Upside Down Rhubarb Muffins (Printable)

Sweet-tart caramelized rhubarb crowns tender, buttery muffins — perfect for brunch or dessert.

# What You'll Need:

→ Rhubarb Layer

01 - 1 ½ cups fresh rhubarb, diced
02 - ½ cup granulated sugar
03 - 2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

→ Muffin Batter

04 - 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
05 - ½ cup granulated sugar
06 - 2 tsp baking powder
07 - ½ tsp baking soda
08 - ¼ tsp salt
09 - ⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
10 - 1 large egg
11 - ¾ cup buttermilk
12 - 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a standard 12-cup muffin tin generously or line with paper liners.
02 - Combine diced rhubarb, ½ cup granulated sugar, and 2 tbsp melted butter in a bowl. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup, pressing lightly to form an even layer.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, remaining ½ cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
04 - In a separate bowl, whisk the cooled melted butter, egg, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until smooth and well blended.
05 - Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold gently with a spatula just until combined. A few small lumps are fine — do not overmix or the muffins will become tough.
06 - Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups, spooning it over the rhubarb layer in each cup. Fill each cup about three-quarters full.
07 - Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean and the tops are lightly golden.
08 - Let the muffins cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of each muffin, then carefully invert the pan onto a wire rack so the rhubarb layer ends up on top. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The rhubarb layer sinks into a jammy caramel at the bottom of the pan, so when you flip each muffin over you get this gorgeous jewel topped pastry without any fussy decorating.
  • They land right between breakfast and dessert, which means you have permission to eat them at basically any hour.
  • The batter comes together in one bowl with no mixer required, making this one of the most low effort showstopper bakes I know.
02 -
  • Do not wait too long to invert these muffins, because that rhubarb caramel hardens as it cools and will glue your beautiful creations to the pan if you give it the chance.
  • Buttermilk can be substituted with regular milk plus a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar, let it sit for five minutes until it looks slightly curdled and then proceed as written.
03 -
  • Dice the rhubarb into small, even pieces, roughly the size of a pea, so every bite has fruit and no one gets a giant sour chunk that throws off the balance.
  • Tapping the muffin tin firmly on the counter once before baking settles the batter and releases any trapped air bubbles that could create uneven holes in your crumb.

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