Rhubarb Cupcakes: The Perfect Autumn Cupcakes

My rhubarb cupcakes were dubbed by my cupcake taster, Ran (who has tasted so many of my cupcakes that he may as well be Groom 2.5), as "the perfect autumn cupcake." He went on to say how he felt weird even eating the rhubarb cupcakes in the summer.

What Did the Other Tasters Say About the Rhubarb Cupcakes?

• One taster said that the rhubarb cupcakes were so good that he was left "speechless." However, it should be noted he is a new taster who doesn't have much regular access to home-baked goods. As such, he wasn't as critical as my regular tasters.
• My mom took a couple of rhubarb cupcakes back to New York with her. Her friend, Peter, who has tasted quite a few Cupcake Project cupcakes, said that this one was right up there with the best.
• Bride and Groom 2.0 both thought the cupcake texture was perfect. Bride 2.0 liked the flavor, but Groom 2.0 did not.
• As for me, I enjoyed them, but I thought they were almost too simple. The flavor was not quite complex enough. The rhubarb flavor was there, but it basically blended into the overall spice cake flavor. Despite my issues with its simplicity, these rhubarb cupcakes would be perfection on a crisp autumn night sitting in front of the fire with a glass of hot cocoa.

The Rhubarb Cupcake Recipe
Because I was basing my rhubarb cupcake recipe off of a rhubarb pulled pork recipe (if you are not a regular reader, don't be alarmed by this statement - I get my inspiration in weird ways), I wanted to incorporate some of the same flavors - agave, five spice, and ginger. I decided to use a recipe from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World (the only cupcake cookbook that I regularly refer to) as my starting point.
Here is the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World simple vanilla and agave nectar cupcake recipe modified a whole lot to make my rhubarb cupcake recipe.
Makes about 12 cupcakes.

• 2/3 C soy milk
• 1/2 t apple cider vinegar
• 2/3 C agave nectar (if you don't have agave nectar, you can use honey)
• 1/3 C canola oil
• 1/2 t vanilla extract
• 4 drops ginger extract from Supreme Spice (if you don't have ginger extract, you can use 1/2 t powdered ginger)
• 2 t five spice powder
• 1 1/3 C flour
• 3/4 t baking powder
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1/4 t salt
• 1 C rhubarb compote

1. Mix the soy milk and the apple cider vinegar in a large bowl and allow to sit for a few minutes to curdle.
2. Beat in vinegar, agave, oil, vanilla, and ginger.
3. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and five spice powder and mix just until smooth. Do not over-mix.
4. Stir in rhubarb compote.
5. Fill liners 2/3 full.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until the tops bounce back when touched.

The Five Spice Frosting

I frosted these cupcakes with five spice frosting. For even more fun, dunk the cupcake in some extra rhubarb compote as you are eating it.