The Blues in Red

Sometimes when I get blue I bake because it makes me forget whatever is going on and lets me focus on something. 

Although Im feeling blue, I decided too change it up a bit and I took my first shot at Red Velvet cupcakes.

Red Velvet cupcakes

Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 2 large beets
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1½ cups granulated sugar
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ cup coconut oil
• ¾ cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp white vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Methods

1. Preheat oven to 180 C.
2. Remove beet leaves and scrub the beets clean. Place each beet on a large square of foil and sprinkle with the salt, olive oil and a splash of water. Wrap each beet loosely with the foil.
3. Place foil-wrapped beets on a baking sheet and roast until a knife or fork comes out with ease when inserted into the beet, about 30 minutes. Remove the beets and set aside to cool just enough to handle.
4. Preheat oven to 160 C. Line a 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners.
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and cocoa powder.
6. Peel the cooled beets and grate finely, until pureed.
7. Add coconut oil, milk, eggs, vinegar and vanilla to the beet puree and mix together. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, until combined. Scoop batter into lined cupcake tins, filling about ⅔ full.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
9. Let cakes cool

Turns out cream cheese frosting is not easy when you don’t have an electric mixer. Yes I know, a baker without a mixer…crazy. Well until I invest in one it is all hand mixing for this little baker. Without the mixer my fluffy cream cheese frosting turned to a cream cheese glaze...which in the end was actually pretty nice…just not the effect I was originally going for.

Cream cheese glaze/frosting
Ingredients

• 300g icing sugar, sifted
• 50g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 125g cream cheese, cold

Methods

1. Beat the icing sugar and butter together. For best results use a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment or a handheld electric whisk on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. I on the other hand used a wooden spoon to begin with and then a whisk and mixed by hand.
2. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. If using a mixer, turn it up to medium-high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 mins. Again for me I hand whisked it until it was mixed together, it just never really got light and fluffy, more glazy liquid.
3. If yours is fluffy spoon or pipe the cream cheese frosting on top of the cold cakes. For me I coated a few times with the glaze and let them dry.

If I do say so myself they tasted pretty awesome. An intense flavour and super sweet. One with a cup of tea will do the trick quite nicely.

Try out the recipe yourself and see how you like them…hopefully your icing works out a bit better than mine but either way they will taste great!