Strawberry Rhubarb Cupcakes!

When I think of summer... I think of those hot days when my mama would have giant pots of rhubarb compote simmering on the stove while we (me and my sisters) went out and weeded the garden. We all HATED weeding the garden but when we finished we got vanilla bean ice cream and fresh rhubarb compote... So everything turned out okay :)

Strawberry-Rhubarb Cupcakes!

 

Ingredients:

2 and 3/4 cup                           All-purpose flour
1/2 cup                                     Cake flour
1 tbls.                                       Baking powder
1 tsp.                                        Sea salt, fine
1 cup                                        Unsalted butter, room temp
2 and 1/4 cup                           Sugar
3                                               Eggs, large
1                                               Egg white, large
1 cup                                        Whole milk
1 and 1/2 tsp.                            Pure vanilla extract (or 1 vanilla bean)
                                                

Pre-heat oven to 350. Line a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners. In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together AP flour, cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture alternately with milk until fully incorporated (scraping down sides as you go). Spoon evenly into cupcake liners and bake until done (toothpick comes out clean). Cool completely.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote:

2 cups                                       Fresh strawberries, sliced
2 cups                                       Fresh rhubarb, diced
1 tbls.                                        Lemon juice
1/2 cup                                      Sugar
2 tbls.                                        Corn starch


Combine strawberries, rhubarb, and lemon juice in 2 quart saucepan. Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally until fruit in tender. Combine sugar and cornstarch and stir into fruit. Continue cooking until mixture comes to a boil. Continue boiling for 1 minute until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat and let cool completely. Once cooled, pour into food processor and pulse until fruit pieces are broken down but not "pureed." (Whatever you don't use in cupcake recipe store in airtight container in the fridge for up to a week).

Strawberry-Rhubarb Frosting:

3 sticks                                Unsalted butter, room temp
6-8 cups                                Powdered sugar
                                              Strawberry Rhubarb compote
                                              Brown sugar (for sprinkling)


In a stand mixer with fitted paddle, cream butter until lightened. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time until fully incorporated (6 cups to start). Add compote by the tablespoons until mixture is "pipe-able" not watery. Add powdered sugar as needed. Pipe onto cupcakes or spread with an offset (or butter knife) for a "rustic" look. Sprinkle with brown sugar.