Bubbling cauldrons are no where to be seen, but there’s definitely something strange brewing in this busy little kitchen. Between standard ingredients that behave contrary to common knowledge, mysteriously disappearing treats, downright impossible recipes that actually work (and quite well, I might add!), it’s hard to deny the unlikely alchemy going on every day. It’s easy to ignore the small, everyday signs that the kitchen could perhaps be enchanted by an otherworldly force, but when I pulled this last batch of cupcakes, you would have to be blind to deny the witchcraft of this working space.
Blue cupcakes. Bright purple frosting. No food coloring, naturally, so even I could hardly believe what I had baked. Truly, what sort of malicious curse would turn innocent confections into visions of the dark arts?
Believe it or not, the powerful wizardry here comes from a very unlikely source; A potato. Though it looks just like any other tuber from the outside, slice open a beni-imo and the magic will become clear. Bright violet through and through, these humble spuds don’t lose their color once boiled or exposed to air, making them a prime coloring candidate. Better yet, their mild, sweet flavor is somewhat akin to a pumpkin or sweet potato, making it easy to substitute an equal amount of purple potato puree in your favorite pumpkin cake recipe for a frightening new hue.
However, even more unusual is that once baked, my beni-imo cupcakes turned not only blue, but strangely swirled with emerald green! This is some sort of witchcraft that’s beyond me, since the batter was thoroughly mixed before hitting the oven… My best guess is that it’s due to a reaction with the baking soda or powder, but further experimentation is clearly necessary. While the results may look quite creepy indeed, they’re far less scary than the average consumer cupcake pumped up with Red Dye #40 and Blue Lake #1- That’s for sure!