Almond and Rhubarb Cupcakes

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Rhubarb Curd

• 4 long stalks rhubarb
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed
• 3 tsp cornstarch
• 2 drops pink food coloring

1. Make one day in advance.
2. Wash and cut rhubarb stalks into 2″ sections.
3. Place them in the bowl of a food processor and process until they turn into a pulp.
4. Push pulp through a fine sieve with a spoon to extract the juice. Discard the pulp. You should have 1 cup of juice at the end of the process.
5. In food processor mix eggs, sugar and corn starch until no lumps remain.
6. In a saucepan combine the sugar and corn starch mixture with the butter and rhubarb juice. Set pan over low heat, stir with a whisk the entire time until the butter melts. The curd should be the consistency of sour cream.
7. Add food coloring and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight.

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Cake

• 5 eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 TB vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line 2 muffin tins.
2. Crack the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer and add sugar and vanilla. Beat on high for 5 minutes.
3. Fold in flour in 3 additions. Blending gently so as to keep the volume of the egg mixture.
4. Divide batter and bake 13-15 minutes.

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Almond Mascarpone Cream

• 2 cups mascarpone
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 c powdered sugar
• 1 TB almond extract
• 1 drop red and blue food coloring, 1 drop green food coloring

1. Whip well-chilled mascarpone for 30 seconds with the balloon attachment.
2. Add heavy cream, sugar, and almond extract.
3. Whip until the frosting is the consistency of whipped cream. If the frosting doesn’t move in a flexible consistency, then add a dash of heavy cream.

Use a small ice-cream scoop to core the center of the cupcake. Fill the hole with a scoop of the rhubarb curd. I used Russian piping tips to pipe the flowers and the leaves.