Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

I was shocked to see rhubarb selling for $3.99 per pound at the fruit market. It is such a reliable perennial anyone who likes its tangy taste should think about planting some. It takes a couple of years to establish itself but then, stand back. My mom gave us a few crowns to plant about 30 years ago and every spring we have more than we can use. I sometimes can it but it is best used fresh.

Old timers called rhubarb pie plant but it is makes a good cake, too. Yesterday I made an upside down cake from a few stalks that I trimmed off because they were in the way of Bob's spading. I removed the big leaves, washed and cut the stalks into little chunks and had almost 4 cups of rhubarb.

Here is the recipe I used:
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 pound fresh rhubarb, cleaned and cut into 1/2 inch slices (3 cups)
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 8x8x2 inch baking pan.
Sift together flour and baking powder.
Combine 1 cup of the sugar and the rhubarb in a large saucepan. Cook over medium low heat to melt the sugar and to begin to soften the rhubarb. Stir constantly, 5 to 8 minutes. Spread into prepared baking pan.
Beat butter with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a big bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and egg. Beat in flour mixture, alternating with milk, until well blended. Spoon over rhubarb and spread out as evenly as possible.
Bake about 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes, loosen edges with a table knife and invert on a serving dish, or serve from the baking dish. Serve with ice cream, if you wish.

This cake is good enough that I'd pay $3.99 per pound for the rhubarb, if I had to.

Rhubarb is the main ingredient in some old time spring tonic recipes, probably because it appears so early in the spring and it is full of vitamin C. Can you imagine how welcome those first sprouts must have been when there was no fresh fruit available all winter?