Cream Cheese Sourdough Rhubarb Muffins

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I am a rhubarb fanatic. It’s my favorite Spring ingredient to develop recipes around, however I actually starting scheming on a cream cheese rhubarb muffin like this last fall when pumpkin cream cheese muffins were circulating social media. I couldn’t help but think that tart rhubarb and smooth cream cheese would be such a delicious pairing.

These Cream Cheese Sourdough Rhubarb Muffins turned out INCREDIBLE, with sweet and tart rhubarb throughout, brightened with fragrant, citrusy orange zest. These two flavors are a match made in heaven. The texture is super moist, with a plush crumb and the best middle bite – that luxurious cream cheese filling! And they’re very simple to make, no special equipment or piping bag needed.

Their tall and lofty structure is everything you’ve dreamed of, as sourdough discard provides acidity and moisture to give these muffins the softest crumb. During recipe testing, I also found that using a combination of neutral oil and sour cream rather than butter was key to keeping the muffins moist. This also kept the rhubarb from being overpowered by the butter flavor. let the delicious rhubarb flavor shine rather than being overpowered by the butter flavor.

Each time I eat one of these muffins, I feel like I’m sitting in a bakery – they’re just perfect in every way and capture everything you love about the taste of rhubarb. That same balance of tart and tender is what makes this lemony rhubarb sourdough cake so special – another spring favorite worth bookmarking!

The Size You Slice the Rhubarb Matters

I’ve found that when rhubarb is cut in too big of chunks and added to a cake or muffin batter, it can result in too tart of a bite, or the crumb falling apart around it. You’ll notice that for these muffins, you’ll slice the rhubarb into very thin slices, between 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch.

This results in the rhubarb almost “melting” into the baked crumb, therefore giving you rhubarb flavor throughout the entire muffin instead of a few bites.

Long-Ferment Option

The other great thing about this recipe: you can bake them as soon as you mix them up, OR you can put the batter in the fridge and let it rest for up to 16 hours. This allows for a longer ferment without any change in the end result.

The Secret to Tall and Fluffy Rhubarb Muffins:

This recipe uses a few tricks to make the sourdough muffins tall and lofty like you’d expect from a bakery!

1. I’ve found that resting the batter while the oven preheats allows the flours to absorb some of the moisture, giving the structure needed to result in tall, domed muffins. I do this for my Banana Chocolate Chip Sourdough Muffins and super moist Lemon Blueberry Sourdough Muffins as well.
2. Rather than filling each muffin tin, I leave one open muffin cup in between as you see in the photo above. This gives the muffins room to expand and achieve beautiful round tops, along with better air circulation for even baking.
3. Fill the muffin cups liberally. Most people are used to making cupcakes, where you only fill the cups partially full. With muffins, you want to fill the cup almost all the way, mounding at the lip of the tin.

What role does sourdough discard play in muffins?

Sourdough discard doesn’t make these muffins tangy or sour. Instead, you’ll find that it makes them fluffy and soft because it increases the acidity of the batter, which weakens the gluten in flour. And because it has already been fermented, the gluten in the sourdough discard itself has also been weakened. It has the same effect in this maple glazed Sourdough Discard Pumpkin Bread and my delightful Sourdough Donut Apple Cake.

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Cream Cheese Sourdough Rhubarb Muffins

These incredibly moist sourdough rhubarb muffins are complimented by citrusy orange zest and the best part – a smooth, cream cheese filling! The tart, sweet rhubarb flavor can be found in every bite, and the soft, tender crumb comes from sour cream and sourdough discard. These muffins are bakery worthy and easy to make – you only need a bowl and a whisk.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time :20 minutes minutes

Cook Time :18 minutes minutes

Yield: 10 muffins

Author: Amanda Paa

Ingredients

Cream Cheese Filling

• 4 ounces full fat cream cheese, softened
• 2 teaspoons milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Muffins

• 145 grams rhubarb
• 220 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt + a extra pinch
• 100 grams neutral oil like sunflower or grapeseed
• 150 grams granulated sugar
• 50 grams brown sugar
• 95 grams full fat sour cream
• 1 large egg
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon orange juice
• 80 grams sourdough discard, at room temperature

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Equipment

• Muffin Tin
• Tulip shaped muffin liners

Instructions 

• Thinly slice rhubarb into 1/8 inch pieces – see video for size reference. If your rhubarb is quite thick, cut it in half vertically first, then into the pieces.
• In a small bowl, add cream cheese filling ingredients. Use a spoon to mash everything together and continue working the filling until it is smooth and cohesive. It will look curdly at first, just keep working it – it will come together nicely. Set this in the refrigerator while you make the muffins – it doesn’t need to be covered.
• Then whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, orange zest, and salt together in a large bowl. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, add oil, both sugars and sour cream. Whisk until cohesively combined, about 30 to 40 seconds. Then add egg, milk, orange juice, and vanilla. Whisk until fully incorporated, then add sourdough discard and whisk until fully incorporated. (The reason we don't add the discard sooner is because you don't want it to be overwhisked, since it has flour in it, and could get overworked.)
• Add liquid mixture to dry ingredients and stir until about 1/2 combined, with quite a bit of flour streaks. Then add rhubarb and continue folding in, just until no dry bits remain.
• Cover and set batter aside while oven preheats to 400 degree F. This rest allows the flour to absorb the liquid. Once oven is preheated, line your muffin pan every other hole with liners. Fill with batter almost to the lip of each tin.
• Then remove cream cheese filling from refrigerator. Use a tablespoon to scoop a scant tablespoon out, slighting rounding it in your fingers, then insert into the middle of each muffin and press down so it goes into the batter, not sitting on top of it. I add a few slices of rhubarb to the top of the muffin, too.
• Place pan in oven and turn oven down to 375 degrees. Bake for 17-19 minutes, just until toothpick inserted into the muffin part comes out clean or with a crumb or two. You do not want to overbake. Remove pan from oven and let cool, then enjoy!

Notes

Long Ferment Option: You can bake these muffins as soon as you mix them up, OR you can put the batter in the fridge and let it rest for up to 16 hours. Simply cover the batter and refrigerate. You can also cover the cream cheese filling and refrigerate alongside it. 

*I highly recommend using an inexpensive oven thermometer when you are baking, as no oven is calibrated exactly precise, even one that is brand new. Your other likely runs hotter or cooler than it actually reads, and this can determine how your muffins rise and even baking.