Cupcakes.
There I said it. No judgements. I LOVE CUPCAKES! The thicker the butter cream frosting the better as far as I’m concerned! But alas, I have no cupcake guilt because I turned my crush into something amazingly nutritious!!
If you haven’t already tried my recipe for soaked and digestible cupcakes, you are missing out! Soaking the flour renders the grain more digestible by reducing the phytic acid, but…a cupcake ain’t a cupcake without a mound of colored butter cream frosting right?
Before I get to what I use to color them, here’s what I don’t use. I avoid this type of food coloring at all costs. For real! The ingredients in conventional food coloring go a little something like this:
water, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, glycerine, sugar, sorbitol, modified food starch, FD&C Yellow #3, food starch-(modified corn), FD&C yellow #5, FD&C Red #3, FD&C Blue #1, FD&C Red #40, carrageenan, agar gum, sodium benzoate (presevative), potassium sorbate (preservative), salt and citric acid, FD&C Blue #2 (source)
To further disgust you, the chemical components of FD&C coloring are petroleum based and are known carcinogens. In fact the lab rats fed this stuff develop all sorts of problems from thyroid follicular cell hyperplasia to birth defects. Red Dye (allura) has even been linked to hyperactivity and attention difficulties in children, so I ask, “why are these chemical additives approved safe for human consumption AND why are they being given to our precious children?”
But, I’m always about solutions…
Here is a simple way to make your own food natural coloring using real food.
Tools/Equipment
Dehydrator or oven set to lowest temperature Sharp knife
Red/Pink
1. Peel then thinly and evenly slice beets and place on dehydrator sheet.
2. Set temperature to 150′ and dehydrate until crispy.
3. Allow to cool then remove and pulse in blender. For small jobs I use this.
4. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Orange
1. Peel then thinly and evenly slice carrots and place on dehydrator sheet.
2. Set temperature to 150′ and dehydrate until crispy.
3. Allow to cool then remove and pulse in blender. For small jobs I use this.
4. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Yellow
1. Peel then thinly and evenly slice butternut squash and place on dehydrator sheet.
2. Set temperature to 150′ and dehydrate until crispy.
3. Allow to cool then remove and pulse in blender. For small jobs I use this.
4. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Green
1. Wash then dry well a bunch of spinach. Remove stems and place on dehydrator sheet.
2. Set temperature to 150′ and dehydrate until crispy.
3. Allow to cool then remove and pulse in blender. For small jobs I use this.
4. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
Brown
1. Use cacao powder —> Have you ever wondered: what’s the difference between cacao and cocoa?
*These are made from real food and therefore can impart flavor to your icing if used in large quantities. I tested them on my kiddies cuz kids will tell you the truth. They really liked the squash, carrot, beet and chocolate (they said they were sweet and I have to agree). The spinach is best for a mild green color.
*Because these are dehydrated, they will store in a cabinet for up to a year.
Use grass fed, raw butter and organic ingredients to amp up the nutrients and lose the occasional bit of guilt.
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw butter at room temperature
- 3 1/2 cups of organic (corn free) icing sugar or finely ground sugar of your choice
- 1 tsp raw milk
- 1 tsp organic vanilla
- 1/8 tsp sea salt (omit if butter is salted)
- home made food coloring
Instructions
- Combine butter, sugar and salt in the bowl of your mixer and beat until smooth.
- Add milk and vanilla and continue beating until smooth.
- Add a few pinches of desired home made food coloring and beat until uniform.
- Dallop or pipe onto cupcakes and voila!
