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1. Preheat your oven to 350 F.
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2. It's beet time. Note: this will stain your hands, clothes and anything it touches. You can hold the beet with a paper towel, get some food safe gloves, or just have light pink hands for a day. Be sure to wash your beet well, they're pretty muddy. Peel the beet and then grate it (using the really small holes on your box grater) until you have about a cup. Then add the grated beet into a food processor and blend a bit longer until ground into even smaller pieces. The beet will add coloring and you'll see specks in the batter, but you don't really want the taste. Set aside.
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3. Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, and cream of tartar in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
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4. In a large bowl cream the butter and sugar together. Add in the eggs and vanilla and mix. Now add the beets, vinegar, and buttermilk. At this point mine looked like a curdled mess, ignore your urge to throw it all out and keep going!
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5. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet, stirring after each addition. Be sure to scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl.
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6. Put your cupcake liners in a 12-count muffin pan and fill the batter to the top. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the pan from the oven and let them cool in the pan for 2 minutes and then remove cupcakes from pan and let them cool on a wire rack.
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For the frosting:
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Cream the butter and cream cheese together in a large bowl. It helps to soften the cream cheese a bit with the butter. You can either set it out beforehand or pop it in the microwave for 15-20 seconds.
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Add the sugar and vanilla and mix well on high.
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Scoop frosting into a piping bag, using whatever tip design you like and ice those cupcakes!
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Enjoy!
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(Adapted From Big Bake Theory and Food Network)
