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mini red velvet cake with knife on small beige plate

Mini Beet Red Velvet Cake

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Quin Liburd
  • Prep Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 6
  • Category: Desserts & Sweets
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: Southern

Description

This all-natural, Mini Red Velvet Cake features everything we love about traditional red velvet cake without the food coloring. Deeply moist and flavorful cake layers beaming with a bright crimson color thanks to the magic of BEETS! Roasted beets are pureed and incorporated into the cake batter to not only color the cake but also impart tenderness and a natural sweetness with no weird taste! It’s finished with classic cream cheese frosting, too. You’ll love this small-batch red velvet cake that’s the most festive sweet treat for nearly any celebration or special occasion!

Ingredients

For the beet red velvet cake:

  • 1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup canola oil
  • ¾ cup buttermilk
  • 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla essence (I use vanilla bean paste)
  • 1 large red beet, roasted & pureed- (about ½ cup)

For the cream cheese frosting:

  • 8-ounces block-style cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
  • 1-2 teaspoons vanilla essence (I use vanilla bean paste)

Instructions

  1. Beet prep: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Trim and clean your beet(s). Then coat your beet with oil and wrap tightly in foil (if roasting more than 1, wrap each one individually). Place the beet on a small baking sheet just in case there’s any leaking. Roast the beet for 45 minutes to 1 hour- or until the beet is completely tender. Let the beet cool until safe to handle then use your hands (fitted with disposable gloves if desired) to peel the skin off or run under cool water for the skin to slip off. Then place the roasted beet into the body of a high-speed blender or food processor and blitz until the beet is pureed and smooth. If needed, add a tablespoon of water to help loosen. This recipe will use a ½ cup of beet puree, set aside.
  2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the bottom and sides of two 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray. Then line each pan with a parchment paper round for good measure and spray the parchment paper as well, set baking pans aside. 
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and granulated sugar and stir the ingredients well to combine. Then add the oil, buttermilk, vinegar, eggs, vanilla essence, and roasted beet puree. Whisk the cake batter until smooth and just combined- the batter should be loose and somewhat runny.
  4. Divide the batter evenly between both pans and gently tap the pans on the counter to help release any air bubbles.
  5. Bake the cakes for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then carefully invert the cakes onto a wire rack to continue cooling. Let the cakes cool down completely before frosting (below). Once cooled, level the cake tops with a leveler or serrated knife if you have domed tops. I like to save these scraps for decorating crumbles (as pictured)- optional.
  6. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl using a handheld electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. On low speed, add the powdered sugar and then slowly increase to high, continue beating until the frosting is well combined and free of any lumps, about 2-3 minutes. Then add the vanilla essence and beat until fully combined, about 1 minute.
  7. Now let’s frost the cake! On a plate or cake stand, spread a tablespoon of the frosting onto the center of it and spread it out over a few inches (so the cake stays put on the vessel). Place one cooled cake on top of that frosting, add about a ½ heaping cup of frosting on top of the cake and spread the frosting to the edges. Top with the other cooled cake, and frost the top and sides of the cake. Feel free to do a crumb coat: a thin layer of frosting along the outside of the cake then place it into the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes to seal in before you finish frosting the cake.
  8. When done frosting, garnish the cake with red velvet cake scrap crumbles, if desired. I like to place the finished cake back into the fridge to chill before slicing. Slicing into a completely chilled cake is best! You can keep this mini red velvet cake at room temperature on the counter for up to 1 day- otherwise, it will stay good in the fridge, covered for freshness, for about 3-4 days. Enjoy!

Notes

  1. Gluten-free needs? Swap the all-purpose flour for any gluten-free baking flour as a 1:1 ratio (we love Bob’s Red Mill gf flour!).
  2. Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.

Find it online: https://www.butterbeready.com/beet-red-velvet-cake/