So, one of the things that I love about being abroad is the produce. Each country has it’s own things and here, I had the opportunity to try something I’ve been after for quite a bit: Rhubarb. Rhubarb, for those who don’t know, is pretty similar to celery, and has fresh raw stalks are crisp with a strong tart taste. Looks pretty much like celery, but pink! Yes, pink.

So, when Helga and I found a few recipes with Rhubarb, we knew that I had to try them while in the US. To my surprise on Monday, I was walking around the vegetables aisle and there it was! I’ve been tracking those for quite a bit, they didn’t made their way to Upstate NY till now… So I grabbed what I needed and started brainstorming.

Yes, I could do a Strawberry and Rhubarb pie, but that’s the common path. I want something different. That’s when I remembered that I had a recipe by Martha Stewart that I wanted to try! I added an extra cup of rhubarb and instead of serving them with whipped cream, I made a Cream Cheese Frosting that turned out to be amazing.

PS: Before going all crazy baking, I needed to try it before baking. So, Rhubarb has the crunch of the celery, but the sweet tanginess of a not-quite-ripe strawberry. I loved it!

Rhubarb Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes
Yield: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:
1  1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
3/4 pound rhubarb stalks, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch dice (makes 3 cups)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven at 350ºF. Line standard muffins tins with paper liners.
2. Whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and 1 cup of sugar until pale and fluffy.
4. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in vanilla extract. Reduce speed to low.
5. Add flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the sour cream, and beating until combined after each.
6. Stir in the diced Rhubarb.
7. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three-quarters full. Bake, rotating thins half-way through, until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
8. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes. Cupcakes can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers.
9. Wait until completely cool to frost the cupcakes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
A Foodies’ Kitchen Original recipe
Yield: Enough to frost about 24 cupcakes

¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
8 oz. cream cheese
3 cups confectioner’s sugar (have a bit more around if you need to adjust the sweetness of the frosting)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Strawberries or blueberries for garnish

Directions:

1. Cream the butter on medium speed, then add the sour cream until well combined.
2. Lower the speed on the mixer and Sift in the powdered sugar, one cup at the time.
3. Add vanilla and mix. Test to see if it’s sweet enough, if you want it sweeter, add 1/4 of confectioner’s sugar at a time.
4. Spread onto cooled cupcakes or cake.
5. Place a couple of blueberries or a sliced strawberry on top.

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