Vegan Beet Cupcakes With Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

There aren't many people in Israel's food and blogging world whose work really gets me excited.

One of them is Olga Tukhshar (an Israeli vegan blogger and pastry chef), who also happens to be a good friend of mine. Apparently, the universe got that one right. And can you blame me? She's the sweetest person on the planet.

And wouldn't you know it, today she's launching the brand-new version of her blog, "The Secret Ingredient" (her Israeli vegan baking blog). It looks absolutely gorgeous.

If you haven't met Olga or discovered her blog yet, this is the perfect opportunity. The story behind it is just as lovely as the recipes.

She started the blog in 2012, sharing recipes that reflected who she was. When Olga went vegan, the blog gradually went vegan right along with her.

Today, it's entirely vegan, with a focus on vegan baking and pastry. The recipes are as polished and precise as the photography.

Now for the best part of this post.

A few weeks ago, I stopped by Olga's kitchen, and we made 2 wonderful desserts together. Along the way, we talked a lot about love, food, and vegan life.

What did we make?

One recipe is these vegan beet cupcakes with coconut cream cheese frosting. The other is a vegan mocha mousse cake with figs, which you'll find on The Secret Ingredient.

The inspiration for these beet cupcakes came from a red velvet recipe—essentially a cake made with cocoa, flour, and red food coloring.

I wanted to skip the red food coloring and add some minerals, vitamins, and fiber, so I used 2 whole beets. They turned the batter a gorgeous red and added a gentle sweetness.

The beet flavor is so mild that you can barely notice it, making these a good option for kids. A little vegetable camouflage never hurts.

Together with the cocoa powder, the beets create a deep red velvet color that makes these cupcakes look ready for a celebration.

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How does this fit into your day?

One cupcake can be a great treat when you're craving something sweet and want to stay within your calorie goals. Think of it as a little "cheat meal," if that's your thing.

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Nutrition information provided by Noam Bachar (an Israeli nutritionist and fitness coach).

One cupcake contains:

365 calories

4.5 g protein

39 g carbohydrates

21 g fat (including 8 g saturated fat)

1.6 g fiber

50 mg calcium

Want another beet recipe? How about beet hummus you can make in 5 minutes?

Vegan Beet Cupcakes

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Yield 8 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 2 cooked beets 200 g (7 oz) total; vacuum-packed cooked beets work, too
• 1/2 cup sugar 90 g (3.2 oz)
• 180 g self-rising flour (6.3 oz); 1 cup + 4 tablespoons
• 1/2 cup canola oil 120 ml (1/2 cup)
• 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
• 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder

Frosting

• 250 g (8.8 oz) plain soy cream cheese from Tnuva (a major Israeli dairy and soy brand) or another soy cream cheese you like
• 6 tablespoons coconut oil 60 ml (1/4 cup)
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Start with the cupcakes.
2. In a small bowl, mix the ground flaxseed with 2–3 tablespoons of water. Set aside for half an hour, until it forms a sticky gel.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
4. Puree the beets in a blender until completely smooth, with no lumps.
5. In a deep mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, oil, beet puree, flaxseed mixture, and cocoa powder. Mix well until you have a beautifully deep-colored batter. If the batter is very dry, add 2–3 tablespoons of water.
6. Divide the batter among the wells of a muffin pan.
7. Bake for about 25–28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
8. Next, make the frosting.
9. In a deep mixing bowl, whisk together the soy cream cheese, coconut oil, 4 tablespoons of sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth.
10. Spread each cupcake with 40 g (1.4 oz) of frosting.
11. Top with a few frozen raspberries.

A Few Notes From Me

You can replace the self-rising flour with a blend of 70% all-purpose flour and 30% whole wheat flour, plus 1 teaspoon of baking powder.

For a more chocolatey flavor, add another 1/2 teaspoon of cocoa powder.

You can swap the white sugar for silan (date syrup) or maple syrup, but nutritionally and metabolically, it's still sugar.

Don't swap the coconut oil for another oil. It's what helps the frosting firm up.