This Low-Carb Strawberry Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake recipe makes a delicious spring dessert. This delicious recipe can be a part of low-carb, keto, gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, diabetic, or Banting diet.
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What is Rhubarb, anyway?
Rhubarb would be the perfect low-carb fruit, except, it isn’t really a fruit at all. Instead, it’s considered a vegetable. Even so, it is often treated as a fruit in the kitchen. Yep, with rhubarb, you get to think your eating fruity goodness, but really, your getting some veggies. Mom will be proud!
In the kitchen, rhubarb is baked into pies, cakes, and cookies and simmered into sauces and jams. While it’s often used in sweet dishes, it can be used in savory recipes as well, like in our Strawberry Rhubarb Barbecued Chicken Wings.
Rhubarb stalks look like celery (although the two vegetables are not related), but has a stunning ruby glow. Appearance is where the similarity ends. Unlike celery, rhubarb has a super tart flavor.
The tart flavor of rhubarb is often off-set with sweeteners. Once edge is taken off of the tartness, the true mellow rhubarb flavor is revealed.
Strawberries and Rhubarb: A match made in heaven
It is no wonder that rhubarb is often combined with strawberries. Not only are they ripe at the same time, they make a perfect flavor pairing.
With relationships, sometimes opposites attract. It’s like this with rhubarb and strawberries. Adding sweet strawberries to the tart rhubarb mellows out the rhubarb. In return, rhubarb add some zing that the strawberries don’t have. Yes, the two are better together than they are by themselves. The flavors combine into matrimonial bliss.
About this recipe
This recipe was partially inspired by pineapple upside-down cake which I have always loved, and my mothers strawberry-rhubarb sauce she makes every spring. I combined the two ideas and came up with this recipe.
In this recipe, raw rhubarb and strawberries are mixed with sweetener and a thickener and put in a baking dish. They are then blanketed with a yellow cake batter scented with vanilla and whiskey. (The whiskey is optional.)
In the oven, the rhubarb and strawberries simmer together creating delicious goodness while the cake bakes to golden perfection. After baking, the whole thing is flipped over and the strawberries and rhubarb become a gorgeous sweet-tart topping. No need to worry about frosting with this cake!
This Low-Carb Strawberry Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake Recipe may be served warm or cold. If you want to make it extra special, add a scoop of our low-carb ice-cream on top! Enjoy!
-Annissa
Low-Carb Strawberry Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake Recipe
This Low-Carb Strawberry Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake recipe makes a delicious spring dessert. This delicious recipe can be a part of low-carb, keto, gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, diabetic, or Banting diet.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup granulated stevia/erythritol blend (Pyure)
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 8 ounces fresh rhubarb thinly sliced
- 4 ounces fresh strawberries hulled and sliced
- 1 1/2 cup super fine almond flour
- 1/3 cup granulated erythritol/stevia blend
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup unsweetened original almond milk (or other milk of choice)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon whiskey (optional--if not using, add an additional tablespoon of almond milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons butter or coconut oil melted
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350º Fahrenheit. Grease a 8" x 8" square glass baking dish or a 9" round deep dish pie pan.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the stevia/erythritol blend, the xanthan gum, and the sea salt.
Add the strawberries and rhubarb to the mixture. Stir to coat.
Transfer the coated strawberries and rhubarb to the prepared baking dish.
In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the almond flour, stevia/erythritol blend, baking soda, and sea salt.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond milk, eggs, whiskey, and vanilla extract. Slowly stream in the melted butter while whisking.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Stir to mix thoroughly.
Spread the batter over the strawberries and rhubarb.
Bake in the preheated oven for 25-32 minutes or until the top springs back when lightly touched and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle.
Allow the cake to cool for about 5 minutes, then cover the top with the serving plate. Quickly flip over so that the cake comes out on the serving plate.
Serve cake warm or cold. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.
Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/8th of the cake.
Per serving:
Calories: 190
Fat (g): 15
Carbs (g): 7
Fiber (g): 3
Protein (g): 7
Net carbs (g): 4
Just because it’s low carb, I think it’s delicious. Liked it.
Thanks so much!
-Annissa
Just made this so I’d have a gestational diabetes friendly dessert to fall back on for a cabin trip when I knew there wouldn’t be other desserts I could eat. It’s AMAZING!! The addition of the whisky baked in adds a nice touch. I put a small serving of keto ice cream on. SO GOOD!
So glad you enjoyed it! It’s amazing what a little whisky can do!
-Annissa
OMG this is absolutely mouthwatering, that jammy topping is calling my name, I love anything with rhubarb!
Oh, wow! This sounds simply amazing! I love all of the flavor combinations you have going on here! The whisky, in particular, is genius with the rhubarb!
I have been looking for really good dessert recipes that are low carb and yours looks like a winner. I can’t wait to try it.
This looks amazing! I would never guess it was low carb. Perfect way to use rhubarb!
This cakes look so flavorful and so good. And it’s healthy too. WIN! Love rhubarb and strawberries together. I think I saw strawberries in my store today so I’m saving this recipe to give it a try fast.
Just made this for dessert for four people. They loved it. It was perfect and tasted delicious. I had to add a bit more almond flour as the mix was a bit too moist. I had to leave of the whiskey as I didn’t have any. It is a delicious Keto friendly dessert with cream poured over it too. Thankyou for the great combination of strawberries and rhubarb.
This was amazing! I actually used sugar instead of the stevia blend. My whole family loved it. I imagine you could use other berries too, as this is probably one of those forgiving recipes.. Delicious, thank you for sharing! 🙂
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it!
-Annissa
Just made this and looks really good. Ok just cut into it and put whipped cream on top. So Delicious. Thanks for sharing.
oh forgot to say – I did put Crown Royal Whisky in it. yum.
Yay! Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent dessert and easy to make. My husband and I loved it. I plan to make it again for my dinner guests this coming week. Do you think it can be made the day before it will be served?
Yes, that should be fine.
-Annissa