Rhubarb and Custard Muffins

Whilst helping my grandparents out in their garden last weekend, we noticed that their rhubarb was ready to pick. Rhubarb and custard sweets were my favourite growing up, so I used the freshly picked rhubarb to make a tribute to those! The hidden pocket of custard, and the roasted rhubarb make these really moist, and they are best eaten the day they are baked, hot from the oven, with a little vanilla ice cream!

Ingredients:
275g rhubarb
50g golden caster sugar 
1 orange
140g light muscovado sugar

75ml vegetable oil

1 egg

300ml soured cream

300g self-raising flour

12 tsp thick custard

golden caster sugar , for sprinkling

 

First, you need to roast your rhubarb. Pre-heat your oven to 200c and rinse your rhubarb under cold water before cutting in to small bite size chunks and placing it in a roasting dish.

Tip in the caster sugar, shuffling it around to make sure all the rhubarb is coated.

Zest the orange and put to one side, then squeeze the juice from half of the orange over the sugar coated rhubarb.

Cover the dish in tin foil and roast for 15 minutes. Remove the tin foil, give the rhubarb another shuffle and roast for a further 5 minutes.

Tip the contents of the tray into a sieve over a bowl to drain the juices and leave to cool while you make the muffin batter.

 

Turn your oven down to 180c and line a muffin tin with paper cases. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sugar, oil, egg, before adding the orange zest and soured cream, and continue mixing until thoroughly combined.

Gently mix in the flour, making sure there are no lumps, then fold in the drained rhubarb.

Divide 2/3 of the batter evenly between the paper cases, then using a spoon, press in the centre of each muffin to make a dip. Fill each dip with a teaspoon of thick custard, then gently smooth the rest of the muffin mix over the custard.

Bake for 28-30 minutes or until risen, pale golden and oozing custard. Sprinkle each with a little caster sugar while still warm, and serve with the drained rhubarb juices as a sauce.