Red Velvet Cupcakes {gluten free, vegan}

Red velvet cake is typically loaded up with chemical-laden red food coloring and the frosting is a heavy cream cheese. Eat this and you will feel sugar overload and over processed central.

Enter this simple gluten free cake using beet powder and cocoa powder for that classic red color. If you use baking soda, it will react with the beet powder and the cake will have a more cocoa color but they will rise a bit more. Go without the baking soda for the authentic red velvet color. Either way, this is delicious! Homemade icing made with 3 ingredients: powdered sugar, coconut milk, vanilla. This makes 16 perfect little bites to serve at your next dinner party. Enjoy!

Dry Ingredients:

1 cup Gluten Free All Purpose Baking Flour

1 T. beet juice powder

2 T. cacao powder

½ tsp. real salt

½ tsp. baking soda (Note: leave out for more red color cake, however, cake will not rise quite as high – taste will be unchanged)

Wet Ingredients:

1 + 1/2 tsp egg replacer + 2 T. water, mix and set aside

½ cup applesauce

¼ cup coconut oil

½ cup coconut sugar

½ tsp. vanilla

1 T. water (add extra spoonful of water to batter, if  needed)

Icing:

½ cup powdered sugar

2 T. coconut milk (use coconut cream at the top for thicker icing)

½ tsp. vanilla

 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease 2 mini cupcake pans with coconut oil (or line with mini paper cupcake cups), set aside.

3. Measure out dry ingredients into a medium bowl.

4. Measure out wet ingredients in a small bowl, mix well then pour into dry ingredients bowl.

5. Mix 1-2 minutes until blended well, be sure not to over stir batter.

6. Scoop 1 tablespoon of batter into each mini cupcake cup.

7. Bake for 15 minutes or until done.

8. Allow to cool before icing.

9. To make icing: whisk together powdered sugar, coconut milk, and vanilla. Place in fridge for 30 minutes to set before icing cooled cupcakes).

10. Enjoy!

Yield: 10 mini cupcakes