Monday, July 28, 2008

Beet the Blues Cupcakes! (July Cupcake Hero Entry)



Ok...so I could really use a break from all the packing. I'm on the verge of entering that overwhelmed phase in the packing process...the one where running away from the cardboard boxes and hiding under the bed until the Monster of Mess leaves the house sounds like a reasonable option! (This is why I've decided to take a break and post my July Cupcake Hero Challenge entry. :)

Speaking of monsters, all these cupcakes need is a pair of googly eyes and they're set -- they're practically alive! Don't they look like they belong on the set of a Jim Henson show? But they're not alive :), thank goodness. They're definitely edible and rich, rich, rich in flavor! They're dense too.


This is how to stuff 'em!

And the title for the red velvet-inspired cupcakes? These cupcakes are dedicated to good times in Austin, TX. If you love it here, but you're a little sad about leaving (like me..so many good memories here!), they'll help you beet the blues ;) (the hubby came up with the cool title, btw). So there are beets in here? Yes! I used beet juice as part of the coloring for the cupcakes. My initial plan was to just use beet juice, but after adding the cocoa powder, I knew they were gonna need a little bit of help, so I added a little under a tablespoon of food coloring to the batter. I'm not proud to admit this :(, I don't like using artificial colors...next time around, I hope to get ahold of more beet juice and try tweaking the recipe to include it. Thankfully, the folks at work liked them and they couldn't taste the beet juice! Guess what else? I only needed about 1/8 cup of canola oil to make the batter! But the topping totally takes away from any 'lightness' of the actual cupcake :P...but if these cupcakes want to taste the sweetness of a cupcake hero victory, they're gonna need a little bit of the 'good stuff'. After all, I've never seen a puny cupcake hero :)!



Alright, my next post will be for this month's Daring Bakers Challenge (I did it way ahead of time, there's no way I'm baking right now! :). Next time I'm bakin' anything, I'll be in Boston!

Beet the Blues Cupcakes (July Cupcake Hero Entry)

You red right ;). These are a spin on the traditional ...

See Beet the Blues Cupcakes (July Cupcake Hero Entry) on Key Ingredient.

16 comments:

Sweet Treats by Dani said...

These look like fun! I cannot wait for the weather to cool downa bit and try them :) The pics look great!

CB said...

I love that you used beet juice! Awesome creativity and props to hubs for coming up with the alliterative name. Thanks for entering!
Clara @ iheartcuppycakes!

Anonymous said...

Wow, these look great Sophie! I love the way the sauce dribbles down the sides... yum!

Anonymous said...

beet juice and Sophie for the win!
wish I could come help you pack, I love doing it.

Emily said...

I like the red, white and blue!
I admire you for using beet juice. I've used artificial coloring, in the past, but I want to stop. That red velvet cake I made, freaked me out.

These look great! Good luck with the move.

Tracy said...

Delicious...I love anything with blueberries or cream...Genial with the beet juice! Pity I wasn't closer, I'd help you pack up too :o) Happy Day ((HUGS))

grace said...

oh sophie, this is fabulous! blueberries and white chocolate are delightful, therefore i'd like to stick my face in a bowl of that topping! :)

Michele said...

Impressive!!! I never would have thought of using beet juice!!! You go girl!!!

Deborah said...

I can see how these would help beat the blues! Hope the move is going well!

Anonymous said...

Great title! I love these cupcakes, and I like that they use so little oil. There are so many levels to this cupcake that make it exciting--the filling, the cake itself, and of course the topping.

Good luck with the packing! My friend and I once conceived of a packing service (maybe it already exists)... but we wanted to hire people to pack and unpack (even worse) all our stuff when we've moved. How nice would that be?!

Y said...

I hate packing as well, and then there's the thought of having to unpack every thing when you reach your destination.. argh! It's enough to make me reach for a cupcake too! ;P

Mama Mia said...

oh my gosh! how beautiful are those? By the way... I would like to pass on the Yum-yum blog award to you. Check it out on my blog! :)

Vera said...

Sophie, I wish you a stressless move (if such a thing is possible).

Tara said...

Those look super fun!! And delicious!

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Anonymous said...

These look great. I just found your blog and am so excited.
Yes, beet juice. I've tried to use it many times. It bleaches out with heat. Even tried adding it to my red velvet cake after cooking. no, that didn't work either. and natural red food dye (expensive as it is) also doesn't work well with cooking, even says that on the package. :(