thursday recipe: rhubarb and vanilla cakes

We could call these muffins but really what is the difference between muffins and cake anyway? Is it that calling it a muffin tricks us into thinking they are somehow healthier? The ingredients are the same so let's call it as it is, today's recipe is rhubarb and vanilla cakes made with spelt flour. (I'm not using the word cupcake either because I have an aversion to the whole cupcake obsession that hopefully is over, sorry cupcake lovers).

Pete and I have been eating stewed rhubarb most mornings with natural yoghurt as is or with oat and chia porridge. River and Sol can't stand even the thought of eating rhubarb so I made some of these cakes with and some without, either way they are super delicious especially warm with butter.

Rhubarb and Vanilla Cakes - makes 8 in large muffin tray

Ingredients

100 grams butter, melted
2 cups white spelt flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp bi carb soda
1/2 cup coconut sugar
1 cup milk of choice
2 eggs, whisked
1 tsp ground vanilla
stewed rhubarb

To make

Preheat oven to 180C
In a large mixing bowl put in flour, baking powder, bi carb soda, coconut sugar and stir to combine.
In a small bowl mix eggs and milk.
Pour egg and milk mixture into dry ingredients and add in cooled melted butter and stir to mix ingredients together thoroughly.
Spoon batter into prepared muffin tray.
Make a little well in the top of each muffin and place a tablespoon of rhubarb in the centre, or leave some plain for those who don't like rhubarb.
Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden and cooked through.

My boys enjoyed the plain vanilla ones warm with butter for an after school snack yesterday, and this morning after a bowl of warm stewed apple + pear with cinnamon and yoghurt River had one toasted! What a way to start the day. Winter is in the air here and we're dreaming of heading north. As regular readers know each year we head north for winter, last year we went to Cape York, this year we are heading to the desert spending time in Alice Springs where Pete will work on Culture is Life.

How about you? Any travel plans this year? Do you escape winter or travel and homeschool your children? I'd love to hear your stories and especially love to know of any blogs you follow of families who do this.

Stay warm. Or cool depending on where you are!

rhubarb, apple and plum crumble

There is a theme emerging here. Cake last Monday, crumble today, must be the cooler autumn weather bringing on all this baking.  

I picked up a bunch of rhubarb from our local organic farm along with half a dozen beautiful plums and what else was there to do but make crumble?

Rhubarb is ridiculously easy to grow, well so I am told we haven't ever given it a go but I think I will because it is such a beautiful colour and I love to eat it plus I've just read up on the fact that it is rich in the B vitamins as well as vitamin A and K. For those who don't know already, the leaves on a rhubarb plant are poisonous so do not use them in your crumble.

A word about sweeteners: I used honey and raw sugar in this and I found the crumble topping a bit too sugary. That is because I generally don't eat sugar. I had been using powdered stevia but recently decided I really wasn't totally happy with the taste or texture it gives to cakes and biscuits so I haven't bought any for a while. I keep raw sugar in the cupboard for visitors cups of tea and coffee, that is how I came to include it in this recipe and if I were to do it again I would reduce the amount, but you can do what suits your tastebuds. I am imagining that a crumble made with maple syrup would be pretty delicious. Which sweeteners are you using at the moment? What do you sweeten your crumble with?

Recipe: rhubarb, apple and plum crumble

Ingredients

6 stems of rhubarb chopped into 1.5-2cm pieces

1 medium size granny smith apple, cored and roughly chopped (I leave the peel on)

1 or two plums such as blood plums, remove stone and roughly chop

1 tbsp honey

3/4 cup self-raising flour (I used gluten free)

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup coconut

100gm butter cubed

2-3 tbsp raw or rapadura sugar

*optional you could add some chopped walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts and some seeds to the crumble

Method

Preheat oven to 180C

Grease an oven proof dish with butter, I used a small rectangular pan you could use a round one or individual ramekins

Place fruit into baking dish 

Mix honey through the fruit and make sure the fruit is in an even layer

In a mixing bowl combine flour, oats, coconut and sugar

Rub butter into flour mixture until the butter cubes are completely rubbed in

Scatter crumble mixture evenly over the top of the fruit

Bake for 40-45 minutes until fruit is cooked and top is golden brown

Serve with custard or ice cream, or natural unsweetened yoghurt as pictured above.

Enjoy and hide the rest from your husband like I had to!

What is your favorite crumble combo? Pear and ginger is next on my ideas list.