Beet-Dyed Glaze
You don’t need red food coloring to make a pretty pink glaze, perfect for drizzling on Bundt cakes or used to ice sugar cookies. A brightly colored beet is nature’s answer to food coloring. To vary the intensity of the color, simply increase or decrease the beet juice by 1 teaspoon, adjusting the quantity of milk by the same amount. Be sure to let your cake or cookies cool to room temperature before drizzling with the glaze.
Ingredients
- 1 small red beet
- 1 cup (4 oz./125 g) confectioners’ sugar
- 2 to 3 tsp. whole milk
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Directions
Wash the beet under running water, thoroughly scrubbing it with a vegetable brush or paper towels.
Place a double layer of cheesecloth over a plate. Using a handheld grater, finely grate the beet onto the cheesecloth. Gather the cheesecloth by its corners and twist together to force out the beet juice into a small bowl.
In a large bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, 2 tsp. of the milk, the vanilla and 2 tsp. of the beet juice. Whisk to combine. If the glaze is too thick, whisk in up to 1 tsp. more milk or 1 tsp. more beet juice until the desired consistency is reached. (It should form a thick but pourable glaze). Makes about 1/2 cup (4 oz./125 g) glaze.
Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen