In the days before “red” was an ingredient, red velvet cupcakes were actually made with real FOOD that was red – namely, beets.
Hold the phone… you put beets in your cupcakes and muffins?
Yes, yes I do. I put vegetables in my cupcakes, as well as my other paleo desserts. And you should too. It’s not even fair how good these freaking cupcakes are.
And never fear – these muffins are paleo/primal, gluten-free and grain-free, as well. Kinda goes with my plan – swap your grains for some fresh veggies (true story – with a little creativity, you can put veggies in anything).
In the case of these cupcakes, the beets make them incredibly moist and give a unique flavor.
They are…”real” tasting. I know that’s not terribly clear, but bear with me…
You know how when you bite into a “normal” cupcake it’s like getting kicked in the teeth by pure sugar? These aren’t like that. Beet cupcakes taste like delicious, delicious FOOD. And they are. Butter. Beets. Chocolate. Ohhh boy…
So give them a shot – you might find that you like veggies after all.
- 2 cups beet puree*
- 1 cup melted butter
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup almond flour
- ¾ cup coconut flour
- 1 cup 100% cocoa powder
- ½ cup whole goat milk
- ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup xylitol (for low-glycemic) or natural sweetener (honey, maple syrup, coconut palm sugar, etc.)
- 2 teaspoons Greek or goat yogurt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 oz 100% chocolate bar cut into small pieces
- Sprinkles of cacao nibs
- *To puree the beets, take 2 to 3 unpeeled medium size beets, cut the stems off, wrap in tin foil and bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 1 hour. Let cool. Peel the beets (the skin should slip off pretty easily). Puree in the blender or food processor until smooth like applesauce.
- Mix all ingredients. Scoop the batter into paper cups in a cupcake pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.
- Let cool (or not), top with cream cheese, and sprinkle with cacao nibs and cinnamon.
- Eat ravenously.
- Then write to me and thank me.
LEARN HOW TO DROP 20 POUNDS IN 40 DAYS WITH REAL FOOD
This sounds FAB…going to try it this weekend. Hey!!! When are you coming out with the Fat Burning Woman??? Can’t wait! Regards, Penny
Hi Penny,
Thanks – they are delicious. I just put the Fat-Burning Woman up (under the radar)!!! Check it out here: http://www.fatburningman.com/faq/
Although I made a grave mistake(i totally left out the cocoa powder, apparently i can’t read) and a few alterations to meet my needs and use stuff in my fridge, I loved these! They didnt totally bake up right but werent runny at all in the middle so i just served them with a spoon, lol. My three year old loved them and this is a wonderful treat, Great recipe!
Glad you liked it! Sometimes it takes some tweaking to get the right consistency, but they’re always delicious. We usually put them in the fridge to harden them up and it works like a charm. Cheers!
How many cupcakes does this make, and have you tried making it as a cake? Looking for a way to sneak a red velvet not-crap cake on my kids…
Hi! I’m glad I came across this recipe; it is wonderful. May I make one suggestion? Back when red velvet cake was made with beets instead of artificial color, the recipes always called for vinegar. Vinegar keeps the red color nice and vibrant(without it, the cake turns purple when baked). A teaspoon or two of apple cider vinegar would make these even prettier. 😉
Can’t wait to try – You can’t really get applesauce in the UK, unless it’s baby food – What could you use instead? Maybe puree tinned apples?
Grab some fresh apples and throw them in the blender!
Sooo good!
Made Red Velvet Cupcakes today, they are so delicious! Just doing #5 as per instructions: Thanks Abel!!
Omgoodness! So VERY excited! I turned these into donuts! WAITING for the timer………thank you!
I absolutely hate coconut of any kind. Can I use almond flour for all of the “flour” component?
These are great! I made a few modifications based on what I had on hand, pre-cooked beets, added some ItWorks Rich Chocolate Shake protein and used Kalona Greek yogurt (! container), 1/2 c whole milk as I don’t have goat milk, and I used 1 cup of Swerve, and a ghee/coconut blend. I had to cook a little longer for them to set…..BUT….OH….MY…GOSH….simply AMAZING!
I can’t wait to try these. I make a great chocolate bundt cake with black beans. Odd what can work so well with chocolate!
I made them for my Valentine for “date night” and for the teachers at my school. Yummy!!!!!!! Yummy!!!! They were so delicious. I have to admit, I licked the bowl and then some. The batter was scrumptious!
I made these for my wife last night. I turned it into a cake rather than cup cakes. All i can say is My goodness was that good. I didn’t even tell her what was in it until after she ate a piece. Think i may have her hooked as i have been “requested” to make this for Easter now. Thank you Abel and Allyson, this recipe is Fantastic! And to think i have been eating like this for my first 30 days and almost down 20 pounds.