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!