• 3/4 stick of unsalted butter
  • 1 1/2c chopped semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips
  • 1/2c pureed beets (from canned, whole beets)
  • 1/4c sugar
  • 3 eggs, seperated
  • 1c heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla
  • leftover beet juice reserved from can

Yeah, you read that right. I said beet. If there’s two things I love eating, it’s cupcakes and beets. And after a (re)visit to one of my favorite cupcake websites, mingmakescupcakes, I decided it was time to  put two of my favorite things together once and for all.

I followed the recipe almost exactly, with a few slight changes just because doing things the easy or right way just simply isn’t in my nature. If only.

These are the most delicious cupcakes I’ve ever had, beet-love aside. The beet flavor is  subtle, lending a slight earthy flavor and moistness (yeah, I said moistness, gag and get over it) to the cupcake. It’s super fudgy and rich but it literally melts in your mouth as you eat it. And I’m not saying “melt-in-your-mouth” as some generic description, I mean it actually melts. In your mouth. Paired with a light, whipped cream…these cupcakes are something else and I highly encourage everyone to make these as soon as they can. This isn’t a joke people, this is SERIOUSLY delicious. And if my word-drool can’t convince you, let the fact that they are gluten-free and full of vegetables convince you. This is healthy…Right ?

Flourless Chocolate Beet Cupcakes
(adapted from mingmakescupcakes, #31)

First things first, open your can of whole beets and drain them, making sure to reserve the liquid. Put the beets in a blender and puree until smooth. Set beets and beet juice aside. Then preheat the oven to 275.

Cut the butter into uniform chunks, then add that and the chopped chocolate to a metal bowl. Get a saucepan and fill with some water, then put the metal bowl in the saucepan. The bottom of the bowl should juuust be touching the pan. If it is floating around, pour out some of the water. If it’s totally sitting without any movement at all, add more water. Congratulations, you just made a successful double boiler. Put the contraption on the stove over medium-low heat. Let the butter and chocolate melt, making sure to stir occasionally so it doesn’t burn. Once melted and smooth, remove from heat and let sit for 3-5 minutes. Stir in the egg yolks and pureed beets. It’s going to look awesome.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add the sugar gradually and beat the hell out of it until it’s stiff but still glossy, about two to three more minutes. Gently fold about a quarter of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Then fold the chocolate mixture into the remaining egg whites. Put 10 cupcake liners into your cupcake tin, and fill them about 90% full with batter. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick or fork comes out almost clean–a few crumbs means it’s going to be fudgy, and that’s what we’re going for. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool. During this time, the center of the cupcakes should sink a little (the photo at the top was right after they came out, they sank a little more than that). That’s supposed to happen. Begin to make whipped cream while they cool.

Add the heavy cream and sugar into a bowl. Beat until fluffy with peaks–don’t over beat or you’ll end up with weird butter. Add the vanilla extract and stir to incorporate. Then, using your discretion, add some of the leftover beet juice. A small amount doesn’t really affect the taste, it just makes the whipped cream pink, and that’s cute. I used maybe 1/2 a teaspoon, but you could easily use more to make a more vibrant, pink, and beety whipped cream. Store the whipped cream in the fridge while the cupcakes continue to cool. Then top each cupcake with a spoonful of cream and devour. You’ll have leftover whipped cream, but that’s never a problem.

Enjoy !!

-K