Second Chance ChocoBeet Cupcakes

I wasn't thrilled with my last attempt at Chocolate Beet Cake. I didn't have any traditional cake pans, so I chose a recipe that could be made in a loaf pan instead. For me, the edges and top created a crust-type layer that was too hard and the middle was still gooey and uncooked. I wanted moist, fluffy comfort and I got something closer to the consistency of flourless cake. Rich and delicious to be sure, but just not what I wanted.

I knew I wanted to try again and when Abel & Cole sent me raw beets in my vegbox, I figured it was a sign that this was the time. My mom sent free-standing, silicon cupcake cups back with Joe when he was home in January and Ryan is here and he loves chocolate. Here's the new recipe also from BBC Food.

Ingredients

• 75g/2½oz cocoa powder or powdered drinking chocolate 
• 180g/6½oz plain flour 
• 2 tsp baking powder 
• 250g/8½oz caster sugar (or granulated - whatever) 
• 250g/8½oz cooked beetroot (I cooked and peeled raw beets myself, but pre-cooked beets are WAY easier) 
• 3 large eggs 
• 200ml/7fl oz vegetable or corn oil 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• icing sugar for dusting (or two containers of cream cheese for frosting) 

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/355F/Gas 4. Arrange paper muffin cases in a 12-mould muffin tin.
2. Sift the cocoa powder, flour and baking powder into a bowl. Mix in the sugar, and set aside.
3. Purée the beetroot in a food processor. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the vanilla and oil and blend until smooth. (I have a crappy blender, so I just put everything in at once. It fluffed up and looked like a berry smoothie.)
4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add the beetroot mixture and lightly mix. Pour into the muffin cases.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top is firm when pressed with a finger. (since I have the smaller size cups for 24 cupcakes instead of 12, I took mine out at about 18 minutes)
6. Cool on a wire rack and dust with icing sugar to serve.

These cupcakes were exactly what I was looking for! Light, fluffy, moist, and delicious. Chocolatey, but not too rich. Of course, I couldn't justify keeping two dozen cupcakes in the house, so I packed them up and brought them down to BrewDog as a Happy Saturday surprise for Joe, Ryan, and all of the BrewDog staff. It worked out especially well because one of the bartenders came in to celebrate her birthday and (randomly), I had brought cake!

Happy Birthday, Annest!