Red Velvet Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder 
• 2 cups cake flour sifted
• 0.7 cup canola oil 
• 3 large eggs beaten to blend
• 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 0.1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 12 servings cranberry-orange relish 
• 0.5 teaspoon orange zest such as boyajian brand, or 1 large orange pure
• 2 cups powdered sugar 
• 1 pound beets red scrubbed (3 medium)
• 0.8 teaspoon sea salt fine
• 1 cup butter unsalted at room temperature
• 0.3 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 0.8 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• frying pan
• baking sheet
• oven
• whisk
• blender
• toothpicks
• aluminum foil
• spatula
• muffin liners
• muffin tray
• pastry bag

Directions

1. Make cupcakes: Preheat oven to 35
2. Wrap each beet in foil, put on a rimmed baking sheet, and roast until tender when pierced, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
3. Let cool. Peel, cut into chunks, and pure in a food processor. Measure 1 1/4 cups pure.
4. Line a 12-cup muffin pan (1/2-cup size) with paper liners. Sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.
5. Whisk together beet pure, granulated sugar, eggs, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl. With a plastic spatula, stir in flour mixture one-third at a time just until smooth.
6. Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each almost to the top of the liner.
7. Bake until cupcakes spring back when gently pressed and a toothpick inserted in center of one comes out with a couple of moist crumbs clinging, 25 to 30 minutes.
8. Let cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes.
9. Transfer to rack to cool completely.
10. Make buttercream: Beat butter with a mixer on high speed until very smooth.
11. Add powdered sugar, orange oil, and vanilla; beat on low speed to blend, then on medium until fluffy and smooth.
12. Spread a thick layer of buttercream on cupcakes, swirling it decoratively. Or pipe frosting from a pastry bag, using a star tip.
13. Make ahead: Up to 1 day, chilled.
14. *Find pure orange oil, an essential oil pressed from orange rind (and different from orange extract), at surlatable.com