Celebrating spring’s fresh rhubarb bounty with this spiced yogurt upside down cake. Orange juice and zest add a touch of brightness and compliment the warm hints of ginger and cardamom.
When choosing rhubarb, looks for firm and crisp stalks with deep shades of red near the base. To align the stalks, place the cake pan on top of them to see the length and trim so they fit snugly inside. If you don’t have a cake pan, an ovenproof skillet works as well. Run a knife around the edges of the cake and let cool slightly before inverting. Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Why this Recipe Works
- Adding yogurt to the batter results in an indulgently moist cake.
- The ground pistachios to the flour adds a surprising nutty twist to the batter.
- Brown sugar lends a bold flavor and mellow sweetness.
- Orange juice and zest add a touch of brightness to the cake complimenting the warm hints of ginger and cardamom that add complexity and depth of flavor.
- The tart and sour flavors of rhubarb are well balanced by the spiced brown sugar toppings that absorb into the rhubarb while baking.
How to Make this Recipe
Please see my step-by-step shots below for easy cooking.
A pattern can make it look extra fancy but go with whatever design you want. Keep in mind the color of the rhubarb will fade some while baking.
Arrange the rhubarb, rounded-side down, into the brown sugar in an even layer without overlapping, trimming the rhubarb as needed to fit. This will take a bit of trail and error.
cake patter pour batter into pan, on top of rhubarb stalks smoother the top
Cooks Tips
- When choosing rhubarb, looks for stalks with the deepest shades of red near the base and ones that are firm and crisp.
- If you don’t have a cake pan, an ovenproof skillet can work as well.
- Cake is best served warm with freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
More Rad Rhubarb Desserts:
- Vanilla Poached Rhubarb
- Almond Rhubarb Cake
- Rhubarb Tart with Ginger & Pistachios
- Strawberry Rhubarb Galette
- Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp
Have ya tried this recipe? I’d love to hear about it and see it too! Please leave a comment below and share it on Instagram with the tag @DanielaGerson! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and all sorts of awesome adventures!
Lets make waves in the kitchen!
Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake
Ingredients
For the Rhubarb Topping
- 6 stalks rhubarb about 1.5 pounds
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 orange zest & juice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 tablespoon of grated fresh ginger
- ½ tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp kosher salt
For the Cake
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 3/4 cup pistachios finely chopped (for easy prep, pulse pistachios in food processor)
- 8 tbsp butter room temperature
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- zest & juice orange remaining
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Rhubarb Toppings
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter and add the brown sugar, half the orange zest & juice, 1/2 teaspoon cardamom, ginger and salt. Heat and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture begins to bubble around the edges. Pour sugar mixture into a 9-inch springform cake pan, swirling or brushing to coat the pan evenly.
Cake
- Trim the rhubarb stalks to snugly fit into a pan and arrange on top of brown sugar to cover the base.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cardamom and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together the yogurt and remaining orange juice and zest in a small bowl.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat the butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the yogurt and beginning and ending with the flour.
- Transfer the batter to the pan, on top of rhubarb stalks, and smooth the top. Bake in oven for 1 hr. and 15min. The top should be browned and the edges bubbly. A cake tester inserted in the center will be clean.
- Cool the cake for 5 minutes then run a small sharp knife around edges. Place a plate on top of the cake pan and invert. Slowly lift the cake pan away.
Notes
- When choosing rhubarb, looks for stalks with the deepest shades of red near the base and ones that are firm and crisp.
- If you don’t have a cake pan, an ovenproof skillet can work as well.
- Cake is best served warm with freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Love this cake ?
You are so sweet!!! Thank you :)!
The rhubarb makes for a stunning color in this cake! I can't wait to make it this weekend.
Absolutely agree on the color Deseree! And please let me know how it goes when ya make it this weekend... I'd absolutely love to hear :)!
I can't believe how simple this way to make last night! I had to come back and brag about it. Simple and bursting with flavor!
Yessss!!!! So stoked to hear that Jacquelyn!!! Simple to make and bursting with flavor is exactly how I want my recipes to be! Thanks so much for the super sweet feedback :).
Oh, my -- this is just the prettiest cake! I never thought to use rhubarb for an upside-down cake, but it's such a great idea. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
Absolute pleasure Amanda!!! I just love how the color of rhubarb turns out in an upside-down cake! Stoked to hear you like it too :).
Ooh this is gorgeous! Love the idea of adding pistachios to the flour too for some flavor and crunch. Thanks for the tip on choosing rhubarb too 🙂
Absolute pleasure Heather and thanks so much for the super sweet feedback! The pistachios def take the batter up a notch! Really appreciate your comments :).
I need to try more rhubarb recipes. It's the prettiest vegetable (or is it a fruit -- ha?!) ever! This cake looks awesome. The perfect spring recipe!
Rhubarb is indeed a veggie but I still mistakenly think of it as fruit... and ya you do need to try more rhubarb recipe Kelly... I support that idea :)!
This cake recipe looks so good! I've seen rhubarb in the Farmer's Market recently and wanted a way to use it, now I do!
Thanks so much for the feedback Sharon! And I def hope ya buy some rhubarb at the market and make this! Please let me know how it goes afterwards.... I'd absolutely love to hear :).
Rhubarb season started like weeks ago and I can't believe I haven't made ANY rhubarb recipe yet. This is definitely a sign that I must make this wonderful cake. Looks delicious and perfect. Will pair so nice with cup of tea on afternoons. Love it!
Hehehe Natalie I can't believe it either! Rhubarb season started quite late this year in Northern Cali and I'm so super stoked it's finally here! Happy to hear that my recipe inspired ya to get your rhubarb game on and would absolutely love to hear your thoughts on it after you make it :).
The color of this upside down pie is perfect for Mother’s Day. I know what dessert I’m serving my mother this year.
Sooooo super stoked to hear that Jacquelyn!!! Thanks so much :)! And please let me know how it goes after ya make it... I'd absolutely love to hear!
Pineapple upside down cake is my absolute FAVORITE but it’s pretty clear that this rhubarb version is gonna be right up there! Yum!!!
So stoked to hear that Lorie! Would love to hear your thoughts on how this compares to your favorite pineapple upside-down cake after ya try it too :)!
Oh my gosh, this is beautiful!! Where do you live that your rhubarb grows such an incredibly vibrant shade -- it's practically purple! Here in the mid-Atlantic, it's a tomato-red at best.
Thanks so much for the super sweet feedback Julie! I live in San Francisco. And definitely not all rhubarb is the same! The color changes throughout the season and is highly dependent on where I buy it... and I'm always looking for those stalks with incredibly vibrant shades :).
I never had rhubarb before (hides face in shame lol) and I need to change this asap! This cake sounds delicious! Thanks for the recipe
Absolute pleasure Ana and I really hope I inspired ya to give rhubarb a try! Just don't try to like it raw cause it's real tart and sour... but it bakes wonderfully :)!
Rhubarb is just the prettiest! I cannot wait to have it here, still maybe a month to go... Love the Greek yogurt in the batter, it makes for very moist cakes. Beautiful!
Thanks so much for the super sweet feedback Nicoletta!!! And yes the greek yogurt makes the cake wonderfully moist! Wishing you get rhubarb by you super soon :)!
As others have said, this is a beautiful and delicious recipe! I used walnuts instead of pistachios, since it's what I had on hand. Any thoughts on why it was still mushy under the rhubarb after 1h25mins? Yours seems to be nicely browned!
Hi + so stoked to hear ya made this Jenna :)! By mushy do ya mean not fully cooked?
Yes, it didn't seem fully cooked, and there was no crust on the top. I'll note that I did use unbleached cane sugar instead of brown sugar, which I didn't have on hand! Oops!
Heya Jenna I'm so sorry to hear this happened to your cake! If you're ever in LA I'd love to make one for you! I've fiddled with the re-tested the recipe and increased the oven temp to 350. Hope this solves all for you and I really appreciate you taking the time to give me feedback :)!