Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

So, remember that phase I went through a couple weeks ago where I baked EVERY single day..? That was such a delicious week and it made me realize how much I LOVE baking. There is something about it that just totally centers me, calms me down, and just plain makes me happy (just going out on a limb here.. but I'm guessing it has to do with all the sugar Ive been putting in my body... maybe?) Not to mention the sheer joy that it creates with my husband. The expression on his face when he gets home in priceless (think kid going to disneyland. Yes he really gets that excited.) Anyways, lets get to the point.

I LOVE RHUBARB.
(just thought maybe I'd throw that out there)

Anything that has rhubarb in it is a winner in my books. I love the combo of tart and sweet. So when I came across this recipe I knew I had to give it a go. In all honesty the way it turned out wasn't amazing. There are several things about the recipe that I would tweak - but I'll get to that later.

Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

3/4 pounds Rhubarb (trimmed and cut into pieces

1 1/2 cups Sugar

4 Tbsp Butter plus 6 Tbsp cubed (for cake)

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice

2 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste

1/2 tsp Salt

2 1/2 cups Flour

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 cup Shortening

1/3 cup Milk

2 Eggs

Heat your oven to 375 degrees.

^can we call just take a minute to admire how beautiful rhubarb is.. ? ^

^chop it into 1 1/2 inch pieces^

^combine rhubarb, 1 cup sugar (not all), 4 tbsp butter, lemon juice, vanilla paste, and 1/4 tsp salt in a cast iron skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until rhubarb is tender and the sugar is melted^

^whisk together your remaining sugar and salt, and add flour and baking powder. Add remaining butter and shortening and combine until you get pea sized pieces^

^add milk and eggs and stir together until combined (it will be sticky)^

^spoon the batter over top of your cooked rhubarb and cover evenly^

^bake until crust is golden (about 30 mins)^

^remove from oven and invert the cast iron skillet onto a plate^

^now eat itttttt!^

Overall - the flavour was great! It looks nastier than sin - but it was very flavourful. 

Okay! So here are the things I would tweak with this recipe. 

1. I would add more rhubarb. 

I found the cake to be very dry and dense. I feel that more of the rhubarb would have helped to make it more tender - and who the heck doesn't like ooey gooey delicious rhubarb?

2. I would slightly undercook the rhubarb. 

I cooked mine to the directions and found that it just turned to mush in the oven. I would have liked to have a little bit more texture from the rhubarb. (personal preference) Plus I think it would have made for a much lovelier presentation. Cause lets be honest the finished product looks like a hot mess. 

I also feel like this could easily be made in a non-cast iron skillet. 

Give it a try and see what you think!