Rhubarb upside-down cake with cherries recipe

For this rhubarb upside-down cake with cherries we’ve turned the 80s pineapple classic on its head by swapping out the tropical fruit to one cultivated much closer to home. Forced rhubarb with its gorgeous vibrant pink colour is best in this rhubarb upside-down cake. Forced rhubarb is grown in Yorkshire in pitch black and harvested by candlelight, it’s said that it grows so fast that you can hear the noise of it cracking as it grows. Maraschino cherries can usually be found near the alcohol section at the supermarket, however if they are proving a challenge to find to use in this rhubarb upside-down cake glace cherries will work just as well as they plump up once cooked. Serve with warm custard for ultimate nostalgia or a homemade crème anglaise is for a special occasion.

Ingredients

• Few drops of pink food colouring
• 2tsp lemon juice
• 110g light soft sugar
• 1tsp cornflour
• 200g rhubarb, cut diagonally into diamond shapes
• 6 Maraschino cherries, cut in half
• 160g butter, slightly salted
• 90g caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1tsp vanilla bean paste
• 170g self-raising flour

To serve:

• Custard, optional

You will need:

• 20cm round tin, base lined with 2 sheets of baking parchment

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C Fan /Gas 7. Mix the food colouring and lemon juice and paint over the base of the lined tin, then sprinkle over 3tbsp of the light soft brown sugar and cornflour, arrange the cut rhubarb and cherries in a geometric pattern, try not to leave any gaps.
2. Beat the butter with the remaining sugars until light and fluffy, add the egg and vanilla then fold in the flour. Pour over the rhubarb in the tin and bake for 35 mins until a skewer instead comes out clean. Leave in the tin for 10 mins before demoulding.