This tart and sweet Rhubarb Upside Down Cake is an absolute showstopper of a dessert perfect for spring and summer. It’s baked with olive oil and Greek yogurt, with cardamom in the batter for Scandinavian-inspired flavor. It’s super fun – and surprisingly easy – to make with just one bowl needed!
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I love baking with olive oil! It may sound unusual, but it’s common in Mediterranean baking. The earthy taste of olive oil is a wonderful complement to sweet flavors. Many of you know I’m of Greek descent and love cooking Greek food, so it’s not surprising I use olive oil with abandon!
The other half of my descent is Norwegian, and I also love dabbling with Nordic cooking. Scandinavian desserts are some of the best in the world! Sour cream and cardamom are two staples in Nordic baking.
So this recipe is a marriage of baking traditions from my two halves – the cardamom is absolutely delicious in here with the sweet, tart rhubarb. And instead of sour cream, I’m using Greek yogurt, which acts almost the same but with more protein and less fat.
Hope you enjoy this Rhubarb Upside Down Olive Oil Cake as much as I do!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Rhubarb – I used fresh, but you can use frozen (see recipe notes for more).
- Red currant jelly – or another red colored, preferably seedless jelly or jam, like raspberry or strawberry (or you can omit, see recipe notes for more).
- Greek yogurt – or sour cream. I recommend full fat. Make sure it’s plain!
- Olive oil – use a more neutral flavored kind, rather than a strong peppery one. I’m a fan of California Olive Ranch olive oil, which is easily accessible at most grocery stores.
- Ground cardamom
- Lemon zest and juice
- Cornstarch
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
- Baking essentials: all-purpose flour, sugar, salt, baking powder
How to make Rhubarb Upside Down Olive Oil Cake
Prepare your baking pan by brushing with olive oil, adding a circle piece of parchment paper, and brushing again with olive oil. Even if your pan is nonstick, make sure to do this – the last thing you want is the top to stick when you flip it!
Mix up the topping by whisking together sugar, olive oil, cornstarch, and red currant jelly. It will seem super stiff at first – keep whisking and it will come together. Then, add the rhubarb and stir to coat, and press down evenly into the prepared pan.
Mix up the batter (you can use the same bowl as the rhubarb!) by whisking together sugar, olive oil, eggs, greek yogurt, cardamom, baking powder, and salt. Then add the flour and whisk until it’s just combined. Pour the batter over the rhubarb topping in the pan and spread evenly.
Place the pan on a baking sheet! It may bubble over and cause a mess. Then bake the cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Be sure to allow the cake to cool for 20-30 minutes in the pan. This will help the topping cool and solidify a bit so it’s not too runny. Then, place a platter over the pan and flip the whole thing to invert the cake onto the serving platter. All done!
Tasty Tip
You can use frozen rhubarb instead of fresh if you like, but make sure to use 1 teaspoon more cornstarch to help thicken the topping, as frozen rhubarb will release more liquid than fresh.
Tips for flipping an upside down cake
- When making an upside down cake, it’s important to make sure to do all you can to prevent sticking. This is why I recommend greasing the pan, adding parchment, and greasing AGAIN on top of the parchment. These 9-inch parchment paper baking rounds make this step super easy.
- Also, be sure to allow the cake to cool in the pan for a while to help solidify the topping a bit – but not for too long! About 20-30 minutes should do it. As the cake cools, the mixture will solidify a bit as the sugars and cornstarch set. Wait too long and they will solidify too much and may stick to the pan.
- If some topping topples off the side after flipping, that’s fine! Just use a spoon, spatula, or even a butter knife to scoop it back up and gently press back into position. And remember, upside down cakes aren’t supposed to look perfect – a little messy means delicious here.
Other baked goodies made with olive oil
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Rhubarb Upside Down Olive Oil Cake
Save this Recipe Print Pin RateEquipment
- 9-inch round baking pan or 8" square
Ingredients
For the Rhubarb Topping
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup red currant jelly see notes
- 1 lb. rhubarb trimmed and cut into ½-inch cubes
For the Cake
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
- juice and zest of one lemon (1 teaspoon zest and 2 tablespoons juice)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
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Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan, line the bottom with a 9-inch round piece of parchment paper, and grease again on top of the parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, prepare the rhubarb topping. Whisk together the 2 teaspoons cornstarch, ½ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and ¼ cup red currant jelly. Stir in the cubed 1 lb. rhubarb and toss to coat well. Press evenly into the prepared baking pan, making sure to cover the entire bottom. It's OK if there are some pieces that overlap.
- In the same bowl, whisk together the ⅓ cup olive oil, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, ½ cup Greek yogurt, juice and zest of one lemon, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cardamom, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt until very well combined. Add the 1 cup all-purpose flour and stir until just combined. Pour this batter on top of the prepared rhubarb in the pan, spreading it out evenly on top. Important: place the pan on top of a foil-lined baking sheet in case it bubbles over the side!
- Bake at 350 degrees F for about 45 – 50 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for approximately 20 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the edges of the pan. Place a serving platter upside-down and centered on top of cake in the pan, then holding both together tightly, flip upside down to invert the cake onto the platter. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- If you don’t have red currant jelly, try another red colored jam or jelly such as raspberry or strawberry. Seedless works best here. You can omit the jam if you like, but I recommend adding a little more sugar in this case, and the cake may not be quite as red/pink in color.
- When you flip the cake, some of the rhubarb mixture may topple off the side and liquid may pool at the bottom. This is fine, and to be expected because the topping is hot and melty. As it cools, it will solidify. Just trust the process :-) You can use a spatula, spoon, or butter knife to scoop the fallen topping back onto the top edge of the cake and press gently to make it stick.
- To swap frozen rhubarb for fresh, use it straight from frozen and add 1 teaspoon more cornstarch to the topping mixture to account for any extra liquid released.
- This recipe was adapted and simplified from the Upside Down Rhubarb Cake appearing on America’s Test Kitchen season 23, Spring Chicken Dinner episode.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
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