Rhubarb and custard cakes

 

Still going with the rhubarb... This recipe is so good I made it twice! Here is the recipe from BBCGoodFood. It takes longer to bake because of the ready-made custard but the result is a super moist cake. For the cupcakes (the recipe makes 24, they freeze really well), I mixed all the custard with the batter. They also took longer in the oven. There again, extremely moist. Definitely worth it!

Les Frenchies, je suis désolée mais je ne sais pas si vous pouvez trouver de la "custard" toute prête... je me demande si de la crème type Mont-Blanc pourrait marcher... à tester...

Rhubarb Cupcakes

 

I tried different ways to make rhubarb cupcakes with my basic recipe:

"butterfly" cakes: plain vanilla cupcakes with rhubarb compote 

plain vanilla cupcakes with rhubarb compote and swiss meringue buttercream

5 or 6 very small pieces of rhubarb added on top of the batter before baking

same as above topped with swiss meringue buttercream

pfffew! Verdict? Simple is best, the ones with the small pieces of rhubarb were spot on. Just sprinkle some icing sugar to show them off.

Je voulais essayer différentes façons d'utiliser la rhubarbe avec ma recette de cupcakes basique:

cupcakes "papillon": cupcake vanille et compote de rhubarbe

cupcake vanille, compote de rhubarbe et crème au beurre/meringue suisse

5 ou 6 petits morceux de rhubarbe ajoutés sur la pâte à cupcakes avant la cuisson

la même chose avec la crème au beurre/meringue suisse

et ben voilà! le verdict? Vive la simplicité, ceux avec les petits morceaux de rhubarbe étaient les meilleurs. Il suffit de soupoudrer un peu de sucre glace avant de servir.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream... Take 1

 

I'm not a fan of buttercream; that's putting it nicely... but I love the look, piped on cupcakes and cakes. I'd like to find a version that's not too sweet or buttery and with a pleasant texture (not grainy and going crusty as some do). My first attempt: Swiss Meringue Buttercream.

I used the recipe from Mich Turner (scroll down to the ombre cake) here. I made half the recipe and had enough for 12 cupcakes. 

I used dried egg whites (followed the instructions on the packet) instead of fresh and didn't add all the butter as it was already too buttery tasting for me. I had a few issues during whisking but easily corrected following the great info on Shawnda's blog here. 

As I don't have a fancy food mixer with different attachments, I smoothed it with a spatula before transfering to a piping bag (otherwise it's full of air bubbles).

It's extremely easy to pipe and not grainy at all. It didn't crust either. The cupcakes were ok in airtight containers on the worktop, fridge or freezer (still no crust after a couple of days).

I'll definitely try it again, next time adding the butter to taste, see what texture I get.