Reed velvet chocolate cupcakes with beetroot recipe

These healthier red velvet cupcakes are a dreamy treat and you wouldn’t know that they are loaded with beetroot. Using both cocoa powder and melted dark chocolate, they have a soft fine crumb and deep chocolate flavour. The chocolate intensity is further amplified with the smoothest and creamiest chocolate buttercream frosting.

I adapted this recipe from the beetroot chocolate loaf cake I made last year for the Food24 Made with McCain Family Cookbook Campaign where it was such a hit. I increased the icing quantity from the cake quantity because you need a bit more for cupcakes especially if you are piping it on.

Refer back to my loaf cake recipe if you would prefer to make it into a loaf or bundt cake here.

Prep Time:15

Cook Time:25

Ingredients

300 gms McCain frozen beetroot
200 gms good quality dark chocolate with 70% cocoa solids
3 free-range eggs separated
200 gms brown sugar muscovado or demerara
165 ml sunflower oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
100 gms almond flour
150 gms flour
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder

Chocolate buttercream icing:

100 gms 70% chocolate melted and then cooled
200 gms butter room temperature
155 gms icing sugar
45 gms cocoa powder
1 Tbs very strong coffee or espresso
½ tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate shavings or walnuts to decorate

Instructions

Place the frozen beetroot into a microwave container with ½ cup of water and cook on high for 8 minutes. Drain and allow to cool.
Heat the chocolate in a bowl of a double boiler and then allow it to cool.
Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F and line +-16 -18 muffin cups with cupcake paper liners.
Process the beetroot in a food processor with the sunflower oil until a smooth consistency (there might still be a few very small chunks), about 3 – 4 minutes.
Separate the eggs and using an electric mixer, whip the whites until stiff peaks. Remove from the bowl and set aside. In the same mixing bowl, add the egg yolks, sugars, beetroot and oil mixture, vanilla, salt, chocolate, and almond flour, and mix until well combined for about a minute.
Sift the flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder and add them to the wet batter and briefly mix until incorporated.
By hand, gently fold through the whisked egg whites.
Using a medium ice cream scoop, fill the lined muffin cups with batter ensuring it comes ¾ of the way up the liner. Bake for 23 – 25 minutes and until springy to the touch and baked through. Cool on a cooling rack and then remove to further cool out of the tins. Once the cupcakes are fully cooled, make the buttercream frosting.
Make the icing sugar by melting the chocolate in a double boiler and then allowing it to cool to room temperature.
Whip all the other ingredients together for a few minutes until fluffy.
Ice the cupcakes and decorate them with chocolate shavings, walnuts, or anything you like. Give these cupcakes an Easter theme top with colourful mini eggs.