Red Velvet Cupcakes - diet dessert (an oxymoron)

I bought the new Cook Yourself Thin cookbook.  I've only tried a couple of recipes so far but they've both been good so it's worth a try...

Fuchsia cupcakes with meringuey frosting...

Ingredients

3 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup grated fresh beets, raw and peeled

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup ground almonds

2 tsps baking powder

1 tsp red food colouring

2 tsps cocoa powder

1/3 cup buttermilk

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 and line 12 muffin cups.  In the mixer, add eggs, sugar and salt and beat until pale yellow and doubled in size.  Then add beets, flour, ground almonds, cocoa powder and baking powder.  When I make this next time, I will increase the cocoa powder - maybe to 3 tsps.

Mix until well combined - then add buttermilk and red food colouring.  Beat til smooth and then spoon into muffin cups.



frosting

3 large egg whites

1 cup sugar

pinch of salt

1 tsp of vanilla

Mix all ingredients together in a double boiler and beat until peaks form.  Refrigerate for an hour before icing cupcakes.

Definitely NOT a guilty pleasure - YUM!