These Beet Red Velvet Cupcakes are moist and a little chocolatey, just like any good red velvet cupcake should be. AND they're 100% food coloring-free! Their gorgeous red hue comes from the addition of cooked beets. But don't worry - you can't taste the beets!
I have to get this out of the way: I am generally not a big fan of red velvet. I know, I know.
Sure it's really pretty, and is super moist. But it's this like, vaguely chocolatey cake that's usually made with a TON of food coloring. What gives?
There's even a scene about it on an old season of Orange is the New Black. Remember?
Red velvet IS bullshit. EXCEPT when it's made without a ton of food coloring. Like these cupcakes right here.
Plus beets are the best. I love them in a way that if they weren't a vegetable would maybe be considered unhealthy.
Check out these beet-heavy salads!
Though it may seem a little daunting, these cupcakes are actually very easy to make. Microwave some beets, chop 'em up, and toss 'em in a blender/food processor. Blitz them with wet ingredients, add them to the dry, and mix. Bake. Frost. Voila!
The red/white color combo makes these cupcakes an easy choice for Valentine's Day or Christmas. But make them whenever you're in the mood for a pretty, sweet treat!
The cupcake recipe comes from the good folks over at Southern Living. The cream cheese frosting recipe comes from Sugar Spun Run.
✨ Recipe
Beet Red Velvet Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes
- 10 oz by weight fresh red beets, peeled
- 1 lemon juiced
- ¾ cup canola or vegetable oil
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 4 eggs
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 3 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder see note
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
For the cream cheese frosting
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 16 tbs unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
To make the cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners. Set aside.
- Wrap the beets in parchment paper. Microwave on high until they are tender (about 8 to 10 minutes). Allow the beets to cool, still wrapped in the paper, until they are just warm to the touch.
- Coarsely chop the beets. Add them, along with the lemon juice, to a food processor. Process until they are finely chopped. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the oil and buttermilk and process until smooth. Add the eggs and process until completely combined.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add the beet mixture, and whisk until just combined.
- Using an ice-cream scoop, fill the prepared cupcake liners two-thirds full with batter.
- Bake 15-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow the cupcakes to cool in the pans on wire racks for about 5 minutes. Remove the cupcakes from the pans to the racks, and allow them to cool completely.
To make the frosting
- Combine the softened cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat until creamy and well-combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and kosher salt. Beat again until combined.
- Gradually add the powdered sugar on low speed until it is completely combined. Beat on medium-high speed for a few minutes to really whip things up.
- Frost the cooled cupcakes.
Notes
Disclaimer: Nutritional information is a generated estimate and is not guaranteed to be accurate.
If you're looking for more baked goods for Valentine's Day, I got you. Try these Double Chocolate M&M Cookies and Triple Chocolate Raspberry Brownies?
If cocktails are more your thing, see these Blood Orange Bourbon Sours!
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Krista
Hi there, I have a question. Could this be made into a cake instead of cupcakes? Would any changes need to be done to the recipe?
laurenpacek
Hi, Krista. I haven't used this recipe to bake a whole cake, but it should work! It should be enough batter for approximately 2 9-inch round cakes. You can prepare the batter as written, and can bake at the same temperature. However, I'd keep a close eye on the cake(s), as I'm not sure how long they should bake. Good luck!
Kari
I was wondering if anyone has tried this recipe with coconut oil instead of canola??
laurenpacek
I haven't, so unfortunately I can't recommend it one way or the other.
Kierra
I made this recipe and used one beet because I couldn't figure out how much is 10 oz. It worked and turned out great. I slapped some cream cheese frosting on it.
laurenpacek
Glad it turned out for you!! Gotta love that cream cheese frosting, too.
ConfusedPolarBear
Thanks for posting this, I'm having problems with the 10 oz thing, I thought it meant 10 oz, which is what 1 cup and a bit, of pureed beets. Did you measure after you pureed?
laurenpacek
Hey there! This is a very good question. Thanks so much for asking it. I meant 10 oz by weight. I'll update the post to reflect this.
His
They were perfect, approved by both the teenager & husband. Did not taste the beet at all. They were nice and moist. Only thing: they didn’t turn out red, more chocolate brown. But that’s perfectly fine, because they were super tasty.
His
They were perfect, approved by both the teenager & husband. Did not taste the beet at all. They were nice and moist. Only thing: they didn’t turn out red, more chocolate brown. But that’s perfectly fine, because they were super tasty.
laurenpacek
So glad that y'all liked them!! <3
Maegen
Would I be able to substitute the oil in the recipe for butter? Just curious as I prefer butter over oil 🙂
laurenpacek
Hi Maegen! You know, I tend to prefer butter to oil as well, so I hear you. But I've never tried to do that in this recipe. If you do try it (do it at your own risk, hah 😉 ), please let me know how it comes out!
Heidi
Hi, is there a reason you use Kosher salt instead of regular table salt? Wondering if I need to go buy Kosher salt or just sub out for something else.
laurenpacek
Hi, Heidi! Great question. Part of it is personal preference. I just happen to love kosher salt. Sometimes I feel like regular table salt is *too* salty, if that makes any sense. But don't feel like you have to rush out and buy kosher salt if you haver regular old table salt on hand. It will work just fine, especially given that there's a pretty small quantity of salt in these cupcakes =) I hope you love them!
Sandy
Can I use whole milk instead of buttermilk?
Sandy
Can I use whole milk instead of buttermilk?
laurenpacek
Sure! You can also make your own buttermilk substitute, if you're so inclined (1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to measure 1 cup).
Jess
Would you add any thing extra to make this gluten free?!
laurenpacek
Hi Jess! I'm not an expert in gluten free baking, so please take this advice with a grain of salt. One thing that I'd definitely do is swap out the all-purpose flour for a gluten free 1-1 baking flour. Beyond that, I'm not sure what other ingredients may have gluten hidden in them.