Strawberry-Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
¾ cup light-brown sugar
⅓ cup sliced almonds
1 pint strawberries, stemmed, hulled and halved
3 cups rhubarb, trimmed, cut across into 1/4-inch-thick slices, blanched for 2 minutes and drained well

Nutritional Information
- Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
  485 calories; 21 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 69 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 48 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 93 milligrams cholesterol; 271 milligrams sodium

Eight to ten servings

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To make the topping, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Use a little of the butter to grease a 9-inch-round pan that is at least 2 inches deep. Add the brown sugar to the remaining butter and cook until the sugar is melted, stirring until smooth. Spread the mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Scatter the almonds over the brown-sugar mixture. Arrange the strawberries over the almonds in concentric circles, cut-side up. Top with the rhubarb and set aside.
To make the cake, using an electric mixer cream the butter and sugar until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Combine the vanilla with the milk. Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix just until combined.
Spread the batter over the fruit in the pan. Bake until the cake springs back when touched in the center, about 1 hour. (Cover the cake with foil if the top browns too much before the cake is done.) Remove the cake from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Turn out onto a cake plate. Replace any fruit that sticks to the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature.

About 1 hour 30 minutes