There is just something so yummy about chocolate and beetroot when it is in a cake. Now I know for many this is going to sound, well frankly a bit weird but it really does work. And these Chocolate and Beetroot Cupcakes will prove that. There are stories about this being one of the original ways that the red velvet cake was made, as the beetroot does give the cake a lovely purplish reddish hue. True or not, I do not know.
But what is true is that the beetroot lends a wonderful deepness to this cake. It helps keep it moist and gives it a wonderful depth.
I’ve grown my own beetroots in the past and this is a brilliant way to use some of them up. Yes pickling them is great but hey, why not add chocolate and try making these instead.
Chocolate and beetroot cupcakes are not particularly difficult to make. They are just a basic sponge mix with the beetroot added. This recipe also has oil in it which gives the sponge a lovely crumb, dense and moist that lends itself perfectly to the deep chocolate flavour.
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Can I sing the praises of this combination any more? Probably but I’m hoping I’ve sold you on this one already and I’ll shut up! But please give it a go.
Recipe:
Chocolate and Beetroot Cupcakes
Ingredients
Ingredients for the sponge
- 200 grams Plain flour (All Purpose, (1 and 3/4 cups and 2 teaspoons))
- 60 grams good quality cocoa powder ((1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon))
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 250 grams caster sugar ((1 and 1/4 cups))
- 300 grams beetroot - cooked and peeled ((2 and 1/4 cups))
- 3 large eggs
- 210 millilitres Sunflower oil ((3/4 and 1/8 cup))
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the frosting
- 115 grams unsalted butter - at room temperature ((1 stick))
- 45 millilitres milk ((3 tablespoons))
- 15 millilitres beetroot juice ((1 tablespoon))
- 1 teaspoon chocolate extract
- 500 grams Icing sugar (Confectioners sugar - sieved, (4 and 3/4 cups))
Instructions
Directions for the sponge
- Pre heat your oven to 190C / 375F / Gas mark 5.
- Prep your cupcake trays with liners.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, cinnamon and salt together in a large bowl and stir in the sugar. Mix well.
- In a food processor or liquidiser puree the beetroot until smooth.
- Add the eggs to the beetroot and blitz. With the motor running add the oil and vanilla extract and make sure it’s fully combined.
- Gradually add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Mix well until everything is fully combined.
- Fill your cupcake cases until 2/3rds full and pop them in your oven for 18 – 20 minutes.
- They should be springy to the touch and a toothpick should come out clean once baked. Take them out of the oven and leave them in the tray for 10 minutes.
- Before placing them on a cooling rack to fully cool.
Directions for the frosting
- Beat the butter until it is light and fluffy.
- Add half of the icing sugar and mix well, the mixture will feel a little stiff but this is to be expected.
- Mix the milk and beetroot juice and add this to the buttercream and mix in well until the buttercream is smooth.
- Add the chocolate extract and mix.
- If you don’t have chocolate extract vanilla extract will be fine, this will give the cupcakes a vanilla frosting which is also lovely.
- Add the remaining icing sugar and mix really well until the buttercream is really smooth.
- Fill your piping bag and swirl on top of the cupcakes. Or spoon it on, whatever you are happy doing, it will still taste fab.
- I also added a few chocolate sprinkles as I had some on hand and hey more chocolate is never a bad thing.
- These cupcakes will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, yeah right 5 days they lasted 2 in my house!
- They also make a good afternoon pick-me-up.
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Wow! These turned out super delicious! Thanks for a wonderful recipe. Definitely a keeper!
Hi Shilpa, I am so pleased for you 😀
Stupid question…….beetroot juice? Where does one get this or how does one make it?
Hi Barbara, no such thing as a stupid question I should have made it a little clearer, when the beetroots are cooked and peeled cut them up on a plate before blitzing them and they will ooze juice or just take a little out of the pureed beetroots from earlier in the recipe. Or if you have a juicer just pop one in there. Hope you enjoy them it’s a lovely recipe 😀 Hope you have a good week!
These cupcakes look lovely! I have always wanted to try beetroot in my baking and I think this is the recipe I will use :)Thanks.
Hi Leanne, you should try them beetroot and chocolate go so well together supper yummy. And it is a great way of getting people to eat veg, my little nice ate them all up not realising it was full of veg!!! Bless her 🙂 Let me know how they turn out.
Thanks! Will report back 🙂
These look lovely, I can’t wait to try them.
Thank you for your comments you should definitely try them they are fantastic.
YUM they look delicious, so moist! They look super cute with the sprinkles!
xx
http://andgeesaid.blogspot.com.au/
Thank you Gemma, they are moist and strangely on day 2 they are even more moist they have never lasted 3 days so not sure about that one!!
Hi Emma! I’m back again.. just wanted to let you know I nominated you for the Liebster award on my blog! Check it out here (: xxx
http://andgeesaid.blogspot.com.au/2013/03/the-liebster-award.html
xxx
Hi Gemma, thank you I shall pop over this evening and have a look 🙂 xxx
I’ve answered the questions and passed on the award, thanks again for nominating me its been fun x