Because I was so enamored with the pastels in the Little Twin Stars Palette, I was inspired to create an accompanying recipe featuring the pink and blue from the collection. Enter my pink velvet cupcakes with blue kiwi frosting. I used natural vegan ingredients to create the colors, and I am so thrilled with how they turned out!
Ingredients
1 cup vegan butter, softened (+ 1 cup for frosting)
1 1/2 cups organic sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (+ 1/2 teaspoon for frosting)
1 teaspoon beetroot powder and/or natural pink food coloring
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup non-dairy milk
16 oz powdered sugar
1 kiwi, puréed and strained (this should yield about 1.5 tablespoons green kiwi juice)
1/2 teaspoon spirulina powder or natural aqua food coloring
vegan pastel sprinkles (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a mini muffin pan with teensy weensy paper liners (I opted for bubblegum pink which faded to a pastel peach color in the oven).
Using a standing mixer or large mixing bowl with hand mixer, cream together 1 cup vegan butter with 1 1/2 cups sugar. Add in 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (this is our miracle healthy egg replacer), 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon beetroot powder and/or natural pink food coloring until you reach the cutest shade of pink. For natural food coloring I like the "Nature's Colors" set from India Tree. Another great option is pink pitaya (dragon fruit) powder. This is the wet mixture.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. This is the dry mixture.
Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, alternating along with 1 cup non-dairy milk until smooth.
Spoon slightly less than a tablespoon of batter into each lined mini muffin cup. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Let cool a few minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
Now it's time for that super fun kiwi frosting. In a standing mixer or large mixing bowl with hand mixer, cream together the remaining 1 cup vegan butter with 16 oz powdered sugar (which is really 2 cups but I always list it as 16 oz since that's how it is listed on the bag or box of powdered sugar). Add in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or more to taste), plus the kiwi (juice) and spirulina powder or natural food coloring. If the kiwi makes your frosting too runny, you can always add a bit more powdered sugar to thicken it up. Chill the frosting until the cupcakes are completely cool and ready to frost.
For my frosting technique, I used a piping bag and large star tip in a circular motion on each cupcake. You can also go old school and simply spread frosting on with a knife. Optionally, top cupcakes with celestial pastel sprinkles.
Thanks so much for reading. Enjoy!
Ingredients
1 cup vegan butter, softened (+ 1 cup for frosting)
1 1/2 cups organic sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (+ 1/2 teaspoon for frosting)
1 teaspoon beetroot powder and/or natural pink food coloring
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup non-dairy milk
16 oz powdered sugar
1 kiwi, puréed and strained (this should yield about 1.5 tablespoons green kiwi juice)
1/2 teaspoon spirulina powder or natural aqua food coloring
vegan pastel sprinkles (optional)
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a mini muffin pan with teensy weensy paper liners (I opted for bubblegum pink which faded to a pastel peach color in the oven).
Using a standing mixer or large mixing bowl with hand mixer, cream together 1 cup vegan butter with 1 1/2 cups sugar. Add in 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (this is our miracle healthy egg replacer), 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon beetroot powder and/or natural pink food coloring until you reach the cutest shade of pink. For natural food coloring I like the "Nature's Colors" set from India Tree. Another great option is pink pitaya (dragon fruit) powder. This is the wet mixture.
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. This is the dry mixture.
Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, alternating along with 1 cup non-dairy milk until smooth.
Spoon slightly less than a tablespoon of batter into each lined mini muffin cup. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean. Let cool a few minutes in the pan, then remove to a rack to cool completely.
Now it's time for that super fun kiwi frosting. In a standing mixer or large mixing bowl with hand mixer, cream together the remaining 1 cup vegan butter with 16 oz powdered sugar (which is really 2 cups but I always list it as 16 oz since that's how it is listed on the bag or box of powdered sugar). Add in the remaining 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (or more to taste), plus the kiwi (juice) and spirulina powder or natural food coloring. If the kiwi makes your frosting too runny, you can always add a bit more powdered sugar to thicken it up. Chill the frosting until the cupcakes are completely cool and ready to frost.
For my frosting technique, I used a piping bag and large star tip in a circular motion on each cupcake. You can also go old school and simply spread frosting on with a knife. Optionally, top cupcakes with celestial pastel sprinkles.
Thanks so much for reading. Enjoy!