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.

Rhubarb Compote: Just Two Ingredients

Rhubarb compote wins the prize! What prize? The prize for the fewest number of ingredients used in anything on this blog to date. The rhubarb compote has just two ingredients - rhubarb and sugar. It takes a while to make, but it's well worth the effort.

What Do You Do with Rhubarb Compote ?

Of course, I used some rhubarb compote in a rhubarb cupcake. The rest, however, was spread on slices of bread like a jam or entered directly into my mouth with a spoon. You could use the rhubarb compote anywhere you might use applesauce or jam.

Rhubarb Compote Recipe

Full credit for this rhubarb compote recipe goes to Stephanie at A Whisk and A Spoon (spelling aside, there must be something about the name Stef and food blogging). Stephanie used her rhubarb compote to fill some amazing-sounding yogurt cupcakes. I used the rhubarb compote directly in the rhubarb cupcake batter. Here is her basic recipe rewritten with my notes:

Makes about 2 C rhubarb compote

• 2 lb 2 oz rhubarb
• 1 C sugar

Note: As a general rule, measure out sugar equal to 1/4 - 1/3 of the weight of the rhubarb.

1. Trim off the tops and bottoms of each stalk of rhubarb.
2. Use a paring knife to peel away any strings.
3. Cut into 1 inch pieces.
4. Put rhubarb pieces and sugar into a heavy-bottomed pot.
5. Add a small splash of water (just to keep the rhubarb from burning) and place over medium heat.
6. Stir frequently to keep from sticking to the bottom.
7. Keep checking it and stirring until all the rhubarb breaks down. Timing will vary based on how much rhubarb you use. It took about 45 minutes for the amount in this recipe.
8. When cool, transfer to a container and refrigerate. This will keep for a week or two.

Rhubarb Pulled Pork: Great Today, Even Better Tomorrow

Rhubarb pulled pork is my latest cupcake inspiration. Yes, people, rhubarb cupcakes are coming soon. For now, though, it's time to talk about the rhubarb pork.

Rhubarb and pork are words that I had never put together until I saw them on the site of this month's Taste & Create partner, Culinary Disasters. I must admit that with a blog name of Culinary Disasters, I was a bit concerned about finding something good to make there. My fears, however, were unfounded.

The rhubarb pork was a smashing success. It was moist and flavorful. I just have a few things that you might want to consider before making it:

1. If I were to make the rhubarb pork again, I would definitely make it in a crockpot. No offense to the cast iron dutch oven, but I just find crockpots easier.
2. Rather than serving it with rice or bread, I would use the pulled pork in a taco. This pork was just screaming to be in a wrap of some sort.
3. This is a FYI for those who are expecting the pork to taste like a strawberry rhubarb pie. The rhubarb dissolved. It definitely came into play in the flavor, but had I not put it in the cast iron myself, I would never have known it was in the dish.
4. Save some for leftovers. This pulled pork makes for a great pulled pork sandwich.

The Rhubarb Pulled Pork Recipe

Here is the recipe for rhubarb pulled pork from Culinary Disasters. I made a few notable changes from the original. Whole Foods didn't have a pork shoulder, so I went with a pork loin. I used agave nectar instead of honey - just because I had some on hand. Lastly, I used chipotle peppers instead of jalapenos because I like them better, and I skipped out on the shallots because we didn't have any.

• About 2 lb pork loin
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 T canola oil
• 1 lb rhubarb, cut into medium slices
• 4 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 1 dried chipotle pepper
• 1/2 C dry white wine
• 1 1/2 C chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 T agave nectar
• 2 T soy sauce
• 1 t five spice powder
• 1 t ground ginger (feel free to use fresh, just use about 1 T of it)

1. Add in the oil to your cast iron dutch oven on med-high heat.
2. Salt and pepper the pork all over and brown on all sides (about 5 minutes a side).
3. Remove the pork and drain all but 1 T of the oil from the pan.
4. Keeping the pork aside, add in the rhubarb, pepper, and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes.
5. Add in the 1/2 C of white wine and reduce by half.
6. Return the pork to the pan along with the chicken stock, honey, soy sauce, bay leaf, and spices.
7. Bring this mixture to a boil and then reduce to a gentle simmer and cover.
8. The pork will take about three hours to cook, and make sure to flip halfway though. It is done when you can take a fork and easily shred the meat. If it does not shred easily, cover and let it cook for another 15 minutes and try to shred again.
9. Serve as you see fit.

A Photo-Only Side Dish

No recipe for this one, but here is a photo of the side dish that we enjoyed with the pork. Both the photo and cooking are compliments of Jonathan.