I know that purple potato cupcakes sound crazy, but trust me! The potatoes add bulk and colour, so it tastes like a white chocolate cupcake. I've even used the vibrant spuds to make a white chocolate purple potato frosting.
Commissioned post.
White Chocolate and Purple Potato Cupcakes
Potato cupcakes?, I hear you cry! Trust me on this. I've baked cakes with mashed potatoes before (check out my chocolate mashed potato cake with tahini drizzle).
Historically, potatoes were often used as a way to bulk out baked goods, particularly during the war. For hundreds of years, bakers used spuds to add bulk and moisture, plus it helps the cakes to keep for longer. You can’t taste the potato and it adds a nice extra richness to these decadent cupcakes. However, these cupcakes don't just have any mashed potatoes, I've used vibrant purple potatoes!
Purple potatoes turn into the most glorious-looking deep purple mash. When adding it to cakes the colour cooks out, a bit like beetroot does in cakes. But it still turns cupcakes this amazing shade of purply blue - naturally. No need to chemical food dyes, just some vibrant potatoes and you can colour these pretty cupcakes. The cupcakes don't taste of potato at all, but taste like a vanilla and white chocolate sponge. They're light, airy and delicious.
The frosting I used more of the purple mashed potato as the base for the frosting. I needed to keep that fab colour! So, the frosting tastes like a scrummy white chocolate frosting. Instead of bulking it out with icing sugar and butter, I used the mash and chocolate, with just a little extra powdered icing sugar. And... voila - potato frosting!
Purple Potatoes
Disclosure: This recipe for White Chocolate and Purple Potato Cupcakes with Purple Potato Frosting was commissioned by Albert Bartlett. All opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that make it possible for me to mess up my kitchen and write Veggie Desserts.
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White Chocolate Purple Potato Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 2 oz (50g) white chocolate chopped
- ½ cup (125g) butter at room temperature
- ⅔ cup (125g) granulated sugar
- 2 large free-range eggs
- ¾ cup (150g) mashed purple potato without milk, butter or seasoning
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¼ cups (150g) all-purpose (plain) flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup (100ml) milk
For the icing
- ¾ cup (150g) mashed purple potatoes
- 4 oz (100g) white chocolate
- 5 tablespoon milk
- 5 tablespoon powdered icing sugar confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F / 170C. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper cases.
- Place the white chocolate into a heatproof bowl, set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Don’t allow any water get in the bowl or the chocolate will seize. Remove the bowl from the water and allow to cool.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time and beating each one in well. Mix in the mashed potato, vanilla and cooled melted chocolate.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt. Add one-third of the flour to the egg mixture and gently combine, then one-third of the milk. Repeat until all the ingredients are combined.
- Fill the muffin cups three-quarters full and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the purple potato icing
- Place the white chocolate into a heatproof bowl, set over a pan of simmering water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. Don’t allow any water get in the bowl or the chocolate will seize. Remove the bowl from the water and allow to cool.
- Beat the mashed sweet potato and white chocolate together until smooth.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors, so is not guaranteed to be accurate. Please see a registered dietician for special diet advice.
Nicole
We are in Australia. I have found purple sweet potato. Would this work???
Platter Talk
Very cool and beautiful photos, This will be a first- using potatoes in frosting!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Cute! I think I'd use my Stokes Purple Sweets though 😉
The Food Hunter
The color is beautiful. I would make them just for that reason alone!
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
Wow...what an interesting combination. I would never have thought of using purple potatoes. They look so pretty too.
Aish Das-Padihari
Amazing colors. Love all the pictures and the purple potato cup cakes sound good.
Bella
These are so cute, the colour is amazing! I don't think I've actually ever seen purple potatoes in the shops before but I'll have to look out for them now!
Marko Stojanovik
Hi, how is this healthy with so much sugar being used? I thought the idea is to provide kids healthy snacks?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi Marko, there's less sugar in these cupcakes than in typical cupcakes. But I'm all about balance - sometimes my kids make quinoa carrot truffles, sometimes we have more decadent cupcakes. These cupcakes have a bit of extra goodness from the purple potatoes, so they're slightly healthier than your average cupcake. If you're looking for sugar-free desserts, then have a search as I have plenty on the blog!
Nico @ yumsome
These are so beautiful - they could actually tempt me to eat cupcakes again!
(Long story... but it involved me being a judge in a cupcake contest years ago. I've not been near one since!)
CJ
Does the icing change colour after a day or two of making the cupcakes?
Kate Hackworthy
Hi, I've had them for four days now and no sign of any change in colour. I wouldn't expect that it will fade before it gets eaten.
CJ
Thank you! They are such beautiful cupcakes!
Thanh | Eat, Little Bird
I love purple potatoes and often serve them mixed with normal potatoes when they are in season, I have never used potatoes in cakes before, though, so this has been very interesting. Such a beautiful colour!
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours
Just yesterday I watched a recipe that included beetroot in chocolate brownies, and that worked well. Purple poatoes! How fab do they look. I love them, So fab that you have included them in these cupcakes, what a wonderful colour.
Kate Hackworthy
Beetroot is wonderful in brownies. And I love how well potatoes work in cakes as well 🙂
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy
I love these potatoes, and they make such good mash. I love that you have used them in cupcakes too - they look beautiful.
Kate Hackworthy
They make such wonderfully vibrant mash!
Emma @ Supper in the Suburbs
These are SO cool. That colour is amazing! Need to find me so purple potatoes 🙂
Kate Hackworthy
Find them at Ocado! I love the colour 🙂
Pretty
Wow never knew you could make cupcakes from potato. Love the purple colour.
Kate Hackworthy
I know it's crazy, but people have been using potatoes in cakes for a long time!
Manjiri C K
Ooo look at the gorgeous colour! what fab looking potatoes and yummy cupcakes! I want to play around and experiment with these purple beauties , must get some soon.
Kate Hackworthy
I hope you do get some. They're soooo amazing. I think I'll try Hasselback purple potatoes next 🙂
Keep Calm and Fanny On
The colours are fantastic! I love purple potatoes and this I the best use for them I reckon... We get quite a few purple/blue potatoes here in Scotland. Fanny would be pleased 😉
Claire Jessiman
These are absolutely stunning! We tried the Purple Albert Bartlett Potatoes too for wedges and for mash. Kind of a surreal colour. Hard to believe its all natural.
Jodie Whitham
It looks lovely. I'll send this to one of my friends who is obsessed with purple x
Becca
Oh wow! These not only look incredible but I'd love to try them purely because they have potatoes in! Such a fab recipe, definitely book marking this one!
Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche
Ahhhh these are so stunning - both your cupcakes and the potatoes themselves! That colour is so vibrant. Definitely need to get my hands on some of these beauties!