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Red Beet Cupcakes

June 15, 2011

We have an awesome cupcake store in our neighborhood and every now and then we take the kids by to enjoy a special treat. Without fail, their eyes are always drawn to the most colorful cupcakes in the display case. My kids may have no idea how a red velvet cupcake made with crimson food dye actually tastes, but put something like it in front of them and their immediate response is, “that one”.

My take on these cupcakes have a rich flavor, and while they aren’t as artificially red as the red velvet cupcakes which use chemical food dyes (and of course chocolate which this one doesn't include), they (and their icing) get their bright, reddish-pink color from a surprising, delicious and 100% natural guest, roasted beets. Especially given the never-ending speculation about the connection between food dyes and hyperactivity in children, having smart alternatives for the artificially colored food that kids crave means I don't have to deprive my little ones.

This doesn't mean we're not frequenting our local cupcake store any less often, but I always like reminding myself that whenever there's something out there I may not be thrilled about my kids eating, figuring out how to make a healthier version is not at all impossible.

Beet Cream Cheese Frosting (Make 2 Cups)

1- 8 oz Pkg. Cream Cheese, room temperature

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature

1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Medium Beet, roasted, cooled, peeled and pureed, about ½ cup
1 Tsp Vanilla

1. Place all the ingredients in a mixer and beat on medium to high speed until fluffy.
2. Spread on cupcakes.

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Red Beet Cupcakes  (makes 14 cupcakes)

  • Prep Time:5 minutes,
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes,
  • Total Time: 30 minutes,

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 large beet, roasted, cooled, peeled and pureed, about 3/4 cup
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation

  1. 1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. 2. Sift the first 4 ingredients into a bowl.
  3. 3. In a separate bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients.
  4. 4. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet and combine.
  5. 5. Pour about 1/3 cup into lined muffin tins and bake for 25 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean.
  6. 6. Cool and serve.
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Comments






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  1. debbie

    June 4, 2013 at 7:55 pm

    Reply

    I just made these today. I used whole wheat flour, subbed brown rice syrup for the honey and added the cocoa powder because I wanted them to be more muffin like than cupcakes. I made them as mini muffins and my three year old kept stealing them off the cooling rack as quick as I could put them on, he ended up eating 12 just for lunch :P .

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  4. debbie

    May 30, 2013 at 11:45 am

    Reply

    Is there any alternative sweetener I could use in the frosting? Like brown rice syrup or malt barley syrup? And would I have to add any dry item to make up for the moisture addition?

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  7. Anastasiya

    February 23, 2013 at 6:42 pm

    Reply

    Well, these sure sound healthy! I had some roasted beets that no one in my family, except for me, would eat by themselves. So …. I needed to bake something. These cupcakes need some sugar I think, but then again, I am not planning on putting icing on them. They taste more like healthy muffins than cupcakes. But still good. We will se what my three- year- old will say.

  8. Jenny

    February 11, 2013 at 1:15 am

    Reply

    In case anyone is wondering, I did make these with canned beets and the cocoa and they are fantastic. I made a frosting of some butter, cream cheese, vanilla, powdered sugar, and beet juice.

  9. cyndimac410

    January 31, 2013 at 8:22 am

    Reply

    I made the frosting today and it’s delish!!!! I have 2 questions. 1. Can you freeze the frosting or will it mess up the texture during thawing? 2. Is anyone concerned about staining of clothes? I’d like to make these for Valentines Day for my daughter’s preschool class. I’m a little worried that the kids may get messy and stain their clothes! Any thoughts on this?

    • catherine

      January 31, 2013 at 1:06 pm

      Reply

      Once the cupcakes are baked the color does not rub off! So no need to worry about staining! I haven’t tried freezing the frosting, but I would think it would come out to a funny texture after being frozen and defrosted. I’ve never had a problem with the frosting staining clothing, but it definitely could rub off. So I’d be careful. You could always make the white frosting if you’re worried about that! :)

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  11. Rachel

    January 19, 2013 at 9:27 am

    Reply

    It was so nice to see a familiar face in my new Parenting magazine. Congrats Catherine! I’m planning for my kiddos under sea birthday party at the very beginning of February. I’d love to use this frosting minus the beats. I plan to add a bit of juice from red cabbage which is supposed to make blue instead. Any idea if that would work? Do you need the beat puree for this recipe? I know you also have the butter cream frosting recipe, but I was hoping for a yummy lower sugar version like this one. Thanks for any tips you might have.

    • catherine

      January 21, 2013 at 12:26 pm

      Reply

      You could leave out the beet puree! Blueberry juice will turn the frosting purple and raspberry juice will turn it red or pink!

      • Rachel

        February 2, 2013 at 12:18 am

        Reply

        Thanks! Tomorrow is the big day. Hopefully I’ll remember to come back and let you know how it goes. :)

  12. graceuco

    November 7, 2012 at 12:01 am

    Reply

    if I substitute the honey with coconut palm sugar will it mess up the texture?

    • catherine

      November 7, 2012 at 1:26 pm

      Reply

      It will be a slightly different texture and taste, but I think it should be okay! I would use 3/4 cup sugar and add 1-2 tablespoons more of oil since you’ll be losing some of the moisture that comes from the honey!

  13. MamaJ

    October 13, 2012 at 9:58 am

    Reply

    Ugh! The cupcakes are good but the icing came out a little iffy. Way too beet-y!! What can I do to fix it? I tried adding more powdered sugar and that didn’t help. Suggestions?! They are so stunningly beautiful, I’m dying to make them work!

    • catherine

      October 15, 2012 at 12:22 pm

      Reply

      You could use a little less beet puree and keep the rest of the ingredients the same if you don’t like the beet flavor!

  14. Katie

    August 25, 2012 at 5:02 pm

    Reply

    Just made these for my daughters first birthday. They are a hit! I love that they are so low in sugar, and aren’t super sweet. The color of the frosting is stunningly beautiful. This recipe definitely goes in the recipe box!

  15. Theresa @ Two Much Fun

    July 1, 2012 at 3:10 pm

    Reply

    Catherine, these are PINKALICIOUS! My 2 1/2 year old toddlers loved them. Thank you so much. We substituted whole wheat pastry flour for the AP flour, and unsweetened applesauce for the oil. We also took your advice and swapped out 3 T of flour for cocoa powder. The result- light, fluffy and delicious red velvety cupcakes. Thank you again Catherine.

  16. Meghan

    June 29, 2012 at 6:47 pm

    Reply

    These are delish! And we loved the icing. Thank you :)

  17. marie

    June 12, 2012 at 9:26 am

    Reply

    Hi there, Would someone please be able to tell me if I can make a sheet cake using this recipe? I would be using an 18 x 12 sheet cake pan or a slightly smaller jelly roll pan. thank you!

  18. Cupcake monster

    May 3, 2012 at 6:46 pm

    Reply

    Beautiful cupcakes! Wish I can bake like that one day.

  19. Gina

    April 27, 2012 at 9:19 am

    Reply

    Can the batter be frozen??

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  22. Theresa787

    February 16, 2012 at 12:39 pm

    Reply

    Catherine, both of my 24 month-old toddlers (and I of course) thank you for giving us a delicious (and healthy) dessert for Valentine’s Day. We substituted AP flour for WW Pastry and it still came out light and fluffy (you’re recipes are amazing). We’ll definitely be baking these again in the future- they WERE so yummy.

  23. Samara

    November 25, 2011 at 8:51 am

    Reply

    Catherine,
    I’d like to make this recipe into one ladybug cake instead of individual muffins. Do you have any suggestions for how I should tweak the ingredients or baking instructions so I’m still successful with a moist and yummy cake?

    Thanks!

  24. Alyson

    November 9, 2011 at 11:34 am

    Reply

    Made these yesterday and they turned out so yummy! I used buttermilk (well, 1 tbsp vinegar then filled up to 1 cup with milk)and 3 tbsp of cocoa. It’s been awhile since I’ve had a real red velvet but this came out tastier and more moist than the last version I tried with no dye.

  25. Mary Reaves

    August 13, 2011 at 9:24 pm

    Reply

    Catherine- I’ve been making your recipes as often as possible (and sharing them with friends) since my little one started eating solids (he’s 2 1/2). These are delicious and so moist! However, they lost their color? Any tips on that?

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