Oh, man. Look how pretty those cupcakes are! Look at that color. Isn’t it beautiful? Aren’t you super dying to know what I used to get that pretty purpley-red color?
Ready?
ok…Beets…WAIT! DON’T LEAVE!! hear me out…
I know what you are thinking- Beets in cupcakes? Um…eew!! I know that’s what you are thinking because that’s exactly what I thought when my friend, Melinda, sent this to me. She sent this to me, clearly excited about her vegan find but I was not convinced. I filed in politely in my recipe folder and mentally wrote it off as ‘aint never happenin’!
But, here’s why: I was at a friend’s house once when I was fairly young and her mom served us boiled beets. Just plain, soggy, boiled beets. I was expected to clean my plate, too. The only way I could get them down was to put a little bite in my mouth, take a big swing of milk, chew it really quickly and rinse it all down. It took me two glasses of milk to get through the beets on my plate and I’ve never eaten one since then. In fact, I’m getting queasy just typing this.
I just can't get over the color of this batter...
Melinda’s email and recipe conjured that queasy feeling again. I couldn’t bring myself to be excited about it. Then, she sent me the following email yesterday after she made them:
“My dad just had one with his morning coffee and declared them absolutely delicious (and as a fellow foodie my dad’s not a liar about food). And said that he couldn’t even tell that there were beets in them, (then also being a fellow health food nut) he asked, so how good are these for you?? Pretty damn good for something covered in brown sugar, chocolate and white flour. I used bittersweet Ghiradelli chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet and added walnuts. I figure with dark chocolate, walnuts and beets, it’s a veritable nutritional powerhouse. Beets and walnuts are constantly on the tops of lists of most nutritionally packed foods/best foods to eat, and dark chocolate is full of antioxidants. Also, I haven’t done much research into sugar, but some claim brown sugar is better for you than white sugar? Anyways, in summation I feel like these cupcakes are a sugary dessert that packs a nutritional punch.
Beet Cupcakes
Epicurious via Melinda
Makes 12-16
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) canola oil
- 1 1/2 cups (340 g) packed dark brown sugar
- 2 cups (450 g) puréed cooked (boiled or steamed) red beets (about 3 medium-size beets)*
- 1/2 cup (90 g) nondairy semisweet chocolate chips, melted ( I used 365 Dark Chocolate mini chunks)
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons (9 g) baking powder (look for aluminum-free)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- approximately 1/4c semisweet chocolate chips to stir into batter ( I used 365 Dark Chocolate mini chunks)
- approximately 1/4c. pecans or walnuts to stir into batter (I used pecans)
- Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
*To get a beet puree, cut the ends of three beets and place in a medium size sauce pan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Once the water begins to boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the beets are tender. Once cooked through, remove beet from water with a slotted spoon (reserve beet water) and run under cool water until the beet is cool enough to handle. Peel off the skin. It should just slide right off. Repeat with the rest of your beets. Then place beets in a blender with a little of the water they boiled in. Puree. Continue to add water until you have 2 cups of beet puree.
My beet puree was very liquidy. Melinda used 4-5 beets and less water and her puree came could closer to an applesauce consistency. Both will work for this recipe.
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5), and line cupcake tin with cupcake liners.
In a mixing bowl, cream together oil and brown sugar. Add beets, melted chocolate chips, and vanilla, and mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to wet beet mixture, and stir until just combined.
Fold in the semisweet chocolate chips and walnuts/pecans. I did a little more than a handful each so you can add more or less based on your preference
Pour into prepared cupcake tin, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. (Melinda’s took about 17 minutes, mine took about 19)
Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cool completely. Before serving, dust with confectioners’ sugar.
I agree with everything that Melinda said in her email. (oh man, she’s going to have such an ego after this post!) These came out really moist and chocolatey. I loved the addition of the chocolate chips and the walnuts at the end. The cupcakes are dense and almost bread-like so the nuts add texture that I think is a definite plus. And no, you can’t taste the beets! Yeah!
Melinda included a PS in her email. It read: “the only addition my dad recommended was pot. which he claims is also healthy and all natural” LOL! I will let you make up your own mind regarding the pot. I thought the cupcakes were great without it.
wickedvegan.com 
The color does make them look beautiful! I may, skeptically, have to give them a try as well.
The color is beautiful and I’m sure they are delicious.
A couple more notes on these cupcakes…when I made them I used 3/4 cups chocolate chips in the batter (up from 1/2 c. in the original recipe) and threw in 2 teaspoons cocoa powder in with the flour. Some others did the same to up the chocolate flavor and help cover the beet flavor. But I’m glad to see that even without the extra chocolate people couldn’t tell the desert had beets!
Also, a side thought. I bet these would be really tasty substituting mashed bananas for the beet puree! Mashed banana is another common egg substitute and in my book chocolate and banana is always a winning combination (altho you wouldn’t get the amazing purple color). If I try it I’ll report back!
Melinda
Thanks for the tips, Melinda!!
Why didn’t these come to work? I’ll only make ’em if I can taste ’em first!
oh gosh! Some people avoid my stuff when they hear it’s vegan. I can’t even imagine their response if I try and feed the cupcakes with beets in them. No one would eat them!
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