Rhubarb and Marzipan Muffins

These fluffy, bakery-style rhubarb and marzipan muffins use flavours that are a little bit different, but they work so well!! Sweet, tangy and very moreish. And check out my secret ingredient to inject more rhubarb flavour whilst helping to get that perfect rise!

It’s rhubarb season!! I love it when I start seeing those stalks of tangy juiciness arrive in the shops.

These Rhubarb and Marzipan Muffins are sweet and fluffy and the perfect use for them.

Some of my other favourites include:

• Rhubarb crumble (I learned recently from experience that you can’t par-cook the rhubarb in advance, top with the crumble mixture and expect to be able to cook it later. The result is pink mush. Still perfectly edible by the way – can’t waste good rhubarb! but it’s definitely a good idea to leave the rhubarb uncooked if preparing crumble in advance!!)
• Rhubarb amaretti cake – that almondy flavour (much like the marzipan) is amazing with the rhubarb.
• Rhubarb marshmallows – sweet and tangy 😍😍
• Or a savoury option of confit duck with roasted rhubarb -whoah! they’re old and terrible photos! I really need to reshoot those (the recipe is still perfect though)

The tartness of the rhubarb in these muffins works really well with the almondy sweetness of the marzipan.

I use shop-bought yellow/golden marzipan for this.   You can of course make your own, but for this recipe I think the shop-bought stuff works better. It seems to have a stronger (completely artificial of course) almond taste, also any chunks on the top of the muffin melt down and caramelize slightly. I don’t think that would happen with homemade marzipan.

The other reason is that Chris absolutely loves shop-bought yellow marzipan. I’ve literally seen him cut chunks off – like cheese – to have with a cup of tea.

My secret ingredient for these muffins is rhubarb yogurt! It injects extra tangy rhubarb taste, whilst also making the cupcakes even more moist and tender. Not only that, but the yogurt also acts as an acid which will react with baking soda (an alkaline) to produce a lovely rise.  This acid/alkaline combination means you don’t need to use other rising agents like baking powder.

I also use vegetable (or coconut) oil in my muffins – in place of butter. Again this ensures a more moist cake.  Using butter usually adds more taste to a cake, but the other big flavours in these muffins ensure you’re not missing out on flavour at all.

Enjoy these muffins with a nice cup of tea.  Much safer than attempting make-ahead crumble!!

Below is a video of the recipe, plus some extra tips:

Can I make the muffins gluten free?

Yes! simply replace the 240g/2cups plain flour with 70g (2.5oz) of coconut flour, and 140g (5oz) gluten free plain flour blend. Also replace the 1tbsp plain flour that the rhubarb is mixed with for gluten free plain flour blend.

Make sure the baking soda and yogurt is gluten free too.

How long do they last?

They’re pretty moist, so they should last for 3-4 days, in a sealed box, at room temperature.

Can I freeze the muffins?

Yes, you can freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature for a few hours or overnight (I find it really usefully to freeze them, then put a frozen one in the kids lunchbox, it should be defrosted by lunchtime).

The Rhubarb and Marzipan Muffins Recipe:

Rhubarb and Marzipan Muffins

These fluffy, bakery-style rhubarb and marzipan muffins use flavours that are a little bit different, but they work so well!! Sweet, tangy and very moreish. And check out my secret ingredient to inject more rhubarb flavour whilst helping to get that perfect rise!

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 35 mins

Course: Cakes, Treats

Cuisine: British

Keyword: Afternoon Tea, Any Time Of the year, Sunday Afternoon

Servings: 12 muffins

Author: Nicky Corbishley

Ingredients

• 200 g golden caster sugar
• 1 large egg
• 80 ml vegetable or coconut oil (melted and cooled)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 230 ml rhubarb yogurt (ideally full fat, but fat-free does work, also you can use another flavour such as peach if you can't find rhubarb yogurt)
• 250 g plain (all-purpose) flour (plus 1 extra tbsp. to mix with the rhubarb)
• 1 tsp baking soda/bicarbonate of soda
• 200 g medium diced rhubarb, chopped into small chunks mixed with 1 tbsp plain flour
• 100 g golden marzipan cut into small chunks
• 2 tbsp smooth apricot jam (jelly)

UK (metric) - **Convert to US Measures**

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 200c/400f and line a 12-hole muffin tin with muffin cases.
• Add the sugar and egg to a large bowl and mix using a fork or balloon whisk. Add in the oil and vanilla extract, stir, and then add in the yogurt and stir to combine. Next add in the flour and baking soda and mix together using a wooden spoon. Gently fold in the chopped rhubarb that has already been mixed with 1 tbsp. flour and the chopped marzipan.
• Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases and place in the oven. Cook at 200c/400f for 5 minutes, then turn the oven down to 180c/350f and cook for a further 15 minutes.
• Just before your muffins are ready, put the apricot jam (jelly) in a bowl and place in the microwave for a few seconds - so that it melts to a thinner consistency. It should only take 10 seconds or so (be careful not to leave it in as it will get dangerously hot very quickly). Stir the jam, and then as soon as the muffins come out of the oven, brush the jam over the muffins to give it a shiny glaze.
• Leave the muffins to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing and cooling further on a cooling rack.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Can I make the muffins gluten free?

Yes! simply replace the 240g/2cups plain flour with 70g (2.5oz) of coconut flour, and 140g (5oz) gluten free plain flour blend. Also replace the 1tbsp plain flour that the rhubarb is mixed with for gluten free plain flour blend.

Make sure the baking soda and yogurt is gluten free too.

.

How long do they last?

They're pretty moist, so they should last for 3-4 days, in a sealed box, at room temperature.

.

Can I freeze the muffins?

Yes, you can freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature for a few hours or overnight (I find it really usefully to freeze them, then put a frozen one in the kids lunchbox, it's defrosted by lunchtime).

.

Nutritional information is per muffin

Nutritional Information

Nutrition Facts

Rhubarb and Marzipan Muffins

Amount Per Serving

Calories 274 Calories from Fat 81

% Daily Value*

Fat 9g14%

Saturated Fat 5g25%

Cholesterol 15mg5%

Sodium 125mg5%

Potassium 131mg4%

Carbohydrates 43g14%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 25g28%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 50IU1%

Vitamin C 1.7mg2%

Calcium 45mg5%

Iron 1.3mg7%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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