As a child, I remember eating raw sticks of rhubarb from the garden dipped in sugar. I still have a love of rhubarb, but I’m not sure if I could handle it raw. I saw this recipe in Waitrose Magazine (February, 2016) and just loved the pinkness of the rhubarb. I was intrigued by the spelt flour in this recipe and thought it made the muffins sound healthy. However, it turns out that the benefit of spelt flour is that it made the muffins easier to digest. I made then anyway and they were a huge success. These muffins may look pink and sweet, but the contrasting tartness of the rhubarb makes them a clear winner for me.
Ingredients
60g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
150ml buttermilk
1 egg, beaten
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 clementines, zest
85g plain flour
100g spelt flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
80g golden caster sugar
120g rhubarb, cut into 0.5cm slices
2 tsp demerara sugar
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 18o degrees/160 fan/gas mark 4
- Line 8 holes in a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases.
- Combine the melted butter, buttermilk, egg, vanilla and clementine zest in a small bowl.
- Put the flours, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and caster sugar in a large bowl, then pour in the egg mixture. Fold together until combined, there should be no pockets of flour, but it should still look lumpy.
- Fold through most of the rhubarb, keeping some back for the topping.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the paper cases, topping each with some of the reserved rhubarb, then scatter over the demerara sugar.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until risen and golden; a skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean.
- Remove from the tin and cool on a wire rack before serving.
Wow, love that recipe! 