For the health-conscious cupcake connoisseur, these chocolate cupcakes make use of healthy ingredients which make the cupcakes extra rich and moist. Despite gluten-free foods having a reputation of being dry, these cupcakes will convert even the most skeptical. The secret? Beets. Don’t let their ugly exterior or candied reputation fool you. Fresh beets are delicious and versatile to bake with. Not only do beets keep the cupcakes moist, but they can be used to dye the frosting.
This recipe is courtesy of the wonderful Rebecca at Season2seasoneating.com.
Gluten Free Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Pink Frosting
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbs oat flour (ground from GF rolled oats)
- 1/2 cup sorghum flour
- 2 tbs coconut flour
- 1/3 – 1/2 cup coconut sugar (I used 1/3 cup)
- 2 tbs cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- about 1/2 cup chopped raw beet
- 3/4 cup almond milk
- 3 tbs apple sauce
- 3 tbs sunflower oil (or melted coconut oil)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Frosting:
- 1 can full fat coconut milk
- leftover beet pieces from above
- cacao nibs, crushed in a mortar and pestle (optional)
Instructions:
Pre heat oven to 350F degrees.
For the cake, add the almond milk and chopped beet to a blender and blend until very smooth, then add in the rest of the wet ingredients and continue to blend until smooth.
Now gather all your dry ingredients and whisk them together in a large bowl. Next add the wet to the dry and stir to combine. Make sure there are not any lumps in there.
Pour the batter into paper lined muffin tins (it makes about 6 cupcakes) and bake for 20 – 25 minutes.
For the frosting, open the can of coconut milk and place it (opened) in the freezer overnight. The next day the cream will be at the bottom. Pour about 1/2 the separated clear liquid into a blender (reserving the thick white cream part for later), and blend it along with the leftover beet pieces (you want it to be as smooth as possible). Make sure this mixture is darker than the color you want, because not all of it will go into the final product, you are just making a homemade food coloring. Pour out your “food coloring” and set it aside. Now add the creamy white part of the coconut milk into the blender and add as much coloring as desired. The more beet you put in the darker pink you get, but I left mine a pale pink. Place your frosting in the fridge for about 3 hours, so it will thicken up.
To assemble, add your frosting to a icing bag (or a ziplock bag with a small hole cut in the corner) and pipe your frosting onto the cupcakes. To finish them off, sprinkle on the ground cacao nibs. Enjoy!
