Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

Hey, my dudes!

I am so excited to share this Rhubarb Upside Down Cake with you! Spring is really springing right now. Finally, there is no snow in Stockholm and all the grocery stores are stocking one of my favorite vegetables (not a fruit, technically) – rhubarb! I seriously love rhubarb. I never had it growing up in Southern California. It wasn’t super common there, and besides, my dad hated it. I think the first time I had it was during my first spring in Sweden. It was such a revelation to me – so sour, with a subtle fruitiness. It also tastes pink, sour but pink, which I just love.

Rhubarb is fairly versatile. You can stew it, bake it, or juice it. It’s great in pies, tarts, cakes, buns, drinks, and as sorbet. It really is a springtime star. It helps that it is often the first fresh produce available in the spring here in the Nordics.

I gotta tell you guys I am so proud of this upside-down cake. It took me like a week of testing to get it right. The key to this cake is the cornstarch in the bottom with the sugar and butter. Rhubarb is super juicy, and without that cornstarch, the cake becomes a goopy mess. Don’t skip the cornstarch! Also important is using the reddest stalks of rhubarb you can find. If the stalk is too green, it makes the cake look weird. The taste will be the same, but it won’t have that beautiful pink rhubarb look. Also try to get stalks that aren’t too thick. The skinnier ones make for a thinner layer of rhubarb and, in my opinion, a better balanced cake.

I decorated the cake with some cherry blossoms. I may or may not have picked these from an undisclosed location near me. You could decorate your cake with any edible flowers you like but I thought the cherry blossoms really screamed spring.