Featured Recipe
Beetroot Cupcakes with Mascarpone Cream
By Kate
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Beetroot shredded, butter, and lemon juice softened together. Flour, baking powder, and salt mixed. Eggs whipped with sugar, lemon zest, vanilla. Dry ingredients folded alternately with beet mix. A dozen cups filled, topped with slivered almonds, baked 18-23 minutes. Beetroot syrup made by boiling water, honey, sugar, shredded beetroot till syrupy, then strained. Mascarpone whipped with cream and sugar till stiff peaks. Assembly with mascarpone disk, cupcake, drizzle beet syrup.
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Prep:
40 min
Cook:
25 min
Total:
Serves:
12 servings
cupcakes
desserts
beets
cakes
frosting
Introduction
Beetroot in cake? Yes. Unexpected color, earthy sweetness. Mix shreddies in butter and lemon. Batter built around eggs beaten with sugar, twisted with lemon zest and vanilla. Almonds for crunch. Oven set just right, cupcakes baked till firm. Beet syrup reduced from water, honey, sugar, and more beets lumps filtered out after simmer. Cream whipped rich with mascarpone and thick cream plus sugar. Layers assembled simply. Layer of cream, then cake, then drizzle of syrup. Complex but stripped down. Sweet, sour, creamy. Earth meets citrus. Ready to shock usual cupcake crowd.
Ingredients
Beet Syrup
- 115 ml water
- 110 ml honey
- 95 g sugar
- 75 g shredded peeled beetroot
- 250 g mascarpone cheese softened
- 110 ml 35% cream
- 25 ml sugar
Mascarpone Cream
About the ingredients
Reduce beet quantity by a bit for less moisture, roughly 120g instead of 170g here. Butter trimmed down as well for balance. Swap baking powder to 7ml to use a bit more lift. Sugar decreased by about 15% for subtler sweetness. Honey increased slightly for the beet syrup to deepen notes. Vanilla extract stays standard but almond topping upped slightly to 60g for more texture contrast. Mascarpone and cream quantities lowered gently to keep the frosting lighter. Lemon is a focus, both juice and zest, to lift earthiness. The beet shred sizes consistent, finely grated for smoother integration. Ingredients reorganized to streamline prep. Egg count steady at two but beaten thoroughly.
Method
Cakes
- Set oven rack mid-level. Heat oven to 175 C (345 F). Butter and flour 12 muffin tins well.
- Melt butter in pan on medium-high. Add beetroot and lemon juice. Cook 6 mins till softened. Cool mix to room temp then chill.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, salt together in bowl.
- In separate bowl, beat eggs, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla for 2 minutes with electric mixer.
- Fold dry ingredients into wet in batches, alternating with beetroot mix at low speed.
- Divide batter evenly. Sprinkle almonds on top.
- Bake 18-23 mins until toothpick clean. Remove carefully onto rack. Cool fully.
- Combine water, honey, sugar, shredded beetroot in small saucepan. Boil while stirring. Simmer ~15 mins till syrup thickens slightly.
- Strain syrup through fine sieve, discard solids. Cool fully. Refrigerate.
- Use electric mixer to whip mascarpone, cream, sugar till firm peaks form.
- Spread 3 tbsp mascarpone cream on plate like a disk. Position a cupcake in center.
- Drizzle with beet syrup over cupcake. Serve immediately.
Beet Syrup
Mascarpone Cream
Assemble
Technique Tips
Start preheating before beetstep. Melt butter and soften beets for a solid 6 minutes, slightly longer than original for mellowness. Cool beet mixture fully before folding in drys and eggs, ensuring batter isn’t warm, preventing curdled eggs. Alternate dry flour blend with beet mix carefully at low speed to avoid gluten development. Baking duration tuned to 18-23 minutes, checking earlier for doneness with a clean toothpick. Beet syrup simmer time adjusted longer, closer to 15 minutes, for thicker consistency before straining well. Mascarpone and cream whipped until firm, slightly less sweet than first version. Assembly flows from crema base laid flat, cupcake centered, syrup drizzled gently atop to avoid sogginess. Serve soon after dressing to keep textures intact.
Chef's Notes
- 💡 Use fresh, shredded beetroot. Affects taste and color. Consistency matters. Finely grate for smoother blend. Balance with butter. Too much moisture can lead to soggy cupcakes.
- 💡 When whipping mascarpone and cream, use cold ingredients. Cold bowl helps. Whip until stiff peaks. Monitor closely, blend too long and it turns grainy. Consistency is key.
- 💡 This recipe needs precise measurements. Use scale, not cups. Ingredient variance can alter texture. Flour type matters too. All-purpose preferred. Unbleached gives a better result.
- 💡 Baking time can vary. Oven temps are fickle. Check less than 20 minutes for doneness. Toothpick test is reliable. Cupcakes should bounce back slightly when pressed.
- 💡 Store leftovers in airtight container. Refrigerate to maintain freshness. Consume soon. Toppings can moisture the cake. Wrap each cupcake if storing for more than a day.
Kitchen Wisdom
How can I make these cupcakes gluten free?
Use gluten-free flour blend. Check baking powder too. Adjust liquids. Bake same.
What if I want to add spices like cinnamon?
Sure, go light. Use a dash. Mix with dry ingredients. Too much alters beet flavor.
Why is my mascarpone cream too runny?
Over-whipped or warm ingredients. Use cold mascarpone. Whip gradually till peaks form. Watch consistently.
Can these cupcakes be frozen?
Yes, freeze without frosting. Wrap well in plastic. Thaw safely in fridge later. Add frosting when ready to eat.
