HeartBEET Cupcakes

This recipe is from my personal archives. It's one of those recipes I have made countless times and alway pass along to friends when they ask for a healthy cupcake recipe for their little one's birthday or party yet somehow it never made it to Yummy Sprout.  Well today I remedy that! This recipe is fun (bright pink), healthy and low in sugar (sweetened with honey). Plus, I love looking at the pictures of my now six year old enjoying these cupcakes as a toddler! 

HeartBEET Cupcakes

Ingredients:

2 cups Oat Flour (make sure to use certified gluten-free oat flour for a gluten-free version, if it doesn't say oats are often contaminated with gluten)

1 tbsp Flaxseed Meal

2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

pinch Nutmeg

2 Eggs

1/3 cup Oil (I use sunflower oil or melted coconut oil)

1/4 cup plain Greek Yogurt

1/3 cup Honey

3/4 cup Beet Purée (recipe below)

Frosting:

5-6 fresh Strawberries, sliced

1 cup softened Cream Cheese

1/2 cup Honey

1/2 tsp Beet Purée (for color)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (f). Line a muffin tin with paper liners. Combine the flour, flaxseed meal, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl, then set aside. In a separate bowl whisk together eggs, oil, yogurt and honey until well combined.  Add the egg mixture into the dry mixture stirring until well combined without over mixing.  Now fold in the beet purée until combined.  Fill tins 3/4 full and bake for about 15-20 minutes. This recipe makes about 12 cupcakes. If you use a different flour you may want to add a tbsp more honey, oat flour is slightly sweet, I took that in account when making the recipe. To make the frosting; beat together cream cheese, honey and beet purée on high speed with an electric mixer or food processor till you get a creamy whipped texture. You can also whisk by hand...it just requires a little elbow grease. Spread a thin layer on each cooled cupcake and top each with a strawberry slice.

PS. Beets are good for you!

Beet Puree

Ingredients:

I large Beet

Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees F.  Wash the beet well and place on a baking sheet(I suggest covering it in foil-beets stain).  Bake for about 50-60 minutes.  The beet should be very tender so it will puree easily.  Depending on the size of the beet I find cooking times vary so more baking time may be needed.  Allow the beet to cool, then remove the skin off the beet, sometimes a knife or vegetable peeler is the easiest way to get the skin off.  Next puree the beet in a food processor until you have a smooth consistency.  You may need to add a little water if you find it is too chunky.  Also keep in mind beets often take a bit longer to purée then other steamed/ baked vegetables so keep pureeing until you get the desired consistency.  This recipe will keep up to 3 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer.