Lazy rhubarb and custard cupcakes and a thank you

Huh. I have just realised my blog is just over a year old. That one kind of slipped me by. So much for a happy birthday blog post. This post is definitely not one of those. These cupcakes are tasty enough but not at all creative and doomed from the start! Certainly not birthday worthy.

I would like to say a HUGE thanks to anyone who has dropped by at any point during the last year, it is truly appreciated. Hopefully it has inspired you to get baking in your kitchen, and if you have made anything from here I hope you have had success.

Back to the lazy cakes. In my defence they were going to be a little more luscious than they turned out.. I was going to fill them with a creamy homemade rhubarb curd. So I baked my cakes, hollowed them out, then retrieved my curd from the fridge. Alas the curd that had only gone into my fridge a few days earlier was no longer the creamy delight it initially was. No. It was lumpy with bits in and not very nice.

The cakes and frosting were already prepared so a dollop of Rhubarb and ginger jam went in the cavity. Not even my homemade jam, which you can find here, shop bought as I realised I had already devoured the jam I had made.

I am probably not being fair to these cakes, The custard flavour comes through the frosting, the cakes are light and the jam does add a fruity tang. So as the lazy girls rhubarb and custard cupcakes, they are in fact perfect!

Lazy rhubarb and custard cupcakes

(makes 12)

125g butter
125g caster sugar
tsp vanilla paste or extract
2 large eggs
100g self raising flour
25g custard powder
2 tbsp milk

Rhubarb or rhubarb and ginger jam

100g butter
250g icing sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
20g custard powder
2 tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C FAN and line a cupcake tin with liners.

Cream the butter, sugar and vanilla together for 5 minutes until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at time and beat until well incorporated. Scape down the sides of the bowl after the addition of each egg.

With the whisk on slow beat in the flour and custard powder until there are no visible streaks. Scape down the sides of the bowl and add the milk. Beat the mix for a further minute.

Divide the mix equally between the cupcake liners and bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes. The cakes are done when lightly golden and springy when pressed gently with a fingertip.

Set the cakes aside on a wire rack to cool. 

To make the frosting beat the butter with the vanilla until creamy, Add the icing sugar and beat for 5 minutes so it becomes very light. Mix the custard power with the milk and add it a little at a time to the bowl, continuing to beat as you do so.

At this point you may need to refrigerate your frosting to allow it to firm up a little.

When the cakes are completely cool use a knife to remove a cone from the cake. Fill the cavity with jam and then replace the cone, it may need trimming to fit (YOU, the baker, get these off cuts!). 

Pipe the frosting on top of the cakes and voilà, lazy rhubarb and custard, done.

I decided to jazz up my cakes with little stars I found in my baking cupboard. I am aware stars have nothing to do with rhubarb!

French rhubarb tart

This is a very elegant dessert that does require a little more effort on your part. Its probably not one you would just knock up for a normal weekend dessert. Saying that I do urge you to try it before forced rhubarb is out of season, as it looks, and more importantly tastes, absolutely stunning.

Its a bbc good food magazine recipe but I have tweaked it just a little to suit my own tastes. For example I love rhubarb and all the tartness that comes with it and so I have reduced the sugar that it is poached in.

You will need a special long fluted tart tin with a loose bottom. I got mine from lakeland, it will be useful for lots of other tarts, both sweet and savoury.

French rhubarb tart

500g forced rhubarb
25g caster sugar
juice of half a lemon

250g plain flour
1 tbsp icing sugar
140g cubed butter
1 large egg yolk

250ml milk (whole or semi skimmed)
Seeds from one vanilla pod
4 large egg yolks
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 tbsp cornflour
1 tbsp plain flour
60ml double cream

Cut the rhubarb into batons, each 10cm in length. You will need enough to go along the length of the tart tin plus at least one extra. Put the sugar, lemon juice and 250ml of water into a wide frying pan, add the rhubarb and simmer for 5 minutes. Leave the rhubarb to cool in the syrup for at least 1 hour or overnight.

For the pastry put the flour, sugar and butter into a food processor and blitz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. With the motor running add the egg yolk and enough ice cold water for the mixture to come together. Tip onto a work surface and bring together with your hands. Wrap in clingfilm and chill for 30 minutes.

For the crème patisserie gently heat the milk and vanilla seeds until just below boiling. In the meantime mix the egg yolks, sugar and flours together until combined. Add a little of the hot milk to the egg mixture whisking constantly, gradually add the remaining hot milk continuing to whisk. Return the liquid to the pan and set over a lowish heat, stir continuously until the mixture thickens to the consistency of very very thick custard. This will take time, do not be tempted to turn up the heat.

Using a spatula transfer the crème patisserie to a clean bowl and cover the surface with clingfilm to prevent a skin forming. Chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.

Remove the pastry from the fridge and, on a lightly floured surface, roll out into a rectangle, bigger than your tin, 1mm thick. Line you tin, making sure the pastry gets into all the corners. Leave any overhang for the time being.

 The pastry is very short and it may crack a little as you line the tin, if so use a little of the little extra overhang to do a patch job. I had to do this in two corners and it turned out completely fine.

Trying to show my patchwork job

Chill the lined tin for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 200C/180C FAN. Line the tart with baking paper and baking beans (or rice etc) and blind bake for 20 minutes. Some of my overhang fell off after blind baking, nothing to worry about. Remove the baking baking and beans and continue to bake for another 8 minutes until golden in colour. Remove excess pastry with a sharp serrated knife and leave to cool in the tin.

Remove the rhubarb pieces from the syrup and set aside. Heat the remaining syrup until it has reduced in volume and is a thick sticky syrup.

Beat the cream until it holds soft peaks and then beat a little of this into your chilled crème patisserie. Fold the remaining cream through until no streaks of cream remain.

Ready to assemble

To assemble the tart. Remove the pastry tart form its case and place on a plate/board. Fill with the crème patisserie and smooth over the surface.

 Line the rhubarb up along the length of the tart.

 To finish glaze the rhubarb with some of the syrup. Chill the tart for 30 minutes before serving. To serve use a sharp serrated knife to cut slices from the tart.

This tart was absolutely lovely and the perfect dessert for a special meal. It kept well in the fridge and was lovely the next day too. BBC said it would keep for up to 3 days but I suspect it is better much sooner.

The only downside is I now have 5 egg whites. I sense some macarons may be made very soon...

Rhubarb and ginger soufflés

Happy new year everyone! My first post of the new year was never meant to be so delayed. Just after new year I was struck down by a sort of flu and once I was well enough to bake I realised I had left my camera at the family home after Christmas! Never mind, here I am.

Has anyone made resolutions? They are often made in the aftermath of Christmas excess, and if you have I wish you luck.

After Christmas its all very well to be full of good intentions but you may still want sweet things or maybe you are having a birthday celebration or dinner party and want a delicious but virtuous dessert. May I introduce your saviour, the rhubarb and ginger soufflé!

An added bonus is that forced rhubarb is in season at the moment, it is a delightful pink colour and will give your soufflés a gorgeous colour.

Each of these is approx 100 calories and low in fat, if you want an additional extra how about these orange tuile biscuits, add a couple to your soufflé and you will have a fantastic dessert all for under 200 calories. Happy new year indeed!

n.b. if you do not like ginger simply leave it out for an equally delicious plain rhubarb soufflé

Rhubarb and ginger soufflés

makes 4

For the rhubarb purée

175g rhubarb
20g caster sugar
1/2 tablespoon cornflour
ball of stem ginger, finely chopped

For the soufflé

3 medium egg whites
40g caster sugar

First make the purée. Slice the rhubarb into small pieces and put in  saucepan with the sugar, chopped ginger and a splash of water. Cook for ~10 minutes, over a medium heat, util the rhubarb breaks down. Mix the cornflour with a splash of water and add it to the pan, cook for ~ 1 minute until thickened. Use a blender to whiz to a smooth purée and then set aside to cool. 

When ready to make the soufflé preheat the oven to 190C/170C FAN. Butter 4 ramekins and dust them with a little caster sugar. Whisk the egg whites with half the sugar until soft peaks forms. Add the rest of the sugar, turn up the speed, and whisk until glossy medium firm peaks form.

Using a metal spoon fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the rhubarb purée  Gradually fold in the remaining egg white. Divide the mix between the ramekins, bake for 10 minutes and serve straight away.

Rubarb and ginger Jam

I like jam but quite often it can be a little too sweet. This jam is perfect. The rhubarb adds a natural tartness and the ginger gives it warmth. If you are a ginger sceptic or have ever been put off by overpowering pure ginger jam, don't let this prevent you from trying this. It is so good I am not wanting to give it away, the original plan, and I am going to have to make more.

Thankfully it is rhubarb season now, and the forced rhubarb around at this time of year results in a beautiful sherbet pink coloured jam.

If you have never made jam before, don't be scared, this jam is neither difficult nor time consuming and the result is well worth it.

The recipe can be found on the bbc good food website and I urge you to give it a go.

Myself and the boyfriend tried some on home-made buttermilk scones and declared it truly delicious!