The Healthy Slice

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In the Kitchen With…

With…
With…
Are you still with me?
Ok ready, promise not to leave as soon as you see what I’m messing with now…


BEETS!

Come on you promised! Actually I am thrilled with the way these came out! Red Velvet cake is all rage these days but have you any idea how much gross red food dye it takes to make it?? The recipes I saw called for 1/2 a cup+ of the stuff-that’s an entire large bottle–me no likey. Soooo into the kitchen I went with the most natural and intensely red-colored item I could think of and out came these moist, delicious, chocolaty babies! Granted they’re not as day-glo red as food dye ones are but they’re exponentially better for you and fantastic tasting! The kiddos loved them, the most veggiephobic person on the planet, my brother loved them and nobody ever tasted any beets!

Red Velvet Cupcakes
adapted from Beetnik Cake by Diana Rattray

Ingredients:
2C all-purpose flour
1-1/2t baking soda
1/2t salt
1-1/2C sugar
1/2C cocoa powder
3 lg. eggs, beaten
1C+2T canola oil
1-1/2C grated, cooked beets
2t vanilla

Combine dry ingredients, set aside. Combine eggs and oil. Beat in vanilla. Slowly add in dry ingredients; stir in beets. Pour into greased 13×9 baking pan. Bake 25-35 minutes. Or this makes 18 cupcakes. Bake those approx 20 minutes. Cool completely then frost with vanilla buttercream, sprinkle with powder sugar, or if you want to be fancy use coconut cream frosting. I added a few drops of beet juice to make pink icing.
First I cut the beets in chunks and boiled them until soft, much like you would potatoes. Then I grated them.

Mix together the ingredients. See the beautiful red beet flecks?

Pour batter in cupcake tins, bake, cool, frost if you want and enjoy!

Comments

  2. whoa! I am so making these (wanna-be-red-velvet) cupcakes… makes so much sense to use natural colorants instead of dye… thanks for sharing your discovery 🙂
    My two-year old is crazy about cake (or "gâteau" in French, which is the language she prefers so far)… her first word was "gâteau" (appropriately said at her at her 1st Bday) and she hasn't stopped saying since then so I am always on the hunt for healthy cake recipes 🙂

  3. Hi Marcia,
    Wow, what a great idea:) I am writing the recipe down and will try them soon!! My little guy needs to eat a little more healthy…he is my picky one:) If I decorate them nice and beautiful like you did…it just might work! Thanks for sharing!

  4. You are a genius! I love your creativity in the kitchen to make something healthier and more natural.

    And now I want cupcakes!

  7. that is really smart….have you ever substitiuted apple sauce for veg oil when baking? that works too!

  10. I love red velvet but I also hate how it takes so much food coloring! My cake turned into a pink velvet cake because i didnt have enough! Good recipe! Thanks for sharing!

  13. I am a HUGE red velvet cake fan! I had it at my wedding 🙂
    I am sooooo making these this weekend! Thanks for sharing!
    One question, about how many beets did it take to get the 1 1/2 cups of shreded beets?
    Thanks!!

  14. oh my gosh that's incredible! i love it! i used to loooooooooooooove red velvet i might have to try this!

  15. I'm not sure howwwww I feel about that… taste test— how are they??

    I think red velvet is a southern thing or something. I've never seen or tasted one! Is it much different from yellow cake?

  16. I'm not sure I can do it, it's more a taste thing I think. You need to post how they taste, too, cuz I'm just really a whiny baby trying new things. Haha. Maybe with frosting, you can hide anything :).

  17. Steph and Jill: They really taste just like a chocolate cupcake. If I shut my eyes I'd never tell the difference. No beet taste I swear! If anything the beets make them more moist.

  18. I love Red Velvet….Who would've though of beets? Thank you!! Will try this weekend. Maybe tomorrow!

  20. I'm not a beet person, so I am both amazed and a lil' grossed out at the same time :-)… I must say though, that based on how yummy the muffins look, you might actually sneak these beets passed me!

  21. Hey I LOVE beets, and I want my kids to love em too! So what better way to get em' started than with these cupcakes.

  22. Wow, who would have thought – beets in cupcakes. I got beets in my fruit/veggie bin yesterday so the timing of your culinary adventure is amazing; I might try and whip these up this weekend. However, the beets will be my little secret

  23. I am not a huge fan of beets, but I am definitely trying this recipe. We bought 10lbs of beets in the fall and I don't know what to do with them all. Thanks for sharing!!!

  24. Beets?! Wow! What a great idea. I'm supposed to make a red velvet cake for a Valentine's dinner. I think I must just have to use this trick.

  25. What an interesting idea! I would totally try these and then try to be sneaky and give them to junk food lovers to see if they could tell the difference. I'm just that way. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

  26. I would have never thought of that but I never make red velvet cake because of the food coloring! Once day when I have any extra time to make anything, I'm gonna give these a try-Thanks!

  28. haha I am going to have to try these!! My boyfriend hates most vegetables, so it will stay a secret for a while… 🙂

In the Kitchen With…

With…
With…
Are you still with me?
Ok ready, promise not to leave as soon as you see what I’m messing with now…


BEETS!

Come on you promised! Actually I am thrilled with the way these came out! Red Velvet cake is all rage these days but have you any idea how much gross red food dye it takes to make it?? The recipes I saw called for 1/2 a cup+ of the stuff-that’s an entire large bottle–me no likey. Soooo into the kitchen I went with the most natural and intensely red-colored item I could think of and out came these moist, delicious, chocolaty babies! Granted they’re not as day-glo red as food dye ones are but they’re exponentially better for you and fantastic tasting! The kiddos loved them, the most veggiephobic person on the planet, my brother loved them and nobody ever tasted any beets!

Red Velvet Cupcakes
adapted from Beetnik Cake by Diana Rattray

Ingredients:
2C all-purpose flour
1-1/2t baking soda
1/2t salt
1-1/2C sugar
1/2C cocoa powder
3 lg. eggs, beaten
1C+2T canola oil
1-1/2C grated, cooked beets
2t vanilla

Combine dry ingredients, set aside. Combine eggs and oil. Beat in vanilla. Slowly add in dry ingredients; stir in beets. Pour into greased 13×9 baking pan. Bake 25-35 minutes. Or this makes 18 cupcakes. Bake those approx 20 minutes. Cool completely then frost with vanilla buttercream, sprinkle with powder sugar, or if you want to be fancy use coconut cream frosting. I added a few drops of beet juice to make pink icing.
First I cut the beets in chunks and boiled them until soft, much like you would potatoes. Then I grated them.

Mix together the ingredients. See the beautiful red beet flecks?

Pour batter in cupcake tins, bake, cool, frost if you want and enjoy!

Comments

  2. whoa! I am so making these (wanna-be-red-velvet) cupcakes… makes so much sense to use natural colorants instead of dye… thanks for sharing your discovery 🙂
    My two-year old is crazy about cake (or "gâteau" in French, which is the language she prefers so far)… her first word was "gâteau" (appropriately said at her at her 1st Bday) and she hasn't stopped saying since then so I am always on the hunt for healthy cake recipes 🙂

  3. Hi Marcia,
    Wow, what a great idea:) I am writing the recipe down and will try them soon!! My little guy needs to eat a little more healthy…he is my picky one:) If I decorate them nice and beautiful like you did…it just might work! Thanks for sharing!

  10. I love red velvet but I also hate how it takes so much food coloring! My cake turned into a pink velvet cake because i didnt have enough! Good recipe! Thanks for sharing!

  13. I am a HUGE red velvet cake fan! I had it at my wedding 🙂
    I am sooooo making these this weekend! Thanks for sharing!
    One question, about how many beets did it take to get the 1 1/2 cups of shreded beets?
    Thanks!!

  15. I'm not sure howwwww I feel about that… taste test— how are they??

    I think red velvet is a southern thing or something. I've never seen or tasted one! Is it much different from yellow cake?

  16. I'm not sure I can do it, it's more a taste thing I think. You need to post how they taste, too, cuz I'm just really a whiny baby trying new things. Haha. Maybe with frosting, you can hide anything :).

  17. Steph and Jill: They really taste just like a chocolate cupcake. If I shut my eyes I'd never tell the difference. No beet taste I swear! If anything the beets make them more moist.

  20. I'm not a beet person, so I am both amazed and a lil' grossed out at the same time :-)… I must say though, that based on how yummy the muffins look, you might actually sneak these beets passed me!

  22. Wow, who would have thought – beets in cupcakes. I got beets in my fruit/veggie bin yesterday so the timing of your culinary adventure is amazing; I might try and whip these up this weekend. However, the beets will be my little secret

  23. I am not a huge fan of beets, but I am definitely trying this recipe. We bought 10lbs of beets in the fall and I don't know what to do with them all. Thanks for sharing!!!

  24. Beets?! Wow! What a great idea. I'm supposed to make a red velvet cake for a Valentine's dinner. I think I must just have to use this trick.

  25. What an interesting idea! I would totally try these and then try to be sneaky and give them to junk food lovers to see if they could tell the difference. I'm just that way. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

  26. I would have never thought of that but I never make red velvet cake because of the food coloring! Once day when I have any extra time to make anything, I'm gonna give these a try-Thanks!

  28. haha I am going to have to try these!! My boyfriend hates most vegetables, so it will stay a secret for a while… 🙂

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