Blue White and “Red” Velvet

First, since I was so busy this weekend, I’m guessing you were too and so I’m extending my Eversave giveaway for McKinnon’s Meat Market one more day!!  I’m picking a winner tomorrow!

Hope everyone had a fantastic 4th of July weekend!!  We were up in NH at my in-laws house for a bbq and some pool action. 

There was also the annual Center Harbor Road Race that I somehow talk myself into each year even though it’s the most miserable 5miles EVER.   This was also my very first road race a couple years ago.

Check out this mapmyrun.com profile so you can see what I mean when I say it’s one BIG hill!!

Well this year I once again talked myself into running….BUT last minute I made an executive decision to join in the 2-mile race instead.  BEST IDEA EVER.  It was 10am, already HOT and sunny, and I have not been training on any hills really so I knew I’d be miserable. 

Best 2 miles ever :)  They don’t chip time (annoying) and I didn’t have my Garmin or anything with me…just my ipod, but it took me around 18min which is great for me!

After the race, we lounged in Brian’s mom’s pool for a while, ate some BBQ leftovers and then headed home!

Now the cupcakes (with an unfortunate sad ending):

Pretty right?

Well, this was my first (and last for a while) attempt at “Red” velvet.  You know…I was going for the Red White & Blue theme of course.

I knew I wanted to make red velvet, with delicious cream cheese frosting.  However, I really did NOT want the ridiculous amount of food coloring.

So I tried the option of using beet puree in my batter instead. 

I wasn’t all too optimistic as I couldn’t really find a great recipe online using beets that delivered a classic “red” color, but I decided I’d rather have “not so red” velvet, than food coloring cupcakes. 

The batter was nice and red, as expected, but I had a feeling that wouldn’t last through the baking process. 

I actually used this Cooking Light recipe for the cake.    I made the following revisions:

• 7 oz cake flour + 3 oz whole wheat pastry flour
• ADD: 1/2 cup pureed beets (fresh beets, boiled, peeled, and pureed)
• SUBTRACT: 1/4 cup buttermilk and 2T butter to make up for the added moisture from the beets
• LEAVE OUT: red food coloring
• Mini cupcakes baked for 9-10 min

I also used red paper liners to enhance the “REDness” of it all.

However they came out more like a chocolate-looking cake with a slight red tinge.

I made 48 mini’s and 6 regular sized

I was happy with them regardless. 

Especially because the BEST part is obviously the cream cheese frosting!!

I used:

• 8 oz Neufchatel (reduced fat) cream cheese
• 4T butter, softened
• 3 -  3 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Start with 3 cups confectioners sugar, and remaining ingredients.  Blend on medium speed until creamy.   Add more sugar if needed to reach desired consistency.  I wanted mine really thick so I could pipe it. 

Mostly swirls with a few stars mixed in…

Then we needed the “Blue”.  Keeping with my naturally colored theme, I went with a simple blueberry.

So into my cupcake carrier they went!  I fit most of the mini’s in there, and put the 6 big ones, and 4 minis in another baking dish to take up to NH with me.

We arrive.  I get out of the car, grab the carrier…and then before I know what happened the bottom falls out and 40 mini cupcakes splatter all over the DIRT driveway!

This is what it looked like after we picked them up…

Now, I’m all over the 5 second rule, but not when there’s a lovely dusting of sand and gravel on my frosting!!

FAIL.

Well at least I got my nice “before” photos ;)  And we still had the 6 big ones, and 4 small ones to share!

Me and Red Velvet are taking a “break”.