Roasted rhubarb and hazelnut cupcakes with butterscotch mascarpone
Ingredients
- ROASTED RHUBARB
- 500g rhubarb, roughly cut
- into 5cm chunks
- 100g castor sugar
- 60ml (¼ cup) honey
- 1 vanilla pod
- 30ml (2 tbsp) butter, softened
- CUPCAKES
- 400g (2 cups) sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 125ml (½ cup) milk
- 190ml (¾ cup) buttermilk
- 170ml (? cup) oil
- 15ml (1 tbsp) vanilla extract
- 2,5ml (½ tsp) salt
- 270g cake flour
- 15ml (1 tbsp) baking powder
- 2,5ml (½ tsp) bicarbonate of soda
- 170ml (? cup) hazelnuts
- BUTTERSCOTCH MASCARPONE
- 110g (½ cup) butter
- 200g (1 cup) treacle sugar
- 170ml (? cup) fresh cream
- 250ml (1 cup) mascarpone, at room temperature
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Combine the rhubarb, sugar, honey, vanilla and butter in an ovenproof dish and bake until tender and glossy, about 10 – 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
For the cupcakes, whisk the sugar and eggs together until light and fluffy. Whisk in the milk, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Sift together the salt, flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda, add to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Chop about a cup and a half of the roasted rhubarb and fold it into the cake batter together with the hazelnuts. Reserve the remaining rhubarb.
Lightly grease a 12-hole muffin tray and spoon the batter into the openings. Bake until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 15 – 20 minutes.
For the butterscotch mascarpone, heat the butter and sugar gently in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Add the cream and boil gently for a few minutes until thick and golden. Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely, then fold lightly into the mascarpone to create a ripple effect.
Spread the butterscotch on top of the cupcakes and serve with the remaining toasted rhubarb. at room temperature
