Rhubarb and Apple Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 stalks Rhubarb
- 25 g Caster sugar (normal or golden)
- ¼ - ½ tsp Vanilla powder / ground cinnamon / ginger / 1 star anise
- 1 piece + 2 tsp Stem ginger from a jar + syrup (optional)
- 1 Orange - juice and zest
- 75 g Unsalted butter (softened)
- 100 g Caster sugar (normal or golden)
- 1 Egg
- 85 ml Buttermilk*
- 125 g Self raising flour
- ½ tsp Vanilla paste / extract (optional)
- 1 Apple
- 1-2 tbsp Demerara sugar
Accompaniment
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Description
The roasted rhubarb is soft and sweet and the sponge is light and fluffy. Delicious both warm and at room temperature.
Method
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1
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Trim the rubuarb and cut into 2-3 cm chunks. Put the chunks in an ovenproof dish, scatter over the caster sugar, and your choice of spices. If using, roughly chop the ginger and add to the dish with a little of the syrup. Grate over the orange zest and squeeze over the juice. Cover the dish with foil and place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the rhubarb is tender enough to easily pierce with a knife but the chunks are still in tact. Remove from the oven and spoon the chunks onto a plate to cool while you make the muffin mixture.
Reduce the oven temperature to 180 degrees C. Line a muffin tin with 6 paper cases (or grease well with a little butter or oil).
Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. With a fork, lightly beat together the egg and buttermilk. Add half to the mixture, sift over half of the flour and beat well. Then repeat, adding the vanilla also if using. Peel and grate the apple and add fold into the mixture.
Spoon into the paper cases and top each one with a couple of pieces of rhubarb. For a crunchy topping, sprinkle over a little demerara sugar.
Bake for 25 minutes until they are well risen and a skewer comes out clean.
Chef's Tips
*Alternatively use plain yogurt or milk with a tsp of lemon juice added and left for a couple of minutes.
This is my favourite way of cooking rhubarb. Vary the use of spices according to your own personal taste. Or simply roast the chunks of rhubarb with the sugar and orange juice if you prefer. Cloudy apple juice also works (about 50 ml). It is great with yogurt and ice cream. We also often fold it through with double cream and broken meringues for a rhubarb version of 'Eton Mess'.
Easily doubled for a batch of 12.
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