I am a fan of beetroot; I’ve tried many different recipes with them in the past but sometimes when the vegetable box keeps bringing me beetroot I am stuck for what to do. I have made chocolate and beetroot cake in the past and I fancied trying something sweet with my latest accumulation, hence, Beetroot and Poppy Seed Cupcakes. Something a little different and somewhat stripy for the lunchbox.
You will need (for 12 cupcakes):
- 200g self raising flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 150g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 150ml sunflower oil
- 200g raw beetroot, peeled and grated
- 2 tbsp poppy seeds
- 25g softened butter
- 200g full fat cream cheese
- 300g icing sugar
- 1 tbsp poppy seeds
Preheat the oven to 180C. Squeeze as much water out of the grated beetroot as you can (your hands will turn a fabulous pink colour).
Mix the flour and baking powder together in a bowl.
In a mixer (or another bowl) whisk the oil and sugar together until well combined then add the eggs making sure they are well mixed in.
Stir in the beetroot and poppy seeds then fold in the flour and baking powder.
Spoon the mix into cupcake cases until about 3/4 full then bake for 18-20 minutes or until cooked. Remove from the oven and leave to cool while you make the icing.
Beat the butter until really soft. Add the cheese and a few big spoonfuls of the icing sugar and beat again until combined. Add the remaining sugar with the poppy seeds and mix again until combined.
I had planned to pipe (who am I kidding, I planned to spoon) the lusciously thick icing onto the cakes for a little finesse but the icing was somewhat thinner than I had hoped. I think I overbeat the cream cheese, more fool me. So I ended up dunking my little cakes into the pool of icing which was rather enjoyable but somewhat messy. Still tasty though.
They were amazingly pink before they went into the oven but as you can see the colour baked out; it stayed on the top but not inside. I still thought they looked very pretty especially with the poppy seeds dotted throughout. I was surprised how the beetroot flavour didn’t carry over as much as I thought; you could certainly tell it was there but it wasn’t as distinctive as I’d anticipated.
These are well worth a try next time you have some fresh beetroot and as they contain plenty of vegetable and seed particulates I’m sure you could argue that they’re healthy. Ignoring the oil, sugar and full fat cream cheese of course. If you find you have many, many beetroot and are after some further beetroot inspiration, check out some of my other ideas here.
Lucy says
I love beetroot but haven’t had in a cake. My favourite with poppyseed is lemon which is delicious so I am sure that this would appeal. Lucy x
Emma @ Bake Then Eat says
What a great way to use beetroot, I too have suffered from the dreaded runny cream cheese frosting nightmare! Still tastes good 😀
Choc Chip Uru says
Tasty cupcakes, healthier with the beetroot 😀
I would love to try them! And running icing tastes better to me!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
I love the combo of poppy and beetroot. These cupcakes look so inviting.
Nava Krishnan says
Love the cakes and I do agree that beets are a wonderful addition.
Alida says
I love beetroot too and poppy seeds! These cupcakes look interesting, a great way of combining them both.
You see beetroot in many cakes these days. I would like to try making the red velvet cake too!238
Juliana says
Cute cupcakes…like the idea of using beets…I can see myself eating a few of them…
Hope you are having a great week Caroline 🙂
John@Kitchen Riffs says
I don’t think I’ve ever seen beetroot and poppy seeds combined, but I love the idea. This is really a creative recipe! Terrific and tasty, I’ll bet. Thanks for this!
Amy (Savory Moments) says
I’ve yet to use beets in a sweet recipe, but I’m always intrigues when I see them in baked goods. These cupcakes look so pretty with them and I bet they are delicious!
rebecca says
these look great must try adding beetroot to a cake
Melanie says
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Yum, this looks incredible! Thank you for the recipe!!
Melanie @ meandmr.com
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
I love the spots of colour and what a great recipe for lunch box treats 🙂
anna @ annamayeveryday says
These look lovely and obviously the beetroot and seeds off set the butter and cream cheese etc (or that is what I always tell myself). Love the icing trickling off the sides rather than iced!