Description
This all natural Vegan Beet Red Velvet Cake is light in added sugars and gets its ruby hue from pureed beets! It’s a delicious, gorgeous dessert you can feel really good about!
Ingredients
Red Velvet Cake:
- 3 medium beets
- Water, as needed
- 2 tablespoons reserved beet liquid
- ¾ cup plant-based milk, unflavored, unsweetened
- ½ cup expeller-pressed canola oil
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 1 tablespoon flax seeds, ground
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (or coconut palm sugar)
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- ½ cup almond meal
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt (optional)
Pink “Cream Cheese” Frosting:
- 1 cup raw cashews
- Boiling water, as needed
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- 1–3 tablespoons reserved beet liquid
Topping (optional):
- 1 cup fresh red berries (i.e., strawberries, raspberries, pomegranate seeds)
- 2 ounces vegan dark chocolate bar, coarsely chopped
- 1 tablespoon mint leaves
Instructions
- Trim beet ends, scrub the outside with a vegetable brush, (do not peel), and quarter. Place in small pot, cover with water and a lid, and cook over medium heat until tender (about 20-25 minutes). Drain liquid and reserve. Refrigerate cooked beets until they are at cool.
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a large blender container, place cooked beets, 2 tablespoons reserved liquid from cooking beets, plant-based milk, oil, chia seeds, flax seeds, and vanilla and process until very smooth and creamy. May stop to scrape down sides.
- Add the sugar, flour, almond meal, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt (optional) to blender and process just until blended and smooth.
- Spray an 8 x 12-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and pour batter into the pan, spreading evenly with a spatula. Place in oven in the middle rack and bake for about 25-30 minutes, until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool completely.
- While cake is baking, make pink “cream cheese” frosting. Place raw cashews in a dish and cover with boiling water—soaking for 15 minutes. Drain soaking water and add soaked raw cashews to the container of a blender, along with vanilla, lemon juice, powdered sugar, and 1 tablespoon reserved beet liquid. Puree the mixture, and add just enough additional beet liquid to make a creamy, soft frosting.
- When cake is cooled, spread a layer of frosting, and top with berries, dark chocolate, and mint leaves, as desired.
- Slice into 12 servings and enjoy! Cover and refrigerate the cake for up to one week.
Notes
Make this recipe gluten-free by swapping out wheat flour for gluten-free flour.
May bake into cupcakes using cupcake liners or spray a muffin pan.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 363
- Sugar: 24 g
- Sodium: 27 g
- Fat: 19 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 6 g