This rhubarb upside down cake is one of my family’s favorite desserts. If you haven’t tried this dessert before, you are in for a real treat—it’s so easy to whip up and is so tasty that it never lasts for long!
I first made this delicious cake a few years ago when our neighbor gave us a whole bunch of rhubarb. We were trying to figure out some ideas for using it and stumbled upon a recipe someone had made for an upside-down cake with rhubarb.
I made a couple of slight modifications based on what I had in my kitchen and was pleasantly surprised by the results! This rhubarb cake is light and fluffy and so delicious!
It’s also fairly easy and only took me about 20 minutes to make (interrupted repeatedly by my kids, too). Yes, there are a few steps to follow with this recipe, but it’s not hard at all and well worth it.
Give this rhubarb upside down cake a try and see for yourself!
Ingredients
There are two main parts to this cake: the rhubarb layer and the cake layer. Here’s what you’ll need for both:
Rhubarb layer ingredients:
- melted butter
- maple syrup
- sugar
- rhubarb, chopped into small pieces
Cake ingredients:
- softened butter – be sure to check out my easy hack for softening butter fast!
- sugar
- maple syrup
- eggs
- vanilla extract
- flour
- baking powder
- salt
- milk
- cream of tartar
Instructions
You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how easy this rhubarb upside down cake is to make! Again, we have two main parts to this dessert: the rhubarb layer and the cake layer. Here’s how to make each:
Rhubarb layer
The reason this cake is called an “upside down cake” is that you flip it upside down once you’re done baking. So we’ll start with the rhubarb at the bottom, but it will eventually become the top of the cake once it’s flipped.
To start, preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Then grease and flour a 9” round cake pan.
If you haven’t already chopped your rhubarb, now is the time to do it.
In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, maple syrup, and sugar.
Then, pour or spoon this mixture into your greased cake pan.
Next, place the chopped rhubarb on top of the butter-sugar mixture in the pan.
Sprinkle sugar on top. Set aside.
Cake layer
Next up is the cake layer. This is put together and then poured on top of the rhubarb layer in the pan before you bake it.
In a large bowl, cream the softened butter until it’s fluffy. Add the sugar and maple syrup and mix well for about 3 minutes.
Then, beat in the egg yolks along with vanilla extract. Set it aside.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together your flour with the baking powder and salt.
Now, back to the creamed butter mixture. While mixing on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture with some milk, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Set aside again.
In a separate medium-sized bowl, beat the egg whites along with the cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold the egg mixture into the batter. Do not overbeat.
Gently spoon the batter mixture over the rhubarb in the pan.
Bake and serve
Bake the cake for 50-60 minutes or until the cake springs back when you lightly touch it.
Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before inverting the cake onto a serving plate.
Now you can see all that beautiful rhubarb!
Serve your rhubarb upside down cake warm and topped with whipped cream (optional, but highly recommended!). Enjoy!
FAQs
Can I make this cake gluten free?
You sure can! In fact, I do it all the time. Just swap out the flour for a gluten-free all-in-one flour blend. I personally use Bob’s Red Mill but use what you have on hand. Just make sure that if your blend does not contain xanthan gum, add ½ tsp to the mix.
You can also swap out regular sugar for coconut if you are trying to avoid refined sugar. I’ve done this several times as well, and it turns out great!
What can I use besides rhubarb?
While rhubarb works fabulously in the cake, I’ve also heard many people make this recipe with strawberries instead or with a 50-50 combination of strawberries and rhubarb.
I haven’t personally tried it, but it’s on my list!
More delicious cakes to make with fruit and veggies
- Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping
- Delicious Homemade Strawberry Cake
- Blueberry Dump Cake with Cream Cheese Icing
- Cherry Chiffon Cake
- Layered Carrot Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
Rhubarb Upside Down Cake
This light Rhubarb Upside Down Cake is a delicious dessert. It’s so tasty that this easy dessert never lasts long!
Ingredients
Rhubarb Layer Ingredients:
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 Tbsp maple syrup
⅔ cup + 1 ½ Tbsp sugar
2 cups rhubarb, chopped into small pieces
Cake Ingredients:
6 Tbsp butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
1 Tbsp maple syrup
2 large eggs, separated
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
1 cup + 2 Tablespoons flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
whipped cream, optional
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9” round cake pan.
In a small bowl, stir together 3 tablespoons melted butter, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, and ⅔ cup sugar. Pour/spoon this mixture into your greased cake pan.
Place the chopped rhubarb on top of the butter-sugar mixture in the pan. Sprinkle 1 ½ Tbsp sugar on top. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream 6 Tbsp softened butter until fluffy. Add ¾ cup sugar and 1 Tbsp maple syrup and mix well for about 3 minutes. Beat in 2 egg yolks along with 1 Tbsp vanilla extract. Set aside.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together 1 cup + 2 Tbsp flour with the baking powder and salt.
Back to the creamed butter mixture. While mixing on low speed, alternately add the flour mixture with ¼ cup milk, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Set aside again.
In a separate medium-sized bowl, beat the 2 egg whites along with ¼ tsp cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Gradually fold the egg mixture into the batter. Do not overbeat. The mixture should be light and fluffy at this point.
Gently spoon the batter mixture over the rhubarb in the pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the cake springs back when you lightly touch it. Cool on a wire rack for about 10 minutes before inverting onto a serving plate.
Serve with whipped cream (optional)
Xenia @ Thanks, Mail Carrier says
I don’t think I’ve actually ever cooked with rhubarb before… I’ll have to try it sometime because this looks pretty tasty!
Tabby Giant says
Gosh! This looks really nice. I will make do with it even without custard. Thanks for the recipe, I hope I can find the ingredients on our local grocery.
Doll Cottage says
Great recipe! Thank you for sharing it with us! I will definitely try it out!
Mary Dailey says
I know this would be delicious! I never had rhubarb in my life, not a southern thing, I guess, and I had strawberry rhubarb pie and loved it! I will have to try this.
Rita Spratlen says
This one sounds interesting. I don’t think I have ever had rhubarb. I have seen it which it reminds me of red celery. Thanks for sharing.
Alene says
This was positively delicious! I made it today, and you would never know it was gluten free. I used everything you indicated, including the Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 flour which I already had opened in my pantry. That was a plus, as well as using up a large bunch of rhubarb that I had in the refrigerator drawer. I didn’t have cream of tartar though, and after reading about it, I felt I could skip it. The cake came out perfectly without it. Thank you for an easy wonderful recipe that I will make over and over, but maybe with different fruits when rhubarb season ends.
Erika says
Thanks for the kind words, Alene. I’m so glad you enjoyed this! Great tip on the cream of tartar. I will test it out without it and see if that’s a good change to make. (I won’t say no to an excuse to make this again!)