Beet Cupcakes With Chocolate Ganache
Why I Love This Recipe
This is one of those cupcakes that has been on my to-do lists for about, oh... a year. Seriously. I finally got around to doing another cupcake in general as well. It's been a few months, but I needed a break to work on other projects, do school, do holidays, try other types of baking and so on. So no worries, we are back on track and I haven't given up the cupcake ghost.
I admire beets, their deep red, staining color. Their intensely earthy and sweet flavor. Their musky scent. Sure children the world over anathematize them, but when part of a rich, fruity, and velvety beet cake who can resist? They add lots of sugar and flavor to the cake and keep it nice and moist. For those of you who have never had beet cake, I assure you, you are missing out.
I was originally planning to pair them with some candied kumquats but after three stores searching I quit the kumquat search. I instead candied some beet matchsticks and Meyer lemon peel. These fruity counterpoints, held in place with a simple ganache, make for a deeply sweet and curious tasting cupcake that elicits small moans with each bite.
Ingredients You'll Need
2 cups beet puree (about 3 large beets)
1 cup of unsalted butter, melted
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup tightly packed brown sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
1 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoons of salt
Directions
Peel and chop the beets and wrap in foil with a dab of butter and roast for one hour at 350 F. Puree in a food processor and let cool completely.
Mix together the melted butter, sugars, eggs, and water until smooth.
Combine the cocoa powder, flour, salt, and baking powder. Slowly sift into the wet ingredients until just combined.
Fold in the beet puree. Scoop into cupcake papers about 1/4th of the way full.
Bake for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean (it will be red, but should have no cake on it). Let sit for a minute then, let cool on a wire rack.
Pour in chocolate ganache, and decorate with candied beet sticks and lemon peel. Let sit until ganache hardens.
