Fresh Rhubarb Upside-down Baby Cakes

This is a lovely little butter cake with a topping of fresh rhubarb and pecan caramel laced with a bit of bourbon. 

The cake itself is amazing. I can think of so many things I would like to try out with this batter. Add the rhubarb, bourbon, and pecan mixture and these cakes are over the top amazing. 

The cakes were super easy to prepare, and are amazingly moist, probably thanks to the full cup of sour cream incorporated in the batter. I was able to easily prepare these cakes in an evening without any trouble.

These cakes are baked as upside down cakes in eight little four inch pans. Who has eight four inch cake pans? I do... of course! 

I bought them to host the Gingerbread Baby Cakes Tuesdays with Dorie. Tuesdays with Dorie was a group of bloggers who baked through books written by Dorie Greenspan. At this time, the book we were baking through was Baking with Julia. Every other Tuesday, we baked a recipe from this book based on the PBS Series Baking with Julia (Child). 

Fortunately, the book includes several recipes for using these pan, all amazing. This cake alone is seriously, seriously, seriously good. You can make it on its own, without the rhubarb, or with other fruit of your choice. 

When these cakes emerged from the oven, my son happened to drop by. He immediately asked "what's that smell?" I offered to send him home with two of the cakes, which he took home. He reported later that he ate both that night and loved them. 

Ingredients in These Baby Cakes:

Pantry Ingredients: All purpose flour, baking powder, salt, vanilla extract, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar. 

From the Fridge: Sour cream, unsalted butter, and eggs. 

Bourbon and Pecans: for the topping. 

Fresh Rhubarb: You will need about 12 ounces. I used rhubarb from Melissa's Produce. 

To Make These Baby Cakes:

First, prep the pans by spraying them with spray oil and lining the bottoms with parchment paper. To make the parchment liners, cut a larger piece into 4 inch circles. 

Next, prepare the pecan mixture. Melt 1/2 stick of butter in a saucepan with the brown sugar and cook until the sugar has melted. Add the pecans and stir. Divide the mixture among the cake pans and tip the pans to make sure the bottoms are covered. 

Arrange the rhurbarb slices among the pans. 

Beat a stick of butter with the granulated sugar until light and fluffy and then add the eggs, one at a time. Be sure to beat well after the second egg. 

After that, add one third of the flour mixture alternating with 1/2 of the sour cream, repeating with the flour ingredients, sour cream, and flour ingredients, folding gently between each addition. 

Finally, divide the batter among the cake pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. 

Be sure to turn out the cakes onto a wire rack immediately. I turn them out with a bit of force to make sure they drop out onto the rack. 

Make-ahead and Storage:

The cakes can be wrapped individually and be kept overnight at room temperature. Beyond a day, keep leftovers in the refrigerator. 

Serving Suggestions:

These can be served as is or topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream. 

More Rhubarb Recipes You May Also Enjoy:

Rhubarb Ginger Muffins

Mandarin Orange and Rhubarb Mini Loaves

Fresh Rhubarb Upside-down Baby Cakes

Yield: 8 baby cakes

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 40 Min

This is a lovely little butter cake with a topping of fresh rhubarb and pecan caramel laced with a bit of bourbon. 

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups (8.30 ounces/ 235 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon table or fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon bourbon
• 3 tablespoons chopped pecans
• 12 ounces fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature

Instructions

1. Prepare the pans by spraying them with spray oil and lining the bottoms with parchment paper. Spray the parchment with spray oil. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Melt 1/2 stick of the butter in a small saucepan and add the brown sugar. Cook, stirring until the butter melts and is no longer grainy. Stir in the pecans and turn off the heat. Quickly divide the pecan mixture among the pans, about 2 to 3 tablespoons each, and spread over the bottoms by tilting the pans.
3. Arrange the rhubarb slices in a circular pattern on top of the pecan mixture. Set the pans aside.
4. Beat the remaining stick of butter and the granulated sugar on high speed until fluffy, about 4 minutes.
5. Switch to medium speed and add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after the final addition, at least one minute.
6. With a rubber spatula, fold in 1/3 of the dry ingredients, 1/2 of the sour cream, 1/3 of the dry ingredients, 1/2 of the sour cream, and the rest of the dry ingredients.
7. Divide the batter among the mini cake pans and smooth the tops.
8. Place the cake pans on a half sheet pan and bake the cakes for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
9. When the cakes are done, turn them out immediately onto a wire rack and let cool.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

513

Fat (grams)

27 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

14 g

Carbs (grams)

63 g

Fiber (grams)

2 g

Net carbs

61 g

Sugar (grams)

40 g

Protein (grams)

6 g

Cholesterol (grams)

109 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2013/05/fresh-rhubarb-upside-down-baby-cakes.html

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This post was originally published in 2013.