Chocolate Beet Cupcake Hearts – For your Austin Valentine

by | Blog, Recipes, Snacks, Sweets, Vegetables

Valentines Day.  Pink, Red, and Hearts right? Cupcakes too?

These cupcakes or heartcakes have it all! Without any food coloring or dye.
A seriously moist chocolate cake from the all the butter…I mean beets, they are moist from the beets.

We keep getting beets in our Johnson’s Backyard Garden CSA box.  Honestly, no one in the family is a superfan of beets (send your recipes if you want to win me over!)  I was about to give them to my beet-loving mom but then thought, oh, wait…..I can dye frosting with them for Valentines Day.  That very next day, Joy the Baker posted a recipe for a cake using beets and the pink frosting dyed from beets!  So, it was in my destiny…I would make this recipe.

We have been trying to make baked goods without white sugar, but I went with this recipe, this time.  I pretty much followed it all the way.  I did not add as much mashed beets to the frosting as it calls for – so my frosting is a lighter pink.

UPDATE: (2/14/13)  I have made some changes to the original recipe.
I used 1/2 coconut sugar and 1/2 granulated sugar – I will try it with all coconut sugar soon.
I increased the vanilla to 2 tsp.
I reduced the butter to 3/4 cup in the icing recipe.
I made cupcakes, which bake in about 16-18 minutes; or mini-cupcakes in about 10-12 minutes.

Beeting Hearts.

Find the recipe here:
Joy the Baker’s Chocolate Beet Cake with Beet Cream Cheese Frosting.

 
 
 
I found the heart muffin/donut pan at Michaels on clearance.
Guess what kids in my Kids Kitchen class?
We will be making beet cupcakes in class this week!
 
Happy early Valentines Day!

9 Comments

  1. Mary Helen
    Mary Helen on February 13, 2013 at 12:02 am
    Hi Leah! I'm another AFBA member. I've used beets in cakes before, but never in frosting. Great idea!Reply
    • Leah Smith
      Leah Smith on February 13, 2013 at 2:28 am
      I have used beets for dyeing Easter Eggs and had always wanted to try it for frosting! I love the pink color.Reply
  2. Kristina
    Kristina on February 13, 2013 at 12:12 am
    Leah, these look really yummy! I am a huge beet fan, but I have never used it in frosting. Great idea! I'm all about low glycemic and natural sugars (beet sugar) is one I have not dabbled in so I am excited to try this recipe.Reply
  3. Min
    Min on February 13, 2013 at 2:20 am
    Hi Leah! I've been a member of AFBA since October, and I just wanted to stop by and say hello ;). I LOVE the idea of adding beets to sweet treats! Brilliant!Reply
    • Leah Smith
      Leah Smith on February 13, 2013 at 2:26 am
      Thanks for stopping by. I am in LOVE with the naturally pink frosting!Reply
  4. Kristin
    Kristin on February 13, 2013 at 2:29 pm
    I love the idea! The first and only time I tried to roast beets in foil, the juice dripped all over the place. :)
    Do the cupcakes or frosting have a distinctly beet-y taste?Reply
    • Leah Smith
      Leah Smith on February 13, 2013 at 11:38 pm
      Kristin, not at all! No taste of beets. The frosting has so much fat and sugar going on, that it is just yummy, no beet flavor - nor does the cake. I roasted the beets whole with skins on in foil (drizzled olive oil on them) on top of a cookie sheet. NO juice leaked out - you should try again!Reply
  5. StarTraci
    StarTraci on February 14, 2013 at 6:16 pm
    I have been looking for ways to sneak more fruits and veggies into my kids diet. This is an excellent option. Thanks for sharing!
    :-)
    TraciReply

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