My keys are jingling a little quieter since this weekend when we lost both of our cars. For those of you who aren’t into social media (trust me, I get it), last Friday the large, old, oak tree that used to play shade master to the houses in our neighborhood decided to give out in our direction and total both of our cars.
It was, maybe, about five minutes into waking up, in the middle of a consuming Instagram, we heard and felt a huge crash that sounded like Thor landing on the top of our roof. I let go of Daniel’s tensed arm, and he sprung up and grabbed the bat next to our bed. I’m not sure if he thought he was going to run into Loki? However, the extra preventative measure proved useless as all the damage had been done. Our yard was littered with branches and our cars were under piles of the three large trunks that the tree had grown over the last 400 years.
It could have been really, really, bad. That morning, we were planning on loading up the car to Seattle for a work conference Daniel was supposed to attend. The worst of the impact was RIGHT where we would have been loading our bags into the car. I mean, so bad that there wasn’t even a glimmer of hope for survival if Daniel or I would have been in that general area. The only thing that didn’t make it was a squirrel and a planned weekend in Seattle.
All is well. We were not hurt, we are insured, and we have an incredible community around us making sure that we get our groceries and the rides we need until we can get working vehicles again.
It was quite the ordeal. But now, we move on to baked goods. It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and we need chocolate, and we need pink. And on my theme with my blog lacking in the cake department and sorely lacking in the cupcake department, I give you Beet Root Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting. Because we all need more pink, and pink is all the better when it comes from beet root powder which has ALL the benefits listed in a simple Google search.
The intensity of the color depends on how much beet root powder you want to add. I say the more the better! The color bakes out slightly, so add a little more than you think you will need. I used two tablespoons, and it could have easily used more. And really, what else do you want on cupcakes other than a nice, rich, chocolate whipped buttercream?
Sure, maybe we are down a few cars and have a headache of a car search coming up, but what we do have is a great recipe for cupcakes and a very fun weekend of cake workshopping ahead of me. And, those things are worth their weight in scrap metal.
Beet Root Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
These Beet Root Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting are naturally-flavored pink cupcakes that are as creamy and chocolatey as they look.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 18 servings
Ingredients
|| Beet Root Cupcakes ||
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons beet root powder
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup whole milk
|| Chocolate Frosting ||
1 1/2 cups butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of salt
1/2 cup cocoa powder
3 cups confectioners sugar
1/3 cup whole cream
Instructions
|| Beet Root Cupcakes || Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake trays with 18 cupcake liners coated with baking spray.
Cream the oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, and beet root powder together until combined. Add the flour, and sprinkle in the baking powder. Mix on low, and slowly add the milk until just combined.
Scoop batter into the cupcake liners to the halfway point. Bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes until fully set.
|| Chocolate Frosting || Mix the butter, vanilla, salt, and cocoa powder until combined. Add the confectioners sugar. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and continue to combine. Add the whole cream, and whip together until soft and airy.
Frost cupcakes with chocolate frosting once they’ve cooled.
Keywords: beetroot, buttercream, cake, cupcakes,
