Rhubarb Upside Down Olive Oil Cake

Square overhead photo of a slice of rhubarb upside down cake being served with a serving utensil.

Print Recipe

No ratings yet

Rhubarb Upside Down Olive Oil Cake

Servings: servings

Calories: 385kcal

Author: Elizabeth Lindemann

Equipment

9-inch round baking pan or 8" square
9-inch round parchment paper

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

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.

Video

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.

Nutrition