People love Red Velvet.
But why does it have to only be red velvet? What about green velvet, purple velvet, or—dare I say it—blue velvet? When I was asked to make cupcakes for a boy baby shower, I figured it was the perfect opportunity to try my hand at blue velvet cupcakes. However, two problems existed: One, I wanted the cupcakes to be natural (no blue food coloring). And two, I didn’t have a healthy chocolate cupcake recipe!
EDIT: There is finally now also a Healthy Red Velvet Cupcake Recipe.
Experiments are always fun when they include chocolate, because you get to eat the not-so-perfect trials. (Fortunately and unfortunately for me, I got this cupcake recipe right on the first try.) At first, I’d planned to use a recipe straight from the cookbook, VCTOTW. But as I worked, I changed it up completely!
Blue Velvet Cupcakes
(healthy and low-fat!)
- 1 cup spelt or white flour
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup sugar of choice
- 1 and 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup yogurt (I used SoDelicious plain coconut)
- 3 tablespoons canola oil or melted coconut oil
- 1/2 cup milk of choice
- 1/2 cup blueberries (60 grams)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mash or puree the blueberries (or just leave ’em whole). Mix dry ingredients, then add in wet. Don’t overmix. Pour into 12 cupcake liners, and bake 22-24 minutes. The blueberries didn’t exactly turn the cupcakes blue; but they are blue in spirit… and when you bite into one, you can see the blue from those lovely–and antioxidant-packed–berries.
Click for notes about a fat-free version.
Since I wasn’t really a guest at the shower, I didn’t eat one of the final-product cupcakes. However, I did eat an unfrosted one (straight out of the oven) that morning as part of my breakfast! Someone had to be a taste-tester, right?
The Icing on the Cake
2013 EDIT: I frosted the cupcakes with Pillsbury (surprisingly vegan), but if I were to make them again I would use my new favorite frosting of choice: Vegan Cool Whip. Just add a blueberry or two for a vibrant frosting.
Thanks for another creative recipe!
I definitely definitely want to have children – I’ve found the right guy, but now I almost want to wait longer to just enjoy him for awhile after we get married.
AHHHH yo u have created a new THING girl! i can see this going far! i mean who ever started red velvet? whynot BLUE! love it!
yes i defs wnt kids! i think at least…. i know i wnt to name my girl Aubrey or Aubree
yes I definitely want kids! 3 at least 🙂 I know what I want my daughters name to be (after my grandmother) but boy names are tough for me!
that is so funny that you posted this! I love red velvet cake… so much so that I told my pastry chef friend to make “blue velvet cake” for my baby shower in a few weeks cause I am having a boy! Great minds think alike 😉
Wow, that is creepy coincidential… and really cool! I bet your cake is going to be beautiful! 🙂
I’ve always known I would be a mother, some way some how. I already have my perfect little girl name picked out, but boy names are more difficult for me.
I am definitely looking forward to being a mom. Don’t want to be one in the near future, but I’m looking forward to having the husband and family. As for names, I want to name a daughter Vivien. Other than that, no clue. I think I’ll let my husband decide. lol
Ah I don’t know about kids. I always said I didn’t want them and I still don’t… But who knows, maybe in the very distant future I will. If I DID had a baby, I would have to name her Grace. And yes it would have to be a girl. See? So not ready for kids.
In the early 1990s I collected versions of the song, “Blue Velvet.”
It was before MP3s, and so I bought the whole CD for each recording (and got to listen to other songs performed by the artist.)
There’s a song? Too cool! When I was little, I always thought that if I had a band, I’d call it “Blue Roses.” 🙂
i can’t wait to try these! they look delicious
Oooh, blue velvet, now that’s my kind of cupcake!
As for kids, I love them, I really do, but my husband and I have decided not to have any of our own. I teach Brownies and volunteer with kids as much as possible so I can get my kid ‘fix’ every week. 🙂
Blue velvet cupcakes. How clever! I just happen to have blueberries in the fridge right now so maybe I should give this recipe a shot?! I hope to have kids one day but right now, it sounds so scarrrrrry. I will name my baby after a country, fruit or a piece of food 😉
Name them ‘Brazil Nut’ and kill two birds with one stone! 😉
Love this recipe!
I tell myself that if I want to have kids, I should probably try to do it by 35, but that’s only ten years from now! I’ll be done with my masters and RD-training in a little less than two years, so I figure that will be a good time to check back in.
Mmmmmm…looks delicious. I can’t wait to try them out.
I already have one child (Elli) who is 8 months. I would love to have at least one more. She has a healthy appetite and so far loves everything. A future taste-tester will be fantastic for me.
Beautiful cupcakes! I appreciate that you didn’t resort to using food coloring.
I absolutely want to have kids… and hopefully sometime soon. My husband and I have been married for two years, I’m two years shy of 30, and we’re settled in this area – it’s time ;). I like Jack for a boy, and Lily for a girl. I used to love the name Isabella, but there are so many now thanks to Twilight!
Blueberries sound so good in a cupcake!
I do not have children yet (well.. I mean.. by birth. I consider my 17 students to all be my children ;))
I definitely want them someday though! I can’t wait to be a mother!
Being a mom is my biggest life goal. I love kids and can’t wait to raise my own! I’d love three- two boys and a girl. Because I think boys are easier to raise during the teen years, but I’d still love a girl to have the mother-daughter bond with!!