incorporating each egg before continuing. Add one-third of the flour mixture followed by half of the milk, alternating and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined.
7. Spread the batter over the fruit in the pan. Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly even or doesn’t reach all the edges but do your best. Bake for about 40-50 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
8. Allow cake to rest in pan for about ten minutes before inverting onto a large plate. Don’t worry if some of the rhubarb sticks to the pan simply scrape out and redistribute on the top of the cake.
9. While cake continues to cool, slice the fresh strawberries as desired and toss with a little corn syrup or sugar for gloss.
10. Top the cake with the fresh berries and serve warm or at room temperature, on its own or with whipped cream or ice cream.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake with fresh strawberries

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr

Course Bread, Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine Baking

Ingredients

  

for the toppings

• 4 cups chopped rhubarb
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 TBSP butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 pint fresh strawberries

for the cake

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup yogurt, 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups All Purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 TBSP cornstarch

Instructions

 

• Pre-heat oven to 350F
• In a nine inch cast iron pan combine 4 TBSP butter, sugar, rhubarb and lemon. Cook over medium heat until rhubarb is soft and a little bit golden- about 6-8 minutes.
• Turn off heat and allow to cool slightly using this time to combine the milk (and yogurt, if using) with the vanilla extract.
• Cream together sugar and butter in an electric mixer until well combined and light and fluffy.
• Sift together remaining dry ingredients.
• Add eggs one at a time to butter sugar mixture incorporating each egg before continuing. Add one third of the flour mixture followed by half of the milk , alternating and ending with the flour. Mix until just combined.
• Spread the batter over the fruit in the pan. Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly even or doesn’t reach all the edges. Bake until the cake for about 40-50 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
• Allow cake to rest in pan for about ten minutes before inverting onto a large plate. Don’t worry if some of the rhubarb sticks to the pan simply scrape out and redistribute on the top of the cake.
• While cake continues to cool, slice the fresh strawberries as desired and toss with a little corn syrup or sugar for gloss. decorate

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