Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

1 1/2 lbs. rhubarb (about 4 large stalks)
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream or yogurt
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13x9 baking pan or 2 8x8 pans or 2 9-in. round cake pans.

Slice the rhubarb into 1/2 in. thick sticks (think carrot sticks) or chop into 1/2 in. cubes and layer it in the bottom of your pan(s). Pour 1 cup of sugar evenly over the rhubarb and set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, salt and baking soda; set aside. In a large bowl beat eggs; gradually add sugar while beating. Continue beating while slowly pouring in oil. Stir in vanilla. Stir dry ingredients into egg mixture alternately with sour cream. Spread (sticky!) cake batter over top of the rhubarb and sugar.

Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 16 servings.

Link to printable recipe here.

Recipe adapted from https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8342/rhubarb-upside-down-cake-i/ and https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/161436/omas-rhubarb-cake/ AND https://www.justtherecipesmaam.com/search/label/blueberry%20cream%20muffins.

Tips--I got artsy with the rhubarb, but you 100% can just chop it and dump it in and it will taste just as good! Do not peek in after about 20 minutes and think, Oh! It's done early! Because it's not. It will still be mushy and doughy next to the rhubarb. Doh! I learned this the hard way. Sigh.
 
Now for the BS. My mom suggested I do a rhubarb recipe because it's rhubarb season. She said she used to have a recipe for rhubarb upside down cake that involved layering the rhubarb with marshmallows, so I tried to find a similar recipe. I kept finding recipes with jello powder instead, and that is not something I keep on hand, so I kept searching and found the recipe linked above. Then a friend suggested I look up Oma's Rhubarb Cake, which I realized was very similar to the base of my blueberry cream muffins. So...I decided to essentially combine the two recipes! The upside down cake recipe indeed has marshmallows, which made several of my friends say essentially "eww." So I tried half of the cake with the marshmallow layer and half without. My mom and my family tested both and decided we preferred it without the marshmallows. So there you go. We tried it warm from the oven and the next day for breakfast. Both were good!