Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake
Published: Friday, May 18, 2018
Topping*:
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
½ c. all-purpose flour
¼ c. sugar
Coarse salt
Cake:
1½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for buttering pan
1 lb. rhubarb, trimmed and cut on a very sharp diagonal about ½" thick
1¾ c. sugar
1½ c. all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking powder
Coarse salt
½ tsp. finely grated orange zest plus 1 Tbsp. fresh orange juice*
2 large eggs
1 c. sour cream
Preheat oven to 350°. Make the topping: Stir together butter, flour, sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt until moist and crumbly.
Make the cake: Butter a 9x2" round cake pan. Dot with 4 Tbsp. butter (cut into pieces). Toss rhubarb with ¾ cup sugar; let stand for 2 minutes. Toss again, and spread in pan.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and 1½ teaspoons salt. Beat remaining stick butter and 1 cup sugar with a mixer on medium speed until pale and fluffy. Beat in zest and juice. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, until incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl.
Beat in flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with sour cream, until smooth. Spread evenly over rhubarb. Crumble topping evenly over batter.
Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and top springs back when touched, about 1 hour. Let cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake, and invert onto a wire rack. Let cool completely. (Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan. The rhubarb will be too hot to handle safely right after baking. But if the cake sits much longer, it may stick.) —10 servings.
*Note: You can double the amount of crumb topping and use 1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest and 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice instead of orange zest and juice in the cake.
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