It's hard to find the perfect red velvet recipe, I know, especially if you want it without food coloring.
Well, friend, if you were looking for something easy to make, something to surprise your partner and/or family with, you found it!
My mom loved these naturally dyed red velvet donuts, my dad loved them too, same with my boyfriend: everyone loved them!
Best thing? They're made with beetroot purée.
The flavor? My boyfriend didn't even taste the earthiness of the vegetable!
Let yourself (and your loved ones) be conquered by these beauties!
Red velvet donuts with no artificial coloring?
As I mentioned above, it's hard to find a delicious red velvet cake (or cupcakes/donuts in my case) recipe with no food coloring.
I attempted to make one years ago and to really make it RED, ruby-red, I poured half of the artificial color's jar. Yuk. The flavor obviously was affected by this mistake. Never again, I thought.
Then, about a year and a half ago, I tried again. This time I had the brilliant idea (not unique though, because it's quite popular) of using a natural dyer: beetroot powder. I failed again: the batter of my red velvet cupcakes was pale pink, I added more and more powder, yet still... Plus, the flavor was nothing special.
Christmas 2017: I wanted to create something red and white for Christmas, and I attempted again using beetroot puree. This time my red velvet cupcakes turned out amazing! A pity that I didn't save the recipe (dang!).
But this girl doesn't give up easily, oh no! So I recently managed to develop THE red velvet donuts recipe that I'm sure you were waiting for. Why?
I'll tell you why these red velvet donuts are so delicious:
Do I seriously need to tell you WHY these Valentine's day donuts are so amazing? Ok, I'll list the reasons then:
- again, no chemical flavor because they are naturally dyed;
- they taste like chocolate and vanilla (yum);
- they are butter free (even if I like butter) and refined sugar free;
- you can't feel the earthiness of the beet (even though I wouldn't mind);
- the beet gives a nice and soft texture to the batter;
- they have a balanced sweet and sour greek yogurt frosting that complements the sweetness of the cupcakes/donuts;
- they are the perfect dessert to surprise your partner (or to treat yourself!;))
Did I convince you? I really hope you'll give them a try!
You may need...
To purée the beetroot I've used my cherished small food processor that you can find here.
If you make this recipe, please be sure to give it a rating and leave a comment! It would make me so happy! 🙂
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Don’t forget to pin and share this easy and delicious recipe!
RED VELVET DONUTS
Ingredients
- 100 gr Beetroot (to purée) - approximately 1 beetroot
- 15 gr Water
- 2 Eggs (at room temperature)
- 60 gr Raw brown sugar
- 40 gr Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Apple cider vinegar
- 165 gr Organic all-purpose flour
- 5-10 gr Unsweetened cocoa powder
- 7 gr Baking powder
- Vanilla Extract
- 25 gr Chocolate chunks
For the "frosting":
- 100/150 gr Greek yogurt
- 2 teaspoons Maple syrup
To decorate:
- Chocolate decorations (hearts...)
Instructions
- Boil the beetroot until soft. Then peel it and purée it - with 15 gr of water - using a food processor. The smoother the better.
- Preheat the oven at 175°C (350°F).
- In a large bowl, using a stand/hand mixer, whisk together eggs and brown sugar until nice and fluffy.
- Add beetroot purée, oil and apple cider vinegar and whisk again.
- Sift flour, cocoa powder and baking powder into the wet mixture and stir (do not over-mix).
- Lastly add vanilla and chocolate chips and combine with a spatula.
- Pour the mixture into the cupcakes liners or donuts molds. Bake for 15/17 minutes (check with a toothpick).
To decorate:
- Combine greek yogurt (better if "drained" so it's firmer) and maple syrup then decorated your donuts and cupcakes.
Liked this recipe?
Check out these chocolate zucchini muffins and change mold so you can make donuts with the same batter!
© Healthy Little Cravings – Roberta Dall’Alba.
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