Rustic Upside-Down Rhubarb Mint Cake

  • 1 lb rhubarb, trimmed into diagonal 1”pieces
  • 1 ¼ cups light brown sugar, packed, divided
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter plus 14 Tbsp in ½” cubes, chilled
  • Juice and zest from 1 lemon
  • 1 vanilla bean, seeds removed and reserved
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 Tbsp fresh mint, minced
  • 2 ½ cups flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 2 eggs, beaten

A bunch of fresh organic red rhubarb

Sweet and tangy, a hint of mint, and very, very pretty!

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease an oven-safe 9” straight-sided pan and set aside. Cook rhubarb, ¾ cup of the brown sugar, 4 Tbsp butter, lemon juice and zest, vanilla seeds and pod, and ¼ tsp salt over medium heat, stirring often, until rhubarb is tender. Remove from heat, stir in mint, remove and discard vanilla bean pod. Transfer mixture to the prepared pan. Meanwhile, whisk together remaining brown sugar, flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Add remaining butter and use hands to rub butter into the flour mixture until uniformly crumbly. Add milk and eggs, stir until a soft dough forms. Use hands to drop pieces of dough evenly over the rhubarb mixture. Bake until crust is golden and cooked through, about 35 minutes. Remove pan from oven, place serving platter on top and invert carefully and quickly. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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