So, there are three recipes here to get to one absolutely fabulous cupcake!
Cupcake
1 box French Vanilla Cupcake mix made per instructions
1 vanilla bean soaked in 2 Tablespoons of water for 30 minutes
Remove vanilla bean and split open full length of bean half way through the bean. (You are laying it open.) Take the edge of a sharp knife and scrape out seeds. Stir seeds into cake mix and let it sit for about 20 minutes covered. Bake per instructions for cupcakes.
Flummery
3 cups rhubarb cut into 1/2" pieces
1 Tablespoon water
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cold water
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup strawberries, washed and sliced into medium sized pieces.
3 drops red food coloring
Heat rhubarb, sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a 3 quart saucepan until it boils - about 3-4 minutes, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb is tender. Mix cornstarch and 1/4 cup cold water, stir into rhubarb mixture. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat, stir in strawberries and food coloring. (You may want to add another drop or two until it looks red/pink.
Let this cool to room temperature. Don't put it in the fridge, it gets a little goopy. (NOTE: I had to strain, through a fine mesh colander, my first batch because the rhubarb was stringy but the second one was fine.) If you want it a little less chunky stir flummery when cooled to break up the strawberries.
Stabilized Whip Cream Topping
1 tsp unflavored gelatin powder
2 Tablespoons cold water
2 cups heavy whipping cream
4 Tablespoons confectioner's sugar
In a glass measuring cup sprinkle gelatin over 2 Tbsp cold water, stir to dissolve. Place in fridge for 10 - 15 minutes until is the consistency of an unbeaten egg. Whisk until smooth. Replace in fridge until time to add.
In a chilled tall sided bowl - or a regular one - beat heavy cream and sugar until soft peeks form - don't go a moment longer! Add gelatin and beat in for about 20 seconds. Place in fridge until ready to use.
Now let's bring this baby home....
Rhubarb Flummery filled Cupcakes
Core your room temperature cupcakes so you can fit about 3 - 4 tablespoons of flummery in the center. Eat each core. No really. Go ahead. Place flummery in a large baggie and snip off one corner. Fill each cupcake to the top but don't over fill. Place whipped cream in a piping bag with a very large tip. Pipe cream over top of each cupcake. Place fresh washed and dried strawberries on top.
These will sit out very well but should be refrigerated until ready to be served.
These don't take very long to do really. I started the cupcakes and made the flummery. While the flummery was cooling I made the whipped cream. The cupcakes took 10 minutes to cool in the fridge so really it was about a 40 minute process to do 2 dozen.
