Beet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Total Time: 50 mins
- Yield: 16 1x
Description
This recipe uses beets to bring color, sweetness and the moist texture to to the cupcakes.
Ingredients
- Milk- 1cup+2tbsp (270 ml)
- Beetroot- 1med, peeled and cut into 1/4″ pieces
- Flax seed meal- 2tbsp (30 ml)
- Apple cider vinegar- 2tbsp (30 ml)
- Sugar- 1-1/2 cup (360 ml)
- Canola oil- 1/3 cup (80 ml)
- Vanilla extract- 2tsp (10 ml)
- Nutella- 2tsp (10 ml)
- All purpose flour- 2-1/4 cups (540 ml)
- Unsweetened cocoa powder- 1/2cup (120 ml)
- Baking powder- 2-1/2tsp
For the cream cheese frosting
- Cream cheese- 8Oz (225 g) packet, softened
- Butter- 1/4 cup (60 g), at room temperature
- Castor Sugar- 8tbsp (120 ml)
- Vanilla extract- 1tsp (5 ml)
Instructions
- Cook the diced beetroot with a little water till completely soft. Allow the beets to cool completely and blend the cooked beets to a smooth puree.
- Add the milk, flaxseed meal and vinegar to the pureed beets and blend till well combined.
- Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the oil, vanilla extract, nutella and sugar.
- In another bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
- Add the flour mixture to the beet mixture little by little and mix till well combined.
- Scoop the batter evenly between 16 muffin cups and bake in a preheated oven at 180C for 25-30min or till the skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Allow the cup cakes to cool the pan for 5min before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the frosting:
- In a large bowl, combine the softened cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar and vanilla and mix till well combined.
- Frost the cooled cup cakes the cream cheese frosting and serve.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Dessert
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cupcake
- Calories: 280
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Frequently Asked Questions
What do the beets actually do in these cupcakes — can you taste them?
According to the recipe, the beets bring color, natural sweetness, and moist texture to the cupcakes rather than a strong vegetable flavor — they’re blended to a smooth purée and combined with cocoa powder and drinking chocolate, so the chocolate taste dominates.
Why does this recipe use flax seed meal and apple cider vinegar?
The recipe uses 2 tbsp of flax seed meal (which acts as an egg binder when mixed with liquid) and 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar (which reacts with the baking powder to help the cupcakes rise). Together they make this recipe work without any traditional eggs.
Why does the recipe include a small amount of Nutella?
The batter calls for 2 tsp of Nutella alongside the cocoa powder and drinking chocolate. It deepens the chocolate-hazelnut flavor of the cupcakes without dominating — a small flourish that rounds out the beet-chocolate combination. 
