My daughter is obsessed with pink. pink. pink. pink.

… and more pink.

There are days that this neutral and earthy color loving mom can barely stand it. I mean really, there’s only so much pink that I can take.  I clinched my teeth when she said she wanted to paint her room pink, cringed when she asked Santa for a pink bicycle, and shook my head when she said I should wear a pink dress to a James McMurtry show but there is one think I will never say no to and that’s pink cupcakes.

Made with all natural ingedients and free of red#40, these Beet Orange Cupcakes are sweet, delicious, and in retrospect, more nutritious than your standered cupcake. I know what your thinking — beets…in a cupcake…that’s never going to fly with my kid sock monkey slipper girl. You may be right but like my mom says (and I’m sure yours does as well) you will never know if you don’t try it.

Beet Orange Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting are sweet, delicious, and packed with just enough beets to provide the perfect pink hue and just a touch of awesome vitamins that beets have to offer without an overwhelming beet taste. This recipe is 100% Mia (the resident 4 year old) approved but she warns that they will turn your belly into the color of a pink sunset. Thank you Pinkalicious.

Beet Orange Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting makes 12

for the cupcakes:

• 1 3/4 cup all purpose flour, sifted
• 1/2 Tablespoon orange zest
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup butter at room temperature
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup beet puree*
• 3 Tablespoons cream cheese
• 2 Tablespoons orange juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

for the icing:

• 8 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon beet puree*

beet puree:

• 1 to 2 large beets

You will need 1 cup + 1 Tablespoon of beet puree for this recipe. Since every beet is practically different at anytime of the year, I can not say an exact amount of raw beets cooked and pureed will result in exactly the amount needed. Sometimes it takes 1 beet at a certain weight to make 1 cup of puree and sometimes it doesn’t. So it never hurts to make a little extra. I find using 2 large beets for this is always good backup and if you have extra puree, freeze it for another use (like pancakes!).

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wrap washed beets separately in foil and place on a baking sheet. Roast for 45 to 55 minutes until the beets can be pierced easily with a fork. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Unwrap the beets and under running water peel the beets with your fingers. The skin will slip right off by simply rubbing it and your fingers will not be stained because of the water. Nice tip huh?

Place the beets in a food processor or blender and puree for 1 minute until extremely smooth. Reserve 1 cup + 1 tablespoon for the recipe. Any remainder can be stored in a freezable container or bag and kept frozen for up to 3 months. This puree can be made up to four days in advance and stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

Now on to the cupcakes!

Preheat oven to 325°F. In a medium bowl, combine flour, orange zest, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a stand mixer, combine sugar and butter and beat on medium-high until fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time to the butter mixture and mix until combined. Then add beet puree, cream cheese, orange juice, and vanilla. Once everything is incorporated, slowly add the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Be careful not to overmix at this point or you’ll end up with a tough cupcake. PINK! This is the point where Mia starts to scream.

Line a cupcake/muffin tin with cupcake liners (I’m using parchment paper squares because they’re purdy). Using a spoon or ice cream scoop, fill the liners with the batter. Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes until cooked through (a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean). Carefully remove the cupcakes from the tin and allow to cool on a cooling rack until completely cooled.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make the frosting. In a stand or electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, powdered sugar, and beet puree on high until combined and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. At this point you can put the frosting in the refrigerator to set a bit or go on and start icing the cooled cupcakes. The icing can be made a day in advance.

Once the cupcakes are cooled, use a spoon or piping bag to frost the top of the cupcakes. Serve immediately.

Soooo Pinkaliciously good! With this cupcake, I don’t mind if Mia has two. Cheers!

By the way if any of y’all are wondering… the foundation of this cupcake recipe is based off of Meyer Lemon Cupcakes from The Family Meal. It’s my favorite cupcake recipe base and I use it for every cupcake recipe I make. Love it!