TWD: Baking with Julia - Fresh Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

Our recipe this week for Tuesday's with Dorie was Fresh Rhubarb Upside Down Cake.  It was actually supposed to be baby-cakes, as in individual 4-inch cakes, but the recipe also provided instructions for making one big cake so that is the route I took.

My only challenge with this recipe was in locating the rhubarb.  Four weeks ago today, the clever baby was born via an emergency c-section (all is well, no worries) and I was told that I could not drive for at least 4 weeks.  My parents came in town to help and then my in-laws came (they leave today - boo!)  I didn't want to ask my in-laws to drive all over town searching for this illusive ingredient.  The grocery store closest to my house is crummy, and they certainly did not have fresh rhubarb.  My in-laws checked another grocery store of the same chain and had no luck there either.  Luckily, Mr. Clever Mom works near a gourmet grocery store so I begged him to stop by on the way home and of course, this particular store had rhubarb!  Yippee!  This recovery is so hard, mostly in a mental way, as I am used to being able to do things like, say, drive, lift things, exercise, etc.  Ugh.  But I am listening to my doctor and obeying the rules.  The last thing I want is to set myself backwards!  And happily, I have had lots of help.  So enough moaning and lets get on to the recipe!

Yum.  I have never actually cooked with rhubarb but I have tasted it before and knew I liked the flavor.  It is very tart so it needs quite a bit of sugar in order to be edible.  This recipe hits that nail on the head by starting off with a caramel made with butter, dark brown sugar and bourbon.  Once the butter is melted, chopped pecans are added.  This is the top/bottom of the cake (top when the cake is right side up, bottom while it is cooking).  What a great way to start!

Then you place sliced rhubarb on top of the caramel.  I did two layers of rhubarb since that is how much I had cut.  The recipe doesn't actually say how many layers to do, but one is probably what they intended.  I don't think I had too much rhubarb though (actually had the right amount as far as weight goes) and it didn't taste too rhubarb-y, so I think two layers was just fine!

Then you create the batter part of the cake!  Cream some butter and sugar until nice and light and fluffy, then add two eggs, one at a time.  Whisk together dry ingredients, and then add that to the creamed butter/sugar alternately with creme fraiche mixed with a little vanilla extract.

Here is my personal lesson for this recipe:  how to make your own creme fraiche!  I had never thought about it before, and it is SO EASY.  Just mix one cup of heavy cream with one tablespoon of buttermilk and set it out on the counter for 12-24 hours, until it thickens.  Then refrigerate for at least a day before using.  Look at that beautiful creme fraiche!  Amazing, right?  And truly, I think this amazing creme fraiche may just be the key to this cake. 

Once the creme fraiche and dry ingredients are gently mixed into the butter/sugar, spread it on top of the rhubarb and stick the pan in the oven.  Since I did it all in one pan, it cooked for about 45 minutes (instead of 20 minutes in the baby cake pans).

And it turned out looking like this!  I carefully inverted that heavy cast-iron pan (no I probably should not have lifted this pan and inverted it post-surgery, but I did it anyway.  Sorry, Doc!) onto a rack to cool. 

I served the cake with a dallop of fresh whipped cream and everyone gave it high praise.  The cake is really delicious.  It is very tender and light, and the caramel provides the rhubarb with just the sweetness to offset the tartness.  Perfect.  I would love to try this recipe again with different fruits - maybe blueberries, or pears, or tart cherries, or (yes) even pineapple!  It is simple to put together, especially if you make one big cake instead of individual cakes.  And really, making individual cakes is a lot of extra work if there isn't a REASON to make them (other than the fact that they are so cute). 

You can find this recipe on pages 244-246 of Baking with Julia, or by visiting Erin's blog, When in Doubt...Leave it at 350.  You can also check out what other bakers did with this recipe by visiting the TWD website and clicking on the link that says LYL:Fresh Rhubarb Upside-down Cake.  This is where we all post links to our blogs and discuss what we thought of the recipe! 

This is the first thing I have baked since surgery.  My doc told me I had to stay out of the kitchen but I figured I had other adults in the house in case I ran into trouble.  Ah, how good it felt to be baking again!  A month hiatus is long for me!  I didn't realize how much I would miss it.  I know, there are those that think I am crazy and would love to be told they had to stay out of the kitchen, but for me, it was hard!