Ginger Rhubarb Cupcakes
Summer arrived in full force this weekend here in Duluth. It was sunny and 70°F with a lovely lake breeze. Heaven.
My Mom came up to visit (for the first time since Christmas!) and we spent as much time as possible outside – including hiking in one of my favorite spots and enjoying some glorious lake views. I tell you what, these kinds of days make up for those dark, 20-below winter days and then some.
With summer finally here, my thoughts immediately go to BBQs and potlucks – friends and family gathering to enjoy each other’s company and all the delicious summer foods. Even though this summer will look VERY different than usual, and gatherings will be smaller and fewer, I’m looking forward to enjoying as many socially distanced BBQs as I can. Preferably with lots of delish desserts.
These Ginger Rhubarb Cupcakes are the perfect sweet-tart treat to enjoy with your BBQ’d ribs, burgers, corn on the cob, coleslaw…this is making me hungry. Anyway, you get the idea.
Ginger Rhubarb Cupcakes
I love the flavor combo of rhubarb and ginger – I’ve tried it in pie before (add a bit of ground ginger to these Mini Rhubarb Galettes – trust me), but have always wanted to add those flavors to cake. Recently I did that and oh my, was it a good idea.
These cupcakes are basically the same recipe as my Mini Lemon Cupcakes, but with two forms of ginger (freshly grated and ground) added instead of lemon. They’re fluffy and lightly ginger-scented, with just a touch of heat from the fresh ginger. Yum.
The frosting is adapted from this one by Hummingbird High. It’s a little bit of a different technique than I’ve used before: First, you roast the rhubarb in the oven until it’s soft, then puree it before mixing it with the remaining frosting ingredients. In addition to making it soft enough to puree, roasting the rhubarb really enhances and concentrates its flavor, giving you a strong flavor base for your frosting.
I highly recommend giving these beauties a try before the rhubarb is gone for the season. Bake up a batch for your next BBQ, Taco Tuesday, Pizza Friday, or whatever event you have coming up – they’d even make a great summer Birthday treat!
I’m off to get some more fresh air. Happy Summer friends!
Ginger Rhubarb Cupcakes
Ingredients
Ginger Cupcakes
- 1 c sugar
- 1/2 c butter, at room temperature
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 c flour
- 1 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 c milk
Rhubarb Buttercream
- 8 oz fresh rhubarb, cut into 1-in pieces (a little over 2c)
- 1/2 c butter, at room temperature
- 3 c powdered sugar
- 1/2-1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
Ginger Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Fill a 12-c muffin tin with cupcake liners. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and ground ginger. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), cream together butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes).
- Add eggs one at a time, beating just until combined in between. Scrape bowl as needed.
- Stir in vanilla and grated fresh ginger and beat on low speed just until combined.
- Add flour mixture a little at a time, mixing on low speed until combined.
- Add milk and mix on low speed until combined.
- Using a medium cookie scoop or a spoon, fill prepared cupcake tin, evenly distributing batter among the 12 cupcake liners.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until cupcakes are set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs on it. Cool in tins for a couple of minutes and then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Rhubarb Buttercream
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Place cut rhubarb on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until soft.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack for 30 minutes or until completely cool.
- In a food processor or blender, puree the cooled roasted rhubarb. Then add butter and process until well blended.
- Move mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a medium bowl, using a hand mixer). Add half of the powdered sugar and 1/2 tsp lemon juice and blend until combined. Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat until combined. If frosting is too thick, add more lemon juice.
- At this point, if the frosting is getting too warm (butter is melting), pop it into the fridge for 20-30 minutes before finishing the buttercream.
- Beat at high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Scoop frosting into a piping bag, fitted with your choice of large piping tip (I used an Ateco #846). Pipe frosting onto cupcakes.
- Store in an airtight container, refrigerated, for 3-5 days.
