Recipe: Chocolate and Red Wine Mini Cupcakes with Greek Yogurt Frosting (using beets)

CHOCOLATE AND RED WINE MINI CUPCAKES

"Rich red wine gives these small indulgences big flavor and deep, dark color that hides a mystery ingredient: beets! The ruby-red roots add sweetness and moisture while tinting the frosting a pretty pink."

Butter-flavor cooking spray
3⁄4 cup white whole-wheat flour
1⁄4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1⁄4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1⁄2 cup pur ed canned no-salt-added beets, with liquid reserved
1⁄4 cup red wine, such as Merlot (regular or nonalcoholic)
1 tablespoon canola or corn oil
1 large egg
Frosting (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 24 cup mini muffin pan with cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon until well blended.

In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the buttermilk, beets, wine, oil, and egg. Stir the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture until the batter is just moistened but no flour is visible. Don't overmix; the batter should be lumpy. Spoon 1 tablespoon of batter into each muffin cup.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack. Let cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pan. Transfer to the rack. Let cool completely, about 20 minutes.

Spread the frosting on the cooled cupcakes.

FROSTING

1⁄4 cup fat-free tub cream cheese
1⁄4 cup fat-free plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon confectioners' sugar, sifted
1⁄2 teaspoon reserved beet juice
1⁄2 teaspoon cornstarch

In a small bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat together the frosting ingredients for 1 minute, or just until smooth (don't overbeat or the frosting will be too thin). Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using to frost the cupcakes.

Make 24 mini cupcakes

Per serving (1 mini cupcake): Calories 92, Total fat 2.0 g, Saturated fat 0.5 g, Trans fat 0.0 g, Polyunsaturated fat 0.5 g, Monounsaturated fat 1.0 g, Cholesterol 17 mg, Sodium 125 mg, Carbohydrates 14 g, Fiber 1 g, Sugars 8 g, Protein 4 g

Dietary Exchanges: 1/2 other carbohydrate, 1/2 fat


Used by permission to Recipelink.com from Clarkson Potter
Adapted from source: American Heart Association The Go Red For Women Cookbook by American Heart Association