Love is still in the air so let’s bake a little post-Valentine’s sweet treat! Red velvet cake is traditionally made with a whole bottle of red food coloring, which the FDA has recently banned as of January 2025. For a safer way to still achieve that vivid crimson color, we use beets which are naturally sweet and high in folate, manganese, and copper; vitamins and minerals that improve heart health, metabolism and brain function. Along with the fiber in beets, we made a protein packed cream cheese frosting using silken tofu to keep us satiated while preventing a sugar crash.
Beets Red Velvet Cupcakes:
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15 g flax seeds (grounded)
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75 g water or milk
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15 g apple cider vinegar
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125Â g beets (raw, peeled)
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5 g cocoa powder
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150 g sugar
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75 g oil
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7 g vanilla
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1 tsp baking powder
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¼ tsp cream of tartar
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¼ tsp salt
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125 g flour
Tofu Cream Cheese Frosting:
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175 g silken tofu
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30 g lemon juice + zest
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30 g powdered sugar
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35 g coconut oil (refined, melted)
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¼ tsp salt
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¼ tsp apple cider vinegar
Baking this couldn’t be any easier! Simply blend all the ingredients for the frosting using a high speed blender until smooth, then refrigerate/freeze until firm. Next, blend all the ingredients for the cupcakes except for the flour until smooth, then fold in flour gently until fully incorporated being careful to not overmix. Pour the batter into mini muffin tins and bake in the oven at 350 F for 10-15 minutes. We also did an experiment and microwave it in silicone trays for 1-3 minutes if you’re in a hurry. Fully chill before frosting, and meanwhile we cut up some fruits like pomegranates, pink pineapples and berries to add a fresh bite and some extra fiber while satisfying our sweet tooth. We hope you can try to make this recipe for yourself, or for a loved one – reminding us that food is the tastiest love language!