Upside Down Rhubarb and Rosemary Cake
Derek and I went to an Earth Day event last weekend at the nearby 21 Acres. It was fun checking out this local business, I can’t believe we hadn’t been there sooner! 21 acres offers cooking classes and other events we will most likely check out in the future. There is also a market with local product, meats, cheeses and other goods. We took the opportunity to buy a few things while were there including ground goat. I’d never had goat before and we had it in tacos, at the recommendation of the grocer, it was really tasty! If you ever get the chance to try this meat, go for it!
I also grabbed a few stalks of rhubarb. I didn’t have a plan for them at the time, but knew something would pop into my head. For some reason I haven’t cooked with rhubarb in the past very much, even though I really enjoy it. I’d been wanting to try an olive oil cake recipe with rosemary and I got the idea to add rhubarb to it. I was worried that adding it raw would make the cake soggy so I decided to try something like an upside down cake. The first version wasn’t perfect, but good enough that I knew I wanted to make it again to share with you guys! The olive oil cake is moist with that hint or rosemary and it all is capped off with the tart rhubarb top (er, or should I say bottom?). The rhubarb is cooked beforehand so it gets really soft and almost buttery by the time the cake is done!
The first order of business is cooking the rhubarb.
Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the cut rhubarb and salt. Stir that all together and then add the brown sugar.
You’re going to cook this mixture about 10 minutes, or until the brown sugar has completely melted and started to thicken into a syrup and the rhubarb is soft.
While the mixture is cooking, get your oven preheating. Once the rhubarb is done, turn off the heat and let it cool while you get the cake batter together.
To make your cake batter, first whisk together your eggs and sugar in a large bowl (everything is eventually going to end up in this bowl, so get a big one) until they are pale yellow.
Then whisk in the milk, olive oil and orange juice. The first time I made this cake I was trying to avoid dairy, so I used soymilk and it worked just fine, so feel free to sub out the regular milk for that if you prefer.
Now add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and chopped rosemary and whisk again until everything is completely mixed.
It’s time to put it all together! Grease a 9″ by 13″ pan with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and pour in the cooked rhubarb. Spread it out with a rubber spatula to ensure it’s all even.
Now pour in your cake batter.
Bake the cake on the center rack of your oven for 50-55 minutes, or until it’s golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool for about 2 hours. Now it’s time for the upside down part! Run a knife all the way around the edges of the cake to loosen it. Take whatever platter or plate you’re going to serve the cake on and put it on top of the cake. Now clasp that dish and the cake pan firmly and flip it over. Lift off the cake pan. Some of the rhubarb mixture may stick but that’s ok. Just scrape it out and spread it on top of the cake (no one will ever know!).
This cake is sweet tart and moist. I’m sure it will be great with a dollop of whipped cream also.
Enjoy!
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Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 4 large rhubarb stalks, sliced about 1/8 of an inch thick
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 1/2 cups, plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed oj
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the cut rhubarb and salt.
- Add the brown sugar and cook about 10 minutes, or until the brown sugar has completely melted and started to thicken into a syrup and the rhubarb is soft.
- While the mixture is cooking, preheat the oven to 350°. Once the rhubarb is done, take off the heat and let it cool.
- Whisk together eggs and sugar in a large bowl (everything is eventually going to end up in this bowl, so get a big one) until they are pale yellow.
- Whisk in the milk, olive oil and orange juice.
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and chopped rosemary and whisk again until everything is completely mixed.
- Grease a 9" by 13" pan with 1 teaspoon of olive oil and pour in the cooked rhubarb. Spread it out with a rubber spatula to ensure it's all even. Pour in the cake batter.
- Bake the cake on the center rack of the oven for 50-55 minutes, or until it's golden on top and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool for about 2 hours.
- Run a knife all the way around the edges of the cake to loosen it. Take whatever platter or plate you're going to serve the cake on and put it on top of the cake. Now clasp that dish and the cake pan firmly and flip it over. Lift off the cake pan. Some of the rhubarb mixture may stick but that's ok. Just scrape it out and spread it on top of the cake (no one will ever know!).