Chocolate Cupcakes with Natural Pink Buttercream

Happy Valentine's Day!

My final post for this holiday is, again, something chocolate. But I'm mostly excited to have found a natural way to color icing, using fruits or vegetables to get great color.
I found this blogger, who gives a wonderful post on obtaining natural colorings to use for royal icing on cookies. I tried it for the frosting and I made this beautiful pink color for the buttercream using beets! I'm sure this would work great to color any icing, frosting or even the cake itself. I'd love to try it for Red Velvet Cake. I have made cake with beets before but this is the first time I've used it for coloring. Oh, and, in case you're wondering...no, the frosting doesn't taste like beets!

But I'm getting ahead of myself. The chocolate cupcake recipe is from Dorie Greenspan's book, "Baking: From My Home To Yours". It's a lovely moist chocolatey cake and makes a perfect little treat.

So, if it's not too late, whip up a batch of these sweet Valentine's Cupcakes.

First melt the 2 oz. of bittersweet chocolate, double boiler style, over barely simmering water and set that aside.

Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.

Beat the butter til soft and creamy.

Then add the sugar and beat 2 minutes, til well blended into the butter.

Add the egg, then the egg yolk, beating a minute after each addition.

Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.

Then beat in the 1/2 tsp. of vanilla.

Reduce the mixer to low speed and add half of the dry ingredients.

Add in the 1/2 cup of buttermilk, mixing til just incorporated...

Then the last half of the dry ingredients, mixing just til the flour disappears.

Using a rubber spatula, stir in the melted chocolate.

Then scoop the batter into your muffin cups lined with paper liners.

Bake for about 22 minutes, or til a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Just a shot of the beets before I roasted them in the oven with water for the natural coloring. It's really an easy process and it's kind of neat to be able to obtain a color this way.

Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting with Natural Coloring

(Cupcakes from"Baking: From My Home To Yours", by Dorie Greenspan)

Cupcakes:
1 cup AP flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room. temp.

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 oz. bittersweet chocolate. melted and cooled

Vanilla Buttercream:

1 cup ( 2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

6-8 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup whole milk

2 tsp. vanilla

Coloring, natural or otherwise, if using.( Enough to obtain the desired color)

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Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin pan with paper liners.

1. Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and slat in a medium bowl and set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl, beat the butter on medium speed til soft and creamy.

3. Add the sugar and beat 2 minutes til well blended into the butter.

4. Add the egg, then the egg yolk, beating 1 minute after each addition. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.

5. Beat in the vanilla, then reduce the mixer to low sped and add half the flour mixture mixing til flour just disappears. Scrape the bowl.

6.Add in the buttermilk, mixing til just incorporated.

7. Mix in the remaining flour mixture, scraping the bowl to get it all combined.

8. With a rubber spatula, stir in the melted chocolate.

9. Scoop the batter into the muffin cups, filling about 2/3 full and bake for about 22 minutes, or til a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the cupcakes cool a few minutes in the an, then trasnfer to a wire rack to cool.

Vanilla Buttercream:

1. Place butter in a bowl and begin beating, gradually adding in 4 cups of confectioners' sugar, milk and vanilla.

2. On medium speed, beat til smooth and creamy, about 3 - 5 minutes.(Be sure to beat for the correct amount of time for desired creamy texture).

3. Gradually add the remaining confectioners' sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each addition, til thick enough to be of good spreading consistency. ( You may not need all of the sugar).

4. If using a coloring, add it in now, a little at a time, til you achieve the desired color, mixing thoroughly.

The frosting can be stored in an air tight container at room temp. for up to 3 days.