Upside-down rhubarb stout cake

SERVES 12

My local bottle shop had just received a shipment of an imperial stout from Baird Brewing Company, a little micro-brewery in Japan, and after tasting it I thought it would be perfect in this cake … and it is! So check out what’s new in your bottle shop, or ask them to get this in. Otherwise, try a locally made imperial stout. A big beer with high alcohol, lots of malt complexity, malt sweetness and big hop bitterness, it is a great style to bake with!

600 g (1 lb 5 oz) rhubarb (about 1½ bunches), chopped into 4 cm (1½ inch) lengths

150 g (5½ oz/¾ cup) caster (superfine) sugar

finely grated zest of 1 lemon

125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) imperial stout – try Dark Sky Imperial Stout (9%) from Japan – plus 2 tablespoons extra

125 g (4½ oz) unsalted butter, softened

185 g (6½ oz/1 cup) brown sugar

2 free-range eggs

175 g (6 oz/¾ cup) sour cream

150 g (5½ oz/1 cup) self-raising flour

150 g (5½ oz/1 cup) wholemeal (whole-wheat) flour

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4). Grease a 24 cm (9½ inch) round cake tin and line the base and side with baking paper.

Put the rhubarb, caster sugar, lemon zest and the extra 2 tablespoons of beer in a saucepan. Stir over medium–high heat until the sugar has dissolved and the rhubarb is well coated. Turn the heat down to a simmer and gently cook for about 10 minutes, or until the rhubarb is just soft. Remove from the heat.

Using electric beaters, cream the butter and brown sugar in a bowl until smooth. Add one egg, mix until smooth, then add the other egg and mix until incorporated. Mix the sour cream through, and finally the 125 ml (4 fl oz/½ cup) of beer.

Sift the self-raising flour into a bowl and add the wholemeal flour and cinnamon. Stir together well, then fold through the wet ingredients until well combined.

Remove the rhubarb from the saucepan with a slotted spoon and transfer to the middle of the cake tin. Flatten it out to within 2 cm (¾ inch) of the side of the tin. Gently spoon in the batter, first filling in the gap between the rhubarb and the tin. Use a spatula to carefully spread the batter over the rhubarb and level the surface.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven, allow to cool for 30 minutes, then turn it out on to a plate. You can serve this cake warm or cold, with thick cream, ice cream or yoghurt, or just on its own. It will keep for 4–5 days in an airtight container.