Chocolate Beet Cupcakes

Chocolate Beet Cupcakes

Did you know that the original Red Velvet Cake was made not because people wanted to dump a gallon of red food coloring into their chocolate cake but because it was an old Southern way to use beets?  The beets were what gave the cupcakes their red color and exceptional moisture.  Even better, the beets reduce the need for butter or oil making the cake lower in fat and much higher in nutrients.

This recipe uses either one large or two small beets and makes an exceptionally moiste cake.  I won't tell anyone you put a beet in them if you don't!!

Yield: 24 medium cupcakes

Ingredients

1    beets ( or two small ones)
1    teaspoon    olive oil
3/4    cup    unsalted butter ( softened )
1    cup    brown sugar
3/4    cup    sugar
2    eggs (room temp) 
2    teaspoon    vanilla extract
2    cups    all-purpose flour
2/3    cup    cocoa powder
1    teaspoon    baking soda
1/2    teaspoon    baking powder
1    teaspoon    salt
1 1/4    cups    buttermilk

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Thoroughly wash beet under running water, and trim , leaving about 1/2 inch of stem. Place clean beets in a piece of foil. Drizzle with just a bit of olive oil. Seal up foil. Place on a baking sheet in the oven. Roast until beets are tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour at 375. 

Remove the beets from the oven. Open the foil and allow beets to cool completely. Beets will be easy to peel (just using a paring knife) once completely cooled.  This can be done 2-3 days in advance if desired and stored in the fridge wrapped in the foil in which it was baked.  Grate the peeled beets using the finest side of a box grater.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Cream butter alone for 3 minutes.  Add sugars and beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. [BAKERS NOTE:  Once either eggs or flour are added to a batter, you want to keep the mixing to a minimum or you stiffen the mixture and make it tough.  The time to beat and cream until fluffy if before the eggs and DEFINATELY before the flour or you active the gluten to make it tough].

Beat in eggs, one at a time, for one minute after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Once eggs are incorporated, beat in beets and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Alternately add dry ingredients and milk, so that you add dry ingredients in 4 increments (1/4 of batter each) and milk in 3 increments (1/3 of mil each).  Once each addition of dry ingredients is just incorporated, add the next addition of milk. 

Spoon the batter into the cups, filling each 3/4 full. Batter will be THICK.  More like brownie batter than cake mixture.

Bake for 20-22 minutes. Remove cakes from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before frosting the cupcakes.

Frosting

16    ounces    cream cheese
1/2    cup    butter
3    cups    confectioners sugar

To make the Frosting:

Beat cream cheese for 30 seconds and butter until well combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl as necessary. Add the powdered sugar about 1 cup at a time and mix on low until completely combined. Refrigerate the frosting for 30 minutes before frosting the cooled cakes.