The South lacks for two things: Lilacs in the spring and rhubarb in the summer. When I realized that August meant Rhubarb Cupcakes over at Martha Stewart's Cupcake Club, I knew that (for once) I would bake them ahead of schedule. I would bake them while in was in the Land of Rhubarb-a-Plenty: The great state of Minnesota. Perhaps I was just delirious with the thought of 10,000 lakes, cool crisp nights and perfect 80 degree days, but I thought these cupcakes were seriously delicious and represented to me a perfect celebration of summer.
The batter was fairly basic and didn't require too many bowls - a big plus in my book!
Here's the addition of the beautiful rhubarb - the perfect tart counterpoint to the sweet cupcake batter.
Ahhh.... the simple vanilla bean. So much complexity in such an unsightly pod.
Scrape out the seeds and watch the magic unfold.
Vanilla extract could simply not compare to these beautiful flecks of culinary gold.
This Rhubarb sauce makes the cupcake:
a sweet simple syrup infused with the tartness of rhubarb and delicious vanilla flecks.
The trick is to cook the rhubarb long enough to soften it, but not so long that it turns to mush!
After baking these, my son, Samuel effervesced with accolades and selected all things rhubarb for his birthday! Tart rhubarb in a sweet cupcake topped with a sweet vanilla-rhubarb sauce. What could be better?
You can find this delicious recipe over at The PhDCupcaker. Thanks to Lorraine for this month's pick!
UP NEXT: September 15 - Peanut Butter and Jelly Cupcakes.
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