The combination of beets and cacao nibs makes these cupcakes incredibly delicious. The roasted beets give these cupcakes a naturally sweet flavor and a wonderful texture, while the cacao nibs add a rich, chocolatey flavor while also being high in iron.
by Elizabeth Elizabeth´s Kitchen Diary
Roasted Beetroot and Raw Cacao Nib Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes Ingredients
- 3 medium beetroot
- 2 tbsp sunflower oil
- 50 g raw cacao nibs
- 225 g self-raising flour
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 180 g light brown sugar
- 125 g butter or 130ml the sunflower oil
- 100 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
- 3 large free range eggs
Icing Ingredients
- 300 g icing sugar
- 4 tbsp butter or solid coconut oil
- 2 tbsp full-fat milk or non-dairy milk
- 1 tbsp roasted beetroot purée
- cacao nibs, for decoration
Instructions
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 200ºC/425ºF. Wash the beetroot thoroughly under cold water to remove any traces of dirt. Leave 2-3 cm of the stalk at the top and the root tail intact. Place the beetroot on a baking tray and drizzle with the sunflower oil.
- Roast for 90 minutes, turning every 20-30 minutes until the beetroot is tender. A knife will slide in and out of the beetroot easily when it is ready. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.
- When cooled, the skin will slip off. Discard the skin, top, and bottom, and purée the whole beetroot in your Optimum high-speed blender. You will likely need to use the blender tamper to keep things moving.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F, Line a 12-hole cupcake tin with large paper cupcake cases. Blend the cacao nibs in your Optimum high-speed blender until they form a powder. Sift the flour, ground cacao nibs, and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. You may have some cacao that won´t fit through the sieve, just chuck it in the bowl along with the rest and stir in the sugar. Break the dark chocolate into small pieces in a heat-proof bowl and suspend over a pan of barely simmering water. Usually, I boil the kettle, pour it into a pan, place the bowl on top and leave it off the heat, stirring once or twice, until it has melted.
- If using the butter, add the butter along with the chocolate to melt. If using oil, add the oil along with the eggs after the chocolate has melted. Stir 250g of room temperature beetroot purée into the dry ingredients, along with the chocolate mixture. Stir until just combined. Spoon into the paper cupcake cases. They will be full, but rest assured it will be OK. Bake for 25-30 minutes in the center of the oven until a skewer, inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the frosting, sift the icing sugar into your Optimum high-speed blender and blend with the softened butter, milk, and beetroot purée until it reaches the desired consistency. Using a plastic disposable piping bag, pipe swirls of frosting on the top of the cupcakes. Decorate with cocoa nibs. Store in an airtight container. Cupcakes will keep for a few days.
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