Strawberry Rhubarb Pie in a Cupcake!

When faced with two such delicious options as pie and cupcakes...why choose? Instead, let's put them together into one new, completely delicious and tempting sweet treat! I'm so excited about these cupcakes it's not even funny. Seriously. I may not even share them with anyone. Actually, I take that back...I just did the math on how many hours I'd have to spend in the gym and how many calories I'd have to give up over the next few weeks to make up for it. Nevermind. I'll just make the one that I do eat last. :)

My all-time favorite pie is strawberry rhubarb. If you've never had it, you must give it a try. You MUST. The tart rhubarb pairs so well with the sweetness of the strawberry that you'd think they were made for each other. A match made in heaven. A treat for your taste buds. I really could go on and on but, suffice it to say, it's fabulous.

Rhubarb - just beautiful!
*original photo here*

Here in Florida, we have a hard time finding rhubarb because it's such a hit or miss thing for the grocery stores to have it in stock. I actually mentioned this to my boss's wife and two days later she came into work with a package of this delicious vegetable for me - sweetest lady EVER! Rhubarb looks like celery but is a pink color and can be found with the berries. Funnily enough, not two days after she brought this in for me, I found a larger package at Publix and bought it too. I chopped all of it up and it's been sitting in my freezer, just waiting for me to decide what to do with it. Well, now I have and I'm sharing it with you.

Now, don't judge me, but I never make my own pie crust. I don't have the patience, don't want to spend the time, and don't believe there's a need to do so. I always buy the refrigerated (not frozen) stuff in the bread & cookie dough section of the grocery store. It tastes great and saves so much time. For these cupcakes I cut out rounds of pie dough and placed them in the bottom of the liners. I then poured the vanilla cake batter over the rounds and baked them as usual. Once cooled, I carved out the centers of each cupcake, and filled them with the cooked pie filling, heaping it over the edge of the hole. I iced each cupcake with fresh whipped cream and garnished them with a lattice pie crust and some strawberry-rhubarb glaze.

Lattice tops made by arranging the lattice on wax paper then cutting out with a round cutter. They were then  egg washed, sprinkled with sanding sugar, and baked until lightly golden brown.

Here are the recipes:

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Filling:

2 cups frozen strawberries, diced
2 cups frozen rhubarb, diced
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 t cinnamon
1 t vanilla
2 t lemon juice
3 T cornstarch

Mix all ingredients in a pot and cook on stove until it starts to bubble and thicken. Set aside and let cool completely.

For the whipped cream, if you have a tried and true recipe you like, feel free to use it. I don't really follow a recipe. I just take heavy whipping cream and add confectioner's sugar and vanilla to taste then whip til stiff peaks are formed.

For the cupcakes, I used my favorite vanilla cake recipe found here, omitting the almond extract.

Well, there you have it. My first attempt at pie in cupcake form. I am definitely pleased with the results and I think you will be too. Give them a try! I'll definitely be doing this many more times, with different flavor combinations. The ideas are running through my head as I type. Until next time, happy reading and, more importantly, happy cupcake-ing!