Beet the Blues Cupcakes (July Cupcake Hero Entry)

By flour_arrangements

You red right ;). These are a spin on the traditional red velvet cupcake; they have less food coloring because I added beet juice to the mix! You can't even taste it...maybe it's the little dose of coffee I added to the cupcakes? :) Whatever it is, they are good and rich!

Ingredients

• The beet juice part :):
• 1/3 cup beet juice
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 cup water
• For the cupcake batter:
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg
• 3/4 TBSP food coloring
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 TBSP coffee granules
• 1/2 cup lowfat milk
• 1/8 cup canola oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• For the topping:
• 1 1/4 cup blueberries
• 2/3 cups white chocolate
• lowfat milk (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 TBSP corn starch
• For the filling:
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp coconut extract (or vanilla)

Details

Servings 8

Preparation

Step 1

For the beet juice part:
Combine beet juice, water, and sugar in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil until it slightly thickens (about 7 minutes).

For the cupcake batter:
Preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, and cocoa. Stir with a fork. Once these ingredients are mixed together, add the beet juice concoction, food coloring, the milk, egg, sugar, and oil. Mix until smooth. Lastly, stir in the coffee granules.
Bake cupcakes at 350 for about 18 minutes

For the blueberry topping:
Fill a microwave safe, glass measuring cup 2/3 of the way with white chocolate chips. In that same cup with the chips, add the milk until it reaches the 2/3 cup line. Melt in microwave, stirring occasionally.

Once the white chocolate are combined, pour the substance into a sauce pan. Add the corn starch and mix. Lastly add the blueberries THEN turn the flame on to a medium-low setting. Slowly bring to a boil and cook until berry substance thickens. Cool.

For the thick inside frosting:
Mash 3 tbsp softened butter in a small/medium sized bowl. Slowly add in the powdered sugar, you can add more sugar depending on how thick you want the frosting. Lastly, stir in the coconut extract. Mix until smooth. Keep in fridge until ready to use.

Preparing the cupcakes:
When cupcakes are warm, right out of the oven. Lightly press a half measuring teaspoon into their centers, creating a small crater. Now let cool.

When the cupcakes are cooled (about 30 minutes after coming out of the oven), use the same half teaspoon to fill the cupcakes with the coconut frosting.

Top cupcakes with blueberry topping. Let the cupcakes set in the fridge, then DEVOUR! :D (It's best to eat these after the topping has 'set', once the cupcakes have rested in the fridge for a couple of hours).

Keep refrigerated!