Love red velvet, but loathe red food coloring? Don’t spoil another happy birthday with chemical-laden cake. This clean recipe calls for beet and cacao powders to create rich, authentic color without artificial ingredients, while natural coconut sugar and vanilla supply sweetness sans processed white sugar. Gluten and dairy free, it’s a dessert everyone at the party can enjoy!
Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cupcakes
Makes 16 mini cupcakes
Dry Ingredients
1 cup gluten-free all-purpose baking flour
2 Tbsp. cacao powder
1 Tbsp. beet juice powder
½ tsp. baking soda*
½ tsp. sea salt
Wet Ingredients
1-1/2 tsp. egg replacer + 2 Tbsp. water
½ cup applesauce
¼ cup coconut oil
½ cup coconut sugar
½ tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. water (optional, added last if batter is too dry)
Icing
½ cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp. coconut milk, use coconut cream at the top for thicker icing
½ tsp. vanilla
*Note: Omit baking soda for a deeper red color. Baking soda reacts with the beet powder, creating more of a cocoa color. Without it, cupcakes will not rise as high, but they will be a richer shade of red.
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 mini cupcake pans with coconut oil (or line with mini paper cupcake cups); set aside.
- To prepare egg replacer, mix together powder and water and set aside.
- In medium-sized bowl, combine dry ingredients.
- In another bowl, mix together wet ingredients.
- Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix well, about 1-2 minutes (do not over stir).
- Scoop 1 tablespoon of batter into each mini cupcake cup.
- Bake cupcakes for 15 minutes or until done. Let cool before icing.
- To make icing, whisk together ingredients. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before icing cupcakes.
Nutrition info: 87 calories; 4 grams fat; 13 grams carbs; 1 gram fiber; 7 grams sugar; 1 gram protein