Granny Tefer’s Rhubarb Topsy-Turvy

My dear friend Trish has been persuaded to share her Granny Ramona’s fantastic Rhubarb Topsy-Turvy. Trish says, “Imagine pineapple upside-down cake, only with rhubarb. I love it! And since we’ve moved to the city, rhubarb is hard to find. People here treat it like a weed!” She’s got some preparation notes at the end, so make sure you get all the details.

Bottom/Filling:
3 C. Rhubarb, chopped
3/4-1 C. Sugar

Batter to top rhubarb:
1 3/4 C. Flour
1 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Butter
1/2 C. Milk
2 Eggs
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/4 tsp. Salt
3 tsp. Baking Powder
12 large Marshmallows*

Instructions: 
Spread rhubarb in bottom of 9×13 pan.
Dust 3/4 to 1 C. sugar over rhubarb.

Set aside marshmallows. In separate bowl, mix topping ingredients until just smooth and drop over rhubarb in large spoonfuls. Place marshmallows randomly over top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Trish’s Notes: (“Because this thing turns out differently nearly every single time!”) –

1) The amount of sugar used for the filling can vary, depending on how much you like tart or sweet. Rhubarb is super tart, so I tend to go with 1 C. of sugar rather than 3/4 C.

2) Adding a little more rhubarb will make a fuller-textured filling.

3) Last time I made this, I beat the daylights out of the eggs, butter, sugar and vanilla before adding the other ingredients and that made for a cake that rose higher, but was a little dry in texture. (Vanilla ice cream solves all sorts of problems, though.)

4) *Marshmallows are an issue. By the time I started making this recipe my grandmother hadn’t made it in YEARS (she put it into a church cookbook wayyyyy back when which is why we had it in the first place), so I’m beginning to think a whole bag of marshmallows (small ones) should be used because the dessert just looks weird with the large marshmallows on it.

5) I’m actually pondering adding strawberries (instead of the crazy amount of sugar) to the filling – frozen or fresh pre-sweetened strawberries could be SO good.