Rhubarb Anise Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon anise seeds 
• 1.5 teaspoons double-acting baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 0.5 cup buttermilk well-shaken
• 2 large eggs 
• 1.5 cups flour all-purpose
• 0.7 cup granulated sugar 
• 0.8 cup brown sugar light packed
• 0.3 cup milk 
• 1.5 pounds rhubarb trimmed
• 0.5 teaspoon salt 
• 0.5 cup butter unsalted softened
• 0.5 teaspoon vanilla 

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• knife
• blender
• hand mixer
• mortar and pestle

Directions

1. In a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron skillet melt butter over moderate heat until foam subsides and reduce heat to low.
2. Sprinkle brown sugar evenly onto bottom of skillet and heat, undisturbed, 3 minutes (not all brown sugar will be melted).
3. Remove skillet from heat.
4. Cut enough rhubarb crosswise into 1-inch pieces to measure 3 cups and decoratively arrange, rounded sides down, in one layer over brown sugar.
5. Preheat oven to 350°F.
6. With a mortar and pestle or in an electric coffee/spice grinder finely grind anise seeds. Into a bowl sift together anise, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy and beat in vanilla.
7. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. With mixer on low speed add flour mixture alternately in batches with buttermilk and milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating until just combined (do not overbeat).|Spoon batter over rhubarb in skillet, spreading evenly (be careful not to disturb rhubarb), and bake cake in middle of oven until golden, about 45 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool cake in skillet on a rack 15 minutes.
8. Run a thin knife around edge of skillet and invert a plate over skillet. Keeping plate and skillet firmly pressed together, invert cake onto plate. Carefully remove skillet and serve cake warm or at room temperature.