Trying Chocolate and Beetroot Cupcakes!

If your first thought on seeing the title of this post was 'Nope. Just nope - vegetables DO NOT belong in cakes full stop get out of here' then I'd like to say three things:

1. Before making these, I too thought it would be a bit gross and not work, and 'tis' why I chose to make them - this way I'd know once and for all! Muahaha!
2. If anyone ever did write the rules for what belongs in cakes I'm 99.9% sure it wasn't you (please let me know if it was and I'll be sure to send a cupcake your way)
3. Vegetables are superduperfuel, so why not at least consider an easier way to eat them?

Now that bit is over with, I'd like to introduce you to these mini mountains of marvellous chocolatey moistness.

These are by far the best chocolate cupcakes I've ever made, and they're also the first ones to contain a vegetable! Very fluffy and I'm sure the beetroot enhances the chocolatey flavour, while also making the cupcakes moist and awesome. Too many times, I've made cupcakes that have easily crisped up on the outside and been too dry on the outside...

😞

As I slightly altered the original recipe, which is from allrecipes (by Lenna), here's my version:

You'll need:

250g well-drained, cooked beetroots!

• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

• 300g caster sugar (I used 200g of Silver Spoon's c.sugar and Stevia mix)

• 200ml oil (I used rapeseed)

• 3 eggs
• 230g plain flour
• 1.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 tbsp cocoa powder (unsweetened!)
• A little water/fruit juice (you'll need this to get the beetroot out of your blender if you're using one... I found this out soon enough)
• Cupcake oven tray
• Cupcake cases
• Something to purée beetroot with e.g. blender

**This recipe makes 24 cupcakes**

WHAT TO DO?!

1. Preheat oven to 180°C / Gas Mark 4. Pop your cupcake cases in your tray. My tray had twelve precious cupcake spots so when it came to baking I did two oven sessions, but you might be more prepared and have two trays of course.
2. Purée them beetroots! I used my trusty blender which meant I needed to add some water and juice (meaning less oil and a bit more flour involved) to get the blending process going, and to get the beetroots out of the blender which you'll do...
3. ...NOW! Get a large bowl and throw in (lightly now, we don't want to stain everything within a 5m radius) your puréed beetroots, eggs, vanilla, oil and sugar. Mix with an electric mixer on low until nice and airy (it'll look a bit like a pink Lush bubble bath scenario). Really cream it up. Yes you heard.
4. In a separate bowl, mix your flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cocoa. Add this 'dry' stuff to the 'wet' creamy mix, and beat well. Pour your heavenly nectar into the cupcake cases (half if you're baking two batches of 12 of course!)
5. Bake for 20 mins and then check they're cooked by poking with a cheeky kebab stick, or a toothpick. Whatever you have lying around (no not that). I would say leave to cool but they were delicious still warm, so do whatever you want. I recommend having one (or three) warmed with your favourite chocolatey ice cream. Mmm.