This afternoon I made some cupcakes for dessert (the boys and I may have taste tested after school today too). My nephew is sleeping over tonight so I wanted something fun for the boys. Now, I am a baker and I don’t think I have ever seen a batter with such a beautiful color. Check this out!
I don’t know if there is anything natural besides beets that can add such color to our food (and our hands). Before you get baking you need to roast your beets wrapped in tin foil for an hour or so at 400 degrees until very, very, soft. The softer the better for making a beet purée.
Cool the beets completely, slice them into quarters and pop them into a food processor or blender. I let mine go about 2-3 minutes until smooth. I used two beets because you will need a cup and a quarter for the cupcakes. I saved the extra in a plastic bag to add to pancakes, yum!
Now that the purée is all set let’s get to the recipe:
- 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour, sifted
- 1/2 Tablespoon orange zest
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup butter at room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup beet puree*
- 3 Tablespoons cream cheese
- 2 Tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Preheat oven to 325°F
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, orange zest, salt, and baking powder
- Combine sugar and butter and beat on medium-high until fluffy
- Add eggs one at a time to the butter mixture and mix until combined
- Add the cream cheese, orange juice, beet purée and zest
- Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined
- Line a muffin pan with liners and fill the liners with the batter
- Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until cooked through
Into the oven they go.
Transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely before frosting. I mixed 8 ounces of cream cheese with 3/4 cup of powdered sugar with 2 Tablespoons of orange juice and the zest of one orange. Whip 2-3 minutes and frost these beauties. Enjoy!
Note: These are not a fluffy, light or airy cupcake, the flavor is wonderful but the cupcakes are dense, just so you are prepared.
Oh my goodness, what a great and colorful Cupcake Recipe. Thank you Sarah for being so imaginative and for sharing! This is going on my Must Bake List for next week’s Crochet Circle Gathering. You can have your Cupcake, and Veggies, and eat ’em too.