rhubarb – Page 2 – Scandelights

When visiting my parents this past weekend it was (as usual) a lot of focus on food and seasonal produce.

My mother loves gardening and even though she doesn’t grow as much as she used to when I was younger, there is still plenty of fruit and vegetables to pick in the garden throughout the summer. Around this time of year it is only really the rhubarb that’s ready for picking, so that’s what we did.

And for me, there is nothing better than making a crumble out of the first fruit of the season, and this crumble recipe (a modified Delia-ism) is absolutely divine, especially when served still warm with either vanilla icecream or homemade raw custard (N.B. contains raw eggs so not suitable for everyone).

Rhubarb crumble, serves 4

ca 250 g rhubarb, washed and cut into smaller pieces

100-120 g soft brown sugar (to balance the acid from the rhubarb)

Crumble:

100 g softened butter

200 g plain flour

135 g soft brown sugar

1 tsp baking powder

Butter an ovenproof dish. Place the rhubarb pieces in the bottom. Scatter the sugar on top. Combine the ingredients for the crumble in a mixing bowl using a wooden fork. Pour on top of the rhubarb. Place in 175C oven for about 30 minutes or until the fruit is soft and the top golden brown.

On Sunday it was typical British weather with heavy rain and grey dull skies, so what is a girl to do when she doesn’t want to go out and get wet? She puts on her pinney of course and starts baking and spreading the lovely scent of cupcakes in the flat, and a cloud of dusty icing sugar… I have yet to learn how to make frosting without leaving the kitchen looking like it has snowed in there…

I brought these cupcakes to the office on Monday and they diappeared extremely quick, even the boys loved them and asked for the recipe! The recipe for the cake is from the Swedish blog Mumsfillibaba and the frosting is courtesy of a Swedish TV chef called Leila (but I made 1,5 batches).

Rhubarb cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, makes 18

Cake:

125 g softened butter
200 ml caster sugar
2 eggs
150 ml milk
450 ml plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 rhubarb stem, sliced

Frosting:

90 g softened butter
750 ml icing sugar
(1,5 tsp vanilla sugar)
1,5 tbsp lemon juice (I used rhubarb purée instead)
150 g Philadelphia cheese

Place 2-3 rhubarb pieces in each cupcake case. Beat butter and sugar white and creamy. Add one egg at the time. Mix in the other ingredients and divide between the cake cases. Fill them to 2/3. Bake in 175C for 10-15 minutes. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

Beat butter, icing sugar and liquid creamy with an electric whisk. Add the cream cheese and beat until glossy. Decorate the cupcakes when cooled completely.