Happy hump day everyone! And boy is it chilly outside 🙁 I made these vegan friendly cupcakes as a birthday treat for my fabulous friend Claudia. Who doesn’t love red velvet on their birthday? Especially when they are healthy? Well she told me she did, so I guess it’s a double win 🙂 The “cream cheese” frosting is actually made out of cashew cream from soaked and puréed cashews, which is a great and healthier alternative to store bought cream cheese, and trust me, these were so yummy she almost didn’t get them 😉 Cheers amigos! And stay warm.

Recipe: modified from alimentageuse.com. Makes 12-14

Cupcakes:

Dry Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup organic brown rice flour
1 1/2 tsp organic raw cacao powder
1 1/2 tsp gluten/aluminum free baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt

Wet Ingredients:

3/4 cup freshly puréed beets (boil until tender, then puréed)
1/3 cup organic coconut oil
1/2 cup organic pure maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp organic pure vanilla extract
1 cup organic unsweetened almond milk

“Cream Cheese Frosting”:

2 cups raw cashews (soaked in 2 cups of water overnight)
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk (from can)
1/4 cup organic coconut palm sugar
1 tsp organic pure vanilla extract

Pre-heat oven to 350°F.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Mix puréed beets and coconut oil in another bowl until well incorporated, then add in remaining wet ingredients.

Combine dry and wet ingredients together and mix until a smooth semi thick batter forms (it shouldn’t be too runny, make sure the beet purée measure exactly 3/4 a cup).

Distribute batter into muffin or cupcake liners filling them 3/4 full and place in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

When ready, take them out of the oven and let them sit at room temperature for 10 minutes. They might sink a little when they sit out at room temperature after baking, but that’s okay.

To make frosting, place cashews in a food processor and purée until a creamy buttery texture forms.

Combine remaining frosting ingredients into the cashew cream and puree again until smooth. Place in a piping bag or a large ziplock bag with the tip cut off and pipe frosting on cupcakes!

Ps: you may have some left over frosting afterwards, but since it contains coconut milk and coconut milk doesn’t preserve for very long, you have to use up the frosting within a couple of days, and I literally mean two days. You can spread the frosting on pancakes or toast and get a vegan dose of protein for breakfast 🙂