Fresh Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

Brenda.'s Note:

I adopted this delicious recipe from the Zaar database a few years ago. Who wouldn't love a Julia recipe? :) Recipe can be made in a large cast iron pan or smaller individual cake pans. Source: "Baking with Julia"

• Total Time: 50 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt, preferably kosher
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup creme fraiche (homemade or store-bought) or 1 cup sour cream
• 6 ounces unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar (lightly packed)
• 1 tablespoon Bourbon
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans
• 6 stalks fresh rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch thick slices (12 ounces)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• melted butter, for greasing the pans
• lightly sweetened whipped cream or creme fraiche, for serving

Directions:

1. Recipe will fit a cast Iron pan 12 inches across at the top.
2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350oF.
3. Brush the insides of 8 mini-or baby cake pans, each 4 inches across and 1 inch deep, with a light coating of melted butter, dust with flour, and tap out the excess (skip this step if using a large cast iron pan).
4. Whisk or stir the flour, baking powder, and salt together just to blend; reserve.
5. In a separate bowl, stir the vanilla into the creme fraiche and set aside until needed.
6. Melt the 1/2 stick of butter in a heavy skillet (or use the cast iron pan).
7. Add the brown sugar and bourbon and cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the sugar melts.
8. Stir in the pecans to coat with the caramel and turn off the heat.
9. Divide the caramel evenly among the pans, working quickly to get it to the edges of the pans before it sets- step unnecessary if using a large cast iron pan (cooked sugar cools rapidly).
10. Arrange the rhubarb in circles over the sugar, and set aside while you make the batter.
11. Put the remaining stick of butter and the granulated sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or use a hand-held mixer, and beat on medium-high speed until the mixture is smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
12. The butter and sugar must be beaten until they are light, fluffy, and pale, so don't rush it- the process can take 3 to 4 minutes with a heavy-duty mixer and 6 to 8 minutes with a hand-held mixer.
13. Reduce the speed to medium and add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
14. Working with a rubber spatula, carefully fold in the dry ingredients and the creme fraiche alternately- 3 additions of dry ingredients, 2 of creme fraiche.
15. You'll end up with a thick batter.
16. Spoon the batter over rhubarb and smooth the tops by rotating the pans while you run a rubber spatula over the batter.
17. Put the pans on a jelly-roll pan and bake for 20 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cake comes out clean (test a couple of the cakes to be certain).
18. As soon as the cakes are removed from the oven, turn them out of their pans onto a rack.
19. Storing the Cake- The cakes can be kept wrapped in plastic at room temperature overnight.

Reviews

[arriba!]

I agree with Astrid! We LOVED this cake, which I found easy to make. I used a 12 inch skillet, more rhubarb(probably around 16 oz.) and more pecans. It unmolded easily, but some of the caramel remained in the pan and I scraped it and dabbed around the top of the cake. Definitely a winner!

[Astrid List]

Wonderful cake! Very nice balance between tartness /sourness of the rhubarb and the sweetness of the cake. The creme fraiche gives a very nice flavor and texture to the cake. I used more rhubarb than stated in the recipe, also the 4 stalks I used ended up weighing almost 16oz.