Chocolate and beet cupcakes
10 October 2011 § 7 Comments
So here is the recipe I promised yesterday for This Little Piggy’s birthday cake – chocolate and beet cupcakes.
I’m not one for disguising vegetables, but if your kids are veggie avoiders this is a great one for them.
I will also confess, they are good, but not as good as Nigel Slater’s chocolate beet cake. If you want a luxuriously rich, moist, dense chocolate cake then take the extra time to make the Nigel Slater one – recipe here. If you don’t have much time and have a hankering for chocolate then this one-bowl wonder is the cake for you.
Ingredients:
- 2 sticks butter, softened (bring to room temperature)
- ¾ cup superfine sugar
- 1 ½ cups plain flour
- 2½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 4 tbs Dutch process cocoa powder
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup puréed, cooked beets (clean and wrap in foil with a tbs of water and olive oil – cook at 375° for 45 mins to an hour, then peel when cool and blitz to a mush)
Preheat the oven to 350°. Place 12 paper baking cups in muffin pans. Combine all the ingredients, except the beets, in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. Then when just combined – that means you can’t see any of the flour - fold in the beets.
Spoon the batter into the cups. Bake for 20 minutes. To see if cooked insert a toothpick into one and if it comes out dry they are done. Remove pan from the oven and cool for five minutes. Then remove the cupcakes and cool on a rack.
Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar and a nasturtium if you have any in your yard (I do….one of my only successful crops this year.)
Yum! The cupcakes you brought us had some chunks of beet in them, and it was so amazing. The kids loved it.
I have a question about the butter: I know it says softened, but what if I microwave it into complete liquidity. Does that affect the texture or flavor? Because, somehow, that’s what always happens with I try to softened it artificially.
I sometimes will let it melt for just a few seconds in the microwave.Try not to let it go to liquid – not sure if will impact flavor but maybe texture.
gosh Lisa I cannot imagine a chocolate cake made with beetroot .What does it taste like ?????? I think I would prefere my vegies in a carrot cake Lots of love to all mosie xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mosie – Beets really don’t have a strong taste in the cake. They taste a bit earthy but their flavor is overpowered by the chocolate, they also impart a deep sweetness
I love this combination of beets and chocolate! Sounds marvelous. Happy Blogday!
Thanks Hannah! Love your blog, your love of food is such an inspiration
Thank you, Lisa, you made me smile!