Teenie Cakes™

| food, photography, edible gardening & more!

Mini Rhubarb Upside-Down Cakes

Mini Rhubarb Upside-Down Cakes

We’re in mid-May and experiencing unusually cooler weather with much needed rain. I really enjoy fluctuations in temperatures like this. Here in Southern California, folks interviewed on the evening news channels whine and whimper that the weather is miserable and are all but inconvenienced that they are not prepared.

Meanwhile…there are floods, earthquakes, wild fires and other “real” serious Mother Nature occurrences happening throughout our country and other parts of the world – and local folks have nothing else to focus on and complain about except the light drizzle. But I regress…let’s talk about these cute mini rhubarb upside-down cakelets.

This is my second use of rhubarb. While I love it’s rich and deep crimson color and using it in the Strawberry & Rhubarb Crumb Bars made a couple of weeks ago, I’m not entirely convinced I’m “in-like” with rhubarb. It needs much assistance from other beautiful fruits like strawberries and raspberries, or sweetened up with sugary syrup to be useful. What I really liked about this recipe, however, is the cakey portion. It has a great, healthy texture and flavor (from the cinnamon and nutmeg) and I could envision using it with other add-ins to create various treats for either dessert or breakfast-type breads.

This recipe originates from one of my very favorite Master Bakers, Carole Walter.

Teenie Notes

  • Substituted half of the all-purpose flour for whole-wheat flour. If you don’t have whole-wheat flour on-hand, use all-purpose flour for a total of 1 1/2 cups.
  • Used low-fat sour cream and low-fat milk in place of whole.
  • Take care to not overfill the muffin pan’s wells with too much batter.
  • My baking time was 19 minutes. Watch your baking between 18-25 minutes.

Mini Rhubarb Upside-Down Cakes - Ingredients

Mini Rhubarb Upside-Down Cakes
source adapted from Great Coffee Cakes, Sticky Buns, Muffins & More by Carole Walter

Makes 12-14 muffin/cupcake sized mini-cakes

Ingredients

Rhubarb Portion
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
1 pound fresh rhubarb (about 4 medium sized stalks), cut into 3/4-inch chunks

Cake
3/4 cup all-purpose flour, leveled
3/4 cup whole-wheat flour, leveled
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 cup unsalted butter, slightly firm
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3/4 cup low-fat or non-fat sour cream
2 tablespoons low-fat milk

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare muffin tin(s) for 12-14 by either using non-stick spray or generously buttering each muffin well.

Prepare the Rhubarb
In a heavy 12-inch skillet, melt butter over low heat. Add the brown sugar and stir until it’s dissolved. Mix in the orange zest and cook over medium heat until bubbly. Add prepared rhubarb so that it’s in a single layer in pan and stir to coat with sugar-syrup.

Continue to cook the rhubarb for about 6-8 minutes, OR until it becomes transparent and easily pierced with a skewer or fork. Take care NOT to overcook or the rhubarb will begin to shred.

Remove rhubarb from pan with a slotted spoon and spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet until cool. Cook the remaining syrup over medium heat until it’s been reduced to about 1/2 cup. Pour the syrup into a glass heat-proof measuring cup. Measure-out about 1 teaspoon of syrup and pour into the 12-14 wells. Evenly distribute the rhubarb amongst the wells. If you have any leftover syrup, distribute it evenly over the rhubarb.

Prepare Cake Batter

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

Cut butter into 1-inch pieces and place in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the brown sugar and continue mixing for another 1 minute. Add the granulated sugar and mix for another 1 minute. Scrap down the sides of the bowl.

Blend in the egg and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl when needed. Mix for about 1 minute.

Reduce mixer speed to low and add half of the dry ingredients. Add the sour cream and mix until blended. Adjust speed medium and add the rest of the dry ingredients and the milk.

Complete Assembly

Evenly distribute the batter into the prepared pan wells by using a large size cookie scoop. Bake for about 19-25 minutes, rotating pan about midway through baking time. Bake until golden brown and tops are springy.

Place the pan on a large cooling rack and let stand for 5 minutes on the rack. Line a large baking sheet that’s larger than the muffin pan with either foil or parchment paper. Invert the muffin pan and let it rest for about another 5 minutes BEFORE unmolding, to allow the syrup to seep into cake. Carefully unmold. If any mixture stays behind in the pan, gently remove it with a small wooden spoon and place it on its respective mini-cake.

Cool the mini-cakes on the rack.

Store at room temperature, tightly wrapped for 1 day. If your kitchen is warm/hot, store tightly wrapped in the refrigerator and slightly warm in the microwave before serving.

Mini Rhubarb Upside-Down Cakes

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. Carolyn says

    I love rhubarb, it’s hard to tell you how much I love rhubarb. I am literally checking out every blog post I see devoted to rhubarb. This is a good one! We are having cold rainy weather here in New England too…I was fine with it for a few days, but now my patience is wearing thin!

  4. Magic of Spice says

    These are beyond adorable! I too have such a relationship with rhubarb, but this is a lovely combination 🙂
    P.S. I know what you mean about the weather, I am guilty of wondering where Spring is…but you are right, much needed gifts we have 🙂

  5. Karen says

    Your recipes and photos are always so tempting, Cristina! Would love to have a few of these scrumptious upside down cakes for afternoon tea. Mmm! Have a great week. – Karen

  6. Melissa@EyesBigger says

    I adore rhubarb but you’re right, it usually needs to be paired with something. I like to think of it as the helper because it gives such a nice tang to things that I would otherwise find too sweet. 🙂 This is a great idea though!

  8. Jean says

    Cristina, my husband would love these (well, me too!). He always raves about rhubarb pies he enjoyed as a child but I have yet to indulge him by making my own. I love the mini size of these–they’re adorable!

  16. Monet says

    I’m not best friends with rhubarb, but I am super tempted to make these sweet cakes tomorrow. These look so delicious. Thank you for sharing with me, sweet friend. I’ve missed visiting you. I hope you have a beautiful day tomorrow.

    • Cristina - Teenie Cakes says

      Hi Tiffany: I’m with you on that…before the Rhubarb Crumb bars and this recipe, I had never used rhubarb (didn’t even know what it tasted like). I’m glad I did. Please, let me know if you give rhubarb a try…I’d like to know how you liked it.

  19. Gourmantine says

    Christina, your mini cakes look absolutely delightful! I like that they are in such small portions, makes them even more nice to look 🙂

  20. Russell at Chasing Delicious says

    These little guys look delicious! I just made a rhubarb-berry pie and had some rhubarb left over. Now I know what to do with it. I’ve never thought of something like this.

    Great idea. Thanks for sharing!

  21. Rochelle says

    Love rhubarb, but have yet to actually cook with it! These look like a perfect way to try my hand at make something with it 😀

  25. Georgia @ The Comfort of Cooking says

    These are too cute, Cristina! What a simple and creative recipe with great flavors. I haven’t had much rhubarb in my life, but I would love to try it again soon, especially in the form of these little beauties! Thanks for sharing. 🙂

  27. Annie says

    These look so good! I love rhubarb and am going to be getting a ton of it from my Dad this weekend. The combination of rhubarb and orange is one I’ve never thought of. I bet that is yummy!

  29. Life On Food says

    This look delicious. I judge spring’s arrival by rhubard. I love it and get so excited the first time I spot it in the store. I haven’t seen it just yet but happy to hear its coming!

  30. Jill@MadAboutMacarons says

    I love these cakes: perfect for this time of year and thanks for the inspiration for something different to the classic. Funny your comment about the weather: couldn’t agree more with you. With all the disasters, we should think before complaining. Here in Paris we haven’t had rain in 2 weeks, so you can imagine the comments! For a start, my rhubarb in the garden isn’t growing big enough 😉

  31. Alina says

    Won-der-ful! I’m sure whole wheat flour provides a great flavour and texture to these cakes, and I can imagine how the brown sugar and orange zest enhance the mild rhubarb flavour!

[instagram-feed]