RHUBARB UPSIDE DOWN CAKE WITH MERINGUE

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In my last rhubarb cake blog post, I mentioned that I have in fact two favorite rhubarb cakes and yes, this is the other one. The basic cake is an upside down cake, meaning you bake it with the fruit at the bottom and the dough on top. Baking it this way ensures the juices from the fruit do not soak the cake dough and make it too mushy. After removing it from the oven, you simply flip it around, et voilà - the perfect upside down cake. You can eat it plain but in this recipe, I did not stop at that point and instead covered the rhubarb with honey sweetened meringue and broiled it in the oven for 30 seconds. The upside down cake is a great dessert similar to a cobbler, and topped with meringue it sure is the perfect springtime cake recipe for special occasions.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb rhubarb peeled and cut into small cubes
1/4 cup honey
2 tbsp butter

for the dough:
6 tbsp butter
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup honey
seeds of one vanilla bean
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups almond flour
2 tbsp coconut flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup homemade yoghurt (see recipe below)

for the meringue:
3 egg whites
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven at 350°F / 180°C.
Line the bottom of a 9” springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides with butter.

Add the butter and rhubarb to a frying pan and heat until the rhubarb turns soft. Add the honey and heat it for two more minutes. Add the rhubarb mixture to the bottom of the springform pan, set aside and let cool.

for the dough:
Add the egg yolks, butter, honey, vanilla seeds, and sea salt to the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl. Whisk until the batter is creamy. Add the yoghurt, almond flour, coconut flour, and baking soda. Mix slowly until just combined. Distribute spoons of dough over the rhubarb mix, then spread it carefully until it covers the rhubarb completely without mixing it.

Bake at 350°F / 180°C for 30 minutes. Cover with aluminum foil after 15 minutes to prevent it from getting too dark. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Remove the sides of the springform pan and place a flat baking sheet over the cake. Then, while holding onto the cake and sheet, flip the cake over to lay it on the baking sheet. Remove the springform bottom and baking sheet.

for the meringue:
Place the egg whites in the bowl off a stand mixer or large mixing bowl. With the whisk attachment of the stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Add the lemon juice and continue whisking until stiff peaks form.

At the same time, add the honey to a small saucepan and heat over high heat until it starts boiling. Do not stir. Lower the temperature, insert the candy thermometer, and keep an eye on the boiling honey until it reaches 240° F / 115° C. As soon as the honey reaches the correct temperature, immediately remove the pot from the stove.

Slowly add the honey to the egg whites by pouring it down the inner side of the mixing bowl while continuously whisking the egg whites at high speed. Continue to whisk the mixture until it doubles in volume and turns very shiny and stiff.

Spread the meringue evenly over the rhubarb. Place the cake into the broiler for about 30 seconds, keeping an eye on it so that it doesn’t burn.

Serve immediately.

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HOMEMADE YOGHURT

For this recipe, I use a yoghurt maker to ensure that the fermentation temperature is accurate. Here are two options - I actually have one of each since the whole family enjoys the yoghurt and I make a double batch at once.

Tools:
yoghurt maker with one large container
yoghurt maker with single glass jars

INGREDIENTS
1 quart whole or skim milk
1 pint heavy whipping cream ( If you want it with less fat, you can also replace heavy whipping cream with milk)
7 oz SCD legal yoghurt or other yoghurt starter

note: For strict SCD, it is recommended to avoid yoghurt starter containing bifidus.

INSTRUCTIONS
Place the milk and heavy whipping cream in a saucepan and heat at high heat until bubbles appear on the edges. (Do not boil!) Stir often to prevent the milk from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Remove the pot from the stove and let cool until it has reached room temperature or below (about 64-77° F or 20-25° C).

Spoon the yoghurt starter into a mixing bowl and add one cup of the cooled milk. Mix well until a thick paste forms.

Add the yoghurt/milk mixture to the saucepan and stir well to distribute evenly.

Fill into yoghurt maker containers and place in the yoghurt maker machine. Make sure to follow the manual of your specific yoghurt maker. The mixture must ferment for at least 24 hours to ensure that all of the lactose has been broken down by beneficial bacteria.

Take out of the machine and refrigerate for at least two hours before using. Keep refrigerated!

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