Rhubarb Upside-down Cake

It looks as though anaemia has lazily raised its head and decided, since it's too knackered to go anywhere else, to stay. I'm exhausted! While living on the border of two different health authorities has its benefits - two stoma nurses, for example - it causes problems with blood tests. I had my blood tests done through my GP surgery who send the samples to a hospital in one Trust for testing, but my consultant is based at a hospital in the other Trust!! Needless to say, I'm still waiting to find out if I'm anaemic enough to need more iron injections. In the meantime, I'm feeling rather sleepy!

I'm trying to keep up with everything that's been going on in my life, but (yet again) it is you, my patient readers, who are neglected. I'm sorry. To make up for it, I have baked you a cake, so good that I ate most of it before remembering that I needed to photograph it for you! (I've got to keep my energy levels up somehow...)

After cream tea at the Oad Street Craft Centre a couple of weeks ago, I bought some rhubarb from a local grower with the intention of making rhubarb and strawberry jam. Instead, I ate all the strawberries and made this upside-down cake.

Rhubarb and Almond Upside-down Cake

Almond is a great taste combination with rhubarb and it keeps the cake moist but if you can't eat them, replace them with the same weight of  gluten free flour, or polenta instead.

300g rhubarb, peeled and cut into 7.5cm pieces

4 tbsp light brown sugar

1 tbsp butter, for greasing the tin

100g margarine (I have also used that new Stork baking liquid, which works, too)

100g golden caster sugar

2 eggs

75g ground almonds

50g gluten free plain flour mix

1/2 rounded tsp baking powder

• Put the rhubarb in a sauce pan with 3 tbsp light brown sugar and about 3 tbsp water and bring to the boil. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes until just tender. Allow to cool.
• Grease a 20cm cake tin with the butter and sprinkle with the remaining light brown sugar. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
• Cream the margarine and caster sugar together until light and add the eggs, one at a time, whisking all the time.
• Fold in the ground almonds, gluten free flour and baking powder until smooth.
• Arrange the now cool pieces of rhubarb over the base of the cake tin and spoon cake batter over the top.
• Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown and spring to the touch.
• Allow to cool in the tin until the cake pulls away rom the edges of the tin, then turn out on to a cooling rack.

This is delicious served still warm with cream or custard.