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Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

4.98 from 34 votes
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Sweet and tangy, this Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake is sure to be a summertime favorite!

A slice of Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake in a white plate
Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

Luckily for me, rhubarb still abounds at the local farmers markets, allowing people who have decimated their home supply to get their fix. I scored 6 beautiful stalks for a mere $2 the other day and set to making up something that I have had stuck in my head since rhubarb season started.

A strawberry rhubarb upside down cake, with a white cake bursting with rhubarb as the base.

It’s as good as it sounds.  Mike doesn’t really like cake that much, when asked if he wanted this or another rhubarb crisp, he voiced his opinion rather loudly in favour of the crisp.

Yes, I ignored his opinion and made it anyway.  The wife knows best in this case, because he had about three pieces. And let’s not get me started on how he can eat three pieces of cake and stay so slender and good lookin’, because it will just make me irritated with him.

How to Make Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

Ingredients Needed:

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups white flour
  • 1 teaspoon soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup of greek  yogurt
  • 2 cups of finely chopped rhubarb tossed and coated with a tablespoon of flour
  • Topping
  • 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
  • 2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb

Step by Step Photo Instructions:

  • Prepare a 13×9-inch pan by greasing the sides then pouring the melted butter into the bottom.
  • Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the melted butter. Arrange those delicious strawberries on the brown sugar…

baking pan with sprinkled brown sugar on melted butter and chopped strawberries on top

  • …now sprinkle evenly with rhubarb. Press those beautiful strawberries and rhubarb gently into brown sugar.Thank you Mother Nature, for giving me such a bounty of beauty to photograph.

beautiful strawberries and rhubarb pressed into brown sugar

  • Time to prepare the batter!Cream your butter and sugars together, then whip in the eggs and vanilla until the mixure is light and fluffy.
  • Whisk together your dry ingredients.
  • Alternating between the dry and sour cream, add them into the butter mixture with your mixer on low speed.
  • I wanted to max out this rhubarb cake, most recipes don’t put rhubarb in the batter and then make it a fantastic upside down beauty. I wanted this to be so full of rhubarb you almost couldn’t stand the awesomeness of it.
  • So we are going to add in two cups of chopped rhubarb that has been dusted in flour, to help it not sink. Gently mix it in.

adding in chopped rhubarb that has been dusted in flour

  • Gently spread the batter over top of the strawberry/rhubarb mixture until it looks like this.

Batter spread over top of the strawberry and rhubarb mixture in a baking pan

  • Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, until it’s golden brown and your children are drooling over the finished result.

child staring at the freshly baked Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake in a pan

Mmmmm. Until YOU are drooling over the finished result.

close up of freshly baked Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake in a pan

This would be amazing to serve to company in the springtime, a delicious sweet, tart bite of the best of what spring has to offer us. Vanilla ice cream melted over the top of a warm, rhubarb infused cake…

A slice of Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake in a white dessert plate

I really have a thing for rhubarb. Just in case you couldn’t tell.

I hope everyone is having an amazing day! Hit up your local farmers market and see if there is some rhubarb left to make this delectable delight!

Love,

I Need a Rhubarb Intervention Magpie

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Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

This amazing strawberry and rhubarb upside down cake is the perfect way to use up your spring rhubarb AND strawberries! 
4.98 from 34 votes
A slice of Strawberry Rhubarb Upside Down Cake in a white dessert plate
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
35 minutes
Total Time
45 minutes
Course
Dessert
Cuisine
American
Servings
12
Calories
387
Author
Karlynn Johnston

Ingredients
 

Cake Batter

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 cups white flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup greek yogurt
  • 2 cups finely chopped rhubarb
  • 1 tablespoon flour

Upside Down Topping:

  • 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
  • 2 cups chopped fresh rhubarb

Instructions
 

  • Prepare a 13 inch x 9 inch pan by greasing the sides then pouring the melted butter into the bottom. 
  • Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly over the melted butter.
  • Arrange those delicious strawberries on the brown sugar.
  • Now sprinkle evenly with rhubarb. 
  • Press those beautiful strawberries and rhubarb gently into the brown sugar. 
  • Cream your butter and sugars together, then whip in the eggs and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy. 
  • Whisk together your dry ingredients. 
  • Alternating between the dry mixture and sour cream, add them into the butter mixture with your mixer on low speed. 
  • Add in two cups of chopped rhubarb that has been dusted in flour, to help it not sink. Gently mix it in. 
  • Gently spread the batter over top of the strawberry/rhubarb mixture.
  • Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes, until it's golden brown and a knife inserted comes out clean.

Recipe Notes

The "topping" part starts out by going into the bottom of the pan, so that when you flip it, it's the actual topping that drizzles down over top of the cake.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 387kcal, Carbohydrates: 64g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 61mg, Sodium: 229mg, Potassium: 268mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 45g, Vitamin A: 435IU, Vitamin C: 17.3mg, Calcium: 103mg, Iron: 1.5mg

All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.

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Karlynn Johnston

I’m a busy mom of two, wife & cookbook author who loves creating fast, fresh meals for my little family on the Canadian prairies. Karlynn Facts: I'm allergic to broccoli. I've never met a cocktail that I didn't like. I would rather burn down my house than clean it. Most of all, I love helping YOU get dinner ready because there's nothing more important than connecting with our loved ones around the dinner table!

Learn more about me

Site Index Cake Rhubarb Strawberry

Reader Interactions

Comments & Recipe Tips Share a tip or comment!

  1. Robin N says

    Made this today and we loved it! I did use a shortcut with a boxed white cake mix, whole egg recipe, but used milk instead of water for extra richness. Also added strawberries to the batter with the rhubarb. Came out great. Will definitely make it again.

  2. Priscilla Dark says

    Your recipe directions mention sour cream but I don’t see it listed in the ingredients. Was this step actually referring to greek yogurt??

  3. Diane says

    Could this be made with frozen rhubarb & strawberries?

  4. nander says

    Love love love this cake! Bring on the rhubarb season and get busy. This may be one of my all time favo recipes! And yes it did take a little longer even using the convection setting on my oven, but so worth the wait! I say just do it! Thanks Karlynn! Made my Monday 🙂5 stars

  5. Corey says

    I have a cross-shaped cake pan that I bought for Easter, but with most recipes the ends burn before the middle cooks through. Besides being delicious, this is the only recipe I’ve found that works with my pan because the batter is so stiff, I fill the ends and leave the middle open. It gradually fills the center as it bakes, but it bakes evenly and flips perfectly.

  6. Debbie says

    I really liked this cake and after reading all the reviews, I watched the baking time carefully, expecting it to be longer than stated. It took mine 42 minutes and it was cooked perfectly. I used sour cream instead of yogurt and also only used 1 cup of strawberries instead of two. I just increased the rhubarb. I also ended up with the wrong amount of “topping” ingredients, even after reading that review ?. I’ll blame it on using the phone to follow the recipe. I’m going to type it out with the “topping” labelled as the base instead because obviously, in my mind, it’s the base until it’s cooked and flipped. It still turned out beautiful, moist and delicious even with the mistakes I made. I waited until it was totally cool, put wax paper on a cooling rack, laid that over the cake and flipped it. Came out perfectly.5 stars

  7. Juliet Gauchier says

    This was a super easy cake to make. Wish I would have read the comments before we ate it. It was still raw in the center. We still ate around the middle and it was delicious. Probably needs to cook for 60 min or so.

    • Lisa says

      I am struggling with the amount of time right now too. Guessing because I had to used canned rhubarb and frozen strawberries. Don’t have fresh rhubarb in Texas. Leaked a ton too with juices burning in oven. I am amateur baker though. Lol!

  8. Cheryl lantripski says

    Beautifully tangy-sweet!
    I love the extra kiss of rhubarb in this recipe. Yogurt made it sooooo moist!5 stars

  9. BonnieB. says

    I wish you had listed your “topping” ingredients at the top of your list of ingredients because you use them first. I used the wrong amounts of butter and brown sugar because I was using ingredients in the order called for in your recipe. I also wish you would have included directions about when to flip the cake onto a cookie sheet. I’ve never made an upside down cake before, so I didn’t know if the cake was supposed to be hot or warm or completely cool for that step. All that said, the cake was delicious and my family loved it!4 stars

    • terry m. says

      I had the same problem. this recipe is screwed up. Had I not read the reviews I didn’t know how to turn it over. So thank you for that info in the review. BTW I started at the top also. Don’t know how it is going to come out.

  10. Karen MacDonald says

    I made this over the weekend and it was good. I did have to cook it for about an hour to get the centre fully cooked. I covered the edges with tinfoil to avoid burning. I also used two whole eggs and sour cream instead of yogurt. I reduced the amount if rhubarb in the batter to about one cup and it turned out fine. One suggestion would be to ensure your description of the cake and your list of ingredients match as it was a bit confusing.5 stars

  11. Bee says

    I used the sour cream in the recipe and it was delicious.5 stars

  12. Leslie Cleary says

    I would love to meet you and talk about writing a blog. Let me know how to connect.

    5 stars

  13. Leslie Cleary says

    The Kitchen Magpie I just made an epic strawberry rhubarb pie with crumble topping!! Now to try this next week for Sunday .

    5 stars

  14. Sue Lassesen-Fowler says

    I think I just may have to try this for my Farmers Market Table. Everyone is asking for Rhubarb baking!

    5 stars

  15. Karlynn Johnston says

    Teena, so jealous you have copious amounts of rhubarb!! Sounds like your version was divine! And yes, not sour cream.I’ll fix that ASAP!

  16. Teena says

    Hi Karlynn! Thank you for this recipe.  I made this yesterday with these super sweet little strawberries from a farm down the road from me, and rhubarb from my plant that is showing no signs of slowing down this season! I made a few modifications to your recipe: I really wanted to use my big cast iron skillet, so I did the math (yes, I’m a nerd) and the 12″ skillet is almost the same area as a 13″x9″ pan.  We really like these Cashew Clusters from Costco, and the bag usually has a lot of nut crumbs in the bottom when the clusters are gone -  I put about a cup of these crumbs in the pan after the butter and brown sugar, as part of the topping.  My eggs are from pastured chickens, the yolks are huge, and I used two whole eggs, instead of one egg and one yolk.  I grated a little nutmeg into the dry ingredients, and instead of vanilla extract, I scraped 3 vanilla beans into the butter and egg mixture (I buy vanilla beans in bulk and have plenty!) My batter was really stiff, almost the consistency of cookie dough, so I’m glad I added the extra egg white.  I baked at 350F for about 45 minutes and it was not even close to done.  It took almost 90 minutes to get the center of the cake fully baked.  This cake is outstanding!  I will leave out the nut crumbles next time, since I don’t think they add a great flavor or texture to the cake.  I love the addition of rhubarb to the cake batter.  It adds a tartness the cake needs, as well as moistness.

    BTW – in your directions you say “add sour cream” but I’m sure you mean the Greek yogurt, since I didn’t see sour cream in the ingredient list.

    5 stars

  17. Karlynn Johnston says

    Different ovens, different humidity, oh, the many things that can cause it to cook longer! I’m glad that it turned out for you!

  18. The Brussels Cooker says

    This looks absolutely yummy Katlynn and the batter sounds really unusual (at least to me from Brussels/Belgium) – AND I have a left-over bag of  fresh rhubarb from a friend so I will make this tomorrow! I’ll use all rhubarb though as strawberries haven’t arrived at the markets in cold & rainy Europe yet… (which means I’ll probably also add another 1/2 cup or so of sugar.) And if you’re ever looking for a savoury-spicy rhubarb recipe have a look at my chutney

  19. The Brussels Cooker says

    This looks absolutely yummy Karlynn and the cake mix is really unusual (at least for me from Brussels/Belgium) – AND I still have a whole lot of rhubarb which a friend gave me this week so I’ll be making this tomorrow!! It will be all rhubarb though as the strawberries haven’t hit the markets in cold and rainy Europe yet so I’ll up the sugar by ca another 1/2 cup. And if you’re after a savoury-spicy rhubarb recipe check out my chutney: 

    5 stars

  20. cooksisterblog says

    Hi – I made a slightly adapted version of this recipe over the weekend – added cinnamon and ginger to the batter – and it was truly wonderful – thank you!  My only comment is that despite making exactly the same quantity as your recipe and baking it in the same size dish, it took a lot longer to bake than your recipe suggests – over an hour in fact, and I had to cover the cake to prevent over-browning! Not sure what the reason might be, but just thought you’d like to know.  Great recipe though! 

    5 stars

  21. Monicalsilva says

    I want to make this in a round mold. How long would you recommend baking it?

  22. Kendyl says

    Question – when I made mine, the “topping” came out quite a bit browner. I used brown sugar instead of golden, could this be the reason?

    • Mary D. says

      When do you flip it out of the pan? Do you need to let it cool for some time?

  23. Karlynn says

    Ah yes, it’s you that must have put the thought in my head!! It’s so delicious and our second favorite way to use up rhubarb now!

    5 stars

  24. Kendyl H says

    It looks delicious! My grandma always made this growing up, and I think it’s my turn. We have two 150 ft rows of rhubarb on the farm, so it’s definitely not lacking!

    5 stars

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