RecipesRhubarb › Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

A buttery, moist almond cake baked over a caramelized rhubarb topping, then flipped to reveal a dramatic pink-and-gold surface. The tart rhubarb against the sweet, fragrant cake is the ideal balance. One of the most beautiful things you can do with spring rhubarb.

1 h 5 min (20 min prep, 45 min cook)Serves 8mediumPuddingsvegetarian

Rhubarb is usually ready April to June. More rhubarb recipes, or see what to sow this month where you are.

Ingredients

  • 18 oz rhubarb, trimmed and cut to fit pan width
  • 6 oz unsalted butter, divided: 30g for topping, 140g for cake
  • 2¾ oz brown sugar, for topping
  • 5¾ oz all-purpose flour
  • 2 oz ground almonds
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 5¾ oz sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cups buttermilk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Contains: cereals gluten, eggs, milk, nuts.

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Melt 30g butter in a 9-inch round cake pan in the oven. Add brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Arrange the rhubarb lengths tightly over the caramel base.About 8 min
  2. Beat the remaining 140g softened butter with the sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.About 4 min
  3. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the vanilla. Fold in the flour, ground almonds, and baking powder alternately with the buttermilk.About 5 min
  4. Pour the batter over the rhubarb. Bake for 40-45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip onto a serving plate. Serve warm.About 50 min

Tips

  • Cool for exactly 10 minutes before flipping — too long and the caramel sets and sticks.
  • The rhubarb releases juice into the caramel as it bakes — this is what makes the topping glossy.

Ring the changes

  • Add 1 tsp of fresh ginger to the batter for spice.
  • Replace ground almonds with ground pistachios for a different flavor.

Keeping it

Keeps at room temperature for 2 days or in the fridge for 4 days. Serve at room temperature.

In the app this recipe finds you

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More from the same crop

Rhubarb Fool

The simplest, most elegant rhubarb dessert. Tart rhubarb compote folded through lightly whipped cream into pink-and-white swirls. It's meant to look marbled and imperfect, not uniformly pink. Served in glasses, it's beautiful and takes fifteen minutes to make.

30 min · easy · Rhubarb
Tony C Smith
Tony C Smith

Allotment keeper in the North East of England, the voice behind the Tony C Smith YouTube channel, and the gardener who built GrowMore CookMore. Club numbers on this page update as members log their plots. Last updated 4 April 2026.