Beetroot Red Velvet Cake

Enjoy the richness of the traditional red velvet cake without artificial colors with this delicious and kid friendly Beetroot Red Velvet Cake.

After having two boys, I went crazy, spending hours creating the perfect little girl’s room. Our life has been full of pink since then: pink blankets, pink tights, pink dresses, pink barrettes.

My daughter turned six this week. She still adores pink. And dresses. And butterflies. And flowers. And glitter. I have been making my children’s birthday cakes from day one.

I have made a very pink strawberry birthday cake, barbie cake and unicorn cake for several of her birthdays. And when she turned six, I made this all natural beet red velvet cake, using no artificial colors or flavors

Ingredients you need

Cake Ingredients

• Beets: I used fresh beets and roasted them for this recipe. I would not use canned beets.
• Lemon juice and white vinegar: This acid helps preserve the color of the beets and keeps it from browning in the baking process.
• Butter and cream cheese: This is the fat and flavor in the cake. You could just use butter.
• Natural unsweetened cocoa powder: Do not use dark or Dutch processed cocoa powder as this will change the color.
• Eggs: I bake using large eggs.
• Pantry staples: Granulated sugar, all purpose flour, vanilla extract, baking powder, kosher salt

Frosting Ingredients

• Cream cheese and butter: For the cream cheese frosting, butter is mixed in as well.
• Powdered sugar: Also known as confectioner’s sugar.
• Heavy cream: This helps thin the frosting without making it watery. You could use whole milk instead, but I prefer heavy cream.
• Extracts: The frosting uses both vanilla and almond extract. You can use just vanilla.

Step-by-step directions

1. Prep beets. Steam the beets until tender. Once cooled completely, peel and cut into small chunks. Place beets and lemon juice in a blender and pulse until smooth. You need 1 ½ cups of purée. Stir in white white vinegar and mix to combine.
2. Cream the fats. Whip together the butter and cream cheese. Add sugar and mix until smooth and fluffy. Mix in eggs and vanilla.

3. Add cocoa powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In batches, mix flour mixture into the wet ingredients.
4. Add beets. Fold beet puree into the cake batter.
5. Bake. Divide the batter into 3 cake pans and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Invert cakes onto cooling racks, and allow to cool completely.
6. Frost. Combine cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla and almond extract until smooth and slightly fluffy. Frost cake as desired.

Recipe tips and FAQs

When I first published this recipe back in 2011, there were not many recipes that featured beets in a red velvet cake. The original writer of this post was Sophistimom, but it looks like she’s not blogging anymore. Which is a real bummer because she wrote a great post all about red velvet cake.

There are different rumors about the history of this cake, from chemical reactions to a food coloring manufacturer wanting to sell more food dye. My friend Jenni has a spectacular traditional red velvet cake with ermine frosting you purists must try!

Want more beetroot yumminess? Try my olive oil beet bread with walnuts.

If you are enjoying my recipes, please sign up for my newsletter and get my free 28-day meal plan! You can also follow me on Instagram or Facebook.

Beetroot Red Velvet Cake

Laura Bashar | Family Spice

Enjoy the richness of the traditional red velvet cake without artificial colors with this Beet Red Velvet Cake. And yes, the kids will still love it!

No ratings yet

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Additional Time 3 hours hrs

Total Time 5 hours hrs

Course Cakes

Cuisine American

Servings 12

Calories 751 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Cake Ingredients

• 2 large beets fresh, (enough to make 1 ½ cups of beet purée)
• ½ cup water
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• ½ cup butter unsalted, room temperature
• 16 oz cream cheese room temperature, divided
• 2 ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 4 eggs large
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ cup natural cocoa powder unsweetened, (not dark or Dutch processed)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting Ingredients

• ½ cup butter unsalted, room temperature
• 8 oz cream cheese room temperature, divided
• 1 lb powdered sugar (4 cups)
• 2 tablespoon heavy cream
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

 

Cake Directions

• Preheat oven to 350ºF.
• In a small baking dish, place beets and water. Cover the dish with parchment paper and foil. Roast until tender, about 60-90 minutes.
  When beets have cooled completely, peel and cut into small chunks.
• Place beets and lemon juice in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. There should be 1 ½ cups of purée. Stir in white white vinegar and mix to combine.
• Line the bottom of 3 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper. Apply non-stick spray along the sides and bottom of the pans. Set aside.
• In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream ½ cup butter and 16 oz cream cheese together.
• Add sugar and mix until smooth and fluffy.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder until there are no lumps.
• In batches, mix flour mixture into the wet ingredients.
• Fold beet puree into the cake batter.
• Divide the batter evenly between the 3 cake pans. Tap pans on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
• Bake at 350ºF for 20-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean.
• Invert cakes onto cooling racks, and allow to cool completely.
• If not frosting after cooled, place another piece of parchment paper on top of the cake rounds and wrap with plastic wrap.

Frosting Directions

• To make the frosting, combine remaining 8 oz cream cheese, remaining ½ cup butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream and remaining 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
• Once ingredients are fully incorporated, switch to the whisk attachment, and mix until smooth and slightly fluffy.
• Frost cake as desired.
  

Notes

Serving Suggestions: This is a dense cake where one thin slice is all you need per serving.

Cooking Tips: Canned beets can be used, but the resulting color will not be as vibrant.
Lemon juice used can be substituted with 1 teaspoon citric acid.

TO STORE: Because of the frosting, I suggest storing any leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

TO FREEZE: You can also freeze leftovers. Wrap in foil, parchment paper or plastic wrap and freeze for up to 4 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 751kcalCarbohydrates: 99gProtein: 8gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 155mgSodium: 678mgPotassium: 205mgFiber: 2gSugar: 79gVitamin A: 1355IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 108mgIron: 2mg

Keyword beet cake, beet red velvet cake, beetroot red velvet cake, red velvet cake with beets

Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Be sure to tag @FamilySpice

Nutrition Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.

PS If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.

You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my eMail list, too!