The Pirouette Cupcake

Let me introduce myself with the recipe for The Pirouette cupcake. The Pirouette Cupcake is a marble, vanilla beetroot cupcake with a cream cheese frosting, made with whipped cream. I wanted to create a red velvet cupcake and make it a little more interesting, as there are already many red velvet cupcakes out there. I started thinking about, how I could make a similar one and thought of beetroots, Greek yogurt, and marbling. And so, I started testing and this recipe has now become my favorite, that I have made so far. This recipe is perfect for the ones, who want their kids to eat a little bit more veggies, but refuse to other ways. Just like balancing is required while making pirouettes when rollerskating, creating this cupcake is a little tricky – to get the perfect red color, the pH balance of the dough and the oven temperature need to be balanced and just right. This recipe is for 12 cupcakes.

Ingredients

For the red dough:

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon table salt

½  tablespoon baking powder

¼  teaspoon baking soda

½  cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½  cup beetroot puree

2 tablespoons lemon juice

½ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 egg

For the vanilla dough:

1 cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon table salt

½  tablespoon baking powder

¼  teaspoon baking soda

½  cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½  cup Greek yogurt

½ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 egg

For the frosting:

1 cup cream cheese

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon beetroot

1 cup Confectioner’s sugar

A pinch of table salt

1 teaspoon of vanilla sugar

1 pack of whipped cream stabilizer (like Dr. Oetker Whip It)

For the decorations:

You can choose premade suitable small cake decorations from the store or make your own using white chocolate like I did.

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C).
2. Line in a 12-count muffin tin with paper liners.

For the red dough:

1. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, vanilla sugar (if using vanilla extract, add it in the end) and the butter, until creamy.
3. Add eggs, and beetroot puree and whisk until well combined (wet ingredients).
4. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient mixture and mix until combined (overmixing is not a good solution).  

For the vanilla dough:

1. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, whisk together granulated sugar, vanilla sugar (if using vanilla extract, add it in the end) and the butter, until creamy.
3. Add eggs, and Greek yogurt and whisk until well combined (wet ingredients).
4. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient mixture and mix until combined (overmixing is not a good solution).  

For the cupcakes:

1. For the marble effect take turns putting the two batters into the muffin liners with a spoon and using a wooden toothpick, swirl lightly, to get the marble effect.
2. Fill each muffin liner to ¾ full.
3. Bake in a preheated oven for approximately 20 minutes, until the centers are set, verify with a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin.
4. Let the muffins cool and before serving, cover with the frosting.

For the frosting:

To make the frosting, you will need a large bowl and a hand mixer or a stand mixer with a larger bowl.

1. Add cream cheese to a large bowl if using a hand mixer or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment.
2. Beat the cream cheese on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the Confectioner’s sugar (it is best to use a sieve so, there are no lumps) and gently fold it in with a spatula.
4. Add a pinch of table salt and vanilla (sugar or extract).
5. Using the mixer, cream the cream cheese and sugar until well combined.
6. Combine the ingredients and turn the mixer to high speed for approximately a minute.
7. Add the heavy cream and the stabilizer.
8. Cream the mixture until fluffy.
9. Add the beetroot puree and gently mix.
10. The beetroot will have small parts, that will give more color out. To get an even color, mix the frosting with a spatula after 10 minutes.

Notes:

• If you don’t have beetroot puree you can make your own by buying steemed beetroots and using a hand blender.
• The lemon juice in the red batter is essential to keep the pH balance and the red color intact.
• Do not overbake or use a higher oven temperature, as the red batter will turn brown.
• Always be careful, use appropriate safety measures, and read the manufacturer’s instructions before using electrical or other kitchen equipment or accessories. Adult supervision and oversight are essential in the kitchen!

Have a spinning time baking!