The first time I came across a red velvet cake recipe, I remember being so disappointed that the ‘red’ came from food colouring. My first thought was why not use something natural like beets? Here’s my take on Red Velvet Brownies using beets.
Red Velvet Brownies
Ingredients
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 150 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids) chopped
- 150 g cooked beets
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract optional
- 150 g brown sugar
- 150 g almond meal or hazelnut meal
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 180C (350F) and line a loaf pan with baking paper.
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Melt butter in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and add chocolate. Stand.
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Meanwhile, whizz beets in a food processor until smooth. Add eggs, vanilla, sugar and nut meal and whizz again until mixed.
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Add melted butter and chocolate and again whizz until combined.
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Spread mixture over the base of your pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until firm on the top but still squidgy in the middle.
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Cool in the tin and serve sliced with vanilla ice cream or double cream.
Varations for Red Velvet Brownies
no food processor – just chop the beets finely by hand and mix everything with a spoon.
even redder velvet – replace dark chocolate with white chocolate.
home cooked beets – just trim and scrub beets then bake whole (180C / 350F) until soft when pierced with a knife, about an hour but may be longer for large beets. Cool and peel before using.
budget / nut-free – replace nut meal with plain (all purpose) flour. Be super careful not to over bake as flour based brownies can be very dry.
dairy-free – replace butter with coconut oil.
egg-free – I haven’t tried this but replacing the egg with 1 large mashed ripe banana should work fine here.
vegan – combine the dairy and egg free options.
short on time / paleo (grain, legume & dairy-free) – serve your fave chocolate instead.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
butter – keeps in the fridge for months.
dark chocolate /vanilla extract/brown sugar/almond or hazelnut meal – keep them all in the pantry.
beetroot (beets) – canned beets will keep in the pantry indefinitely. Commercially vac packed cooked beets usually keep in the fridge for months. Uncooked beets will keep in the fridge in a plastic bag for weeks. Can be frozen if needed.
eggs – will keep in th fridge for a month or so. Or use for another meal.
Other Recipes similar to Red Velvet Brownies
- Paleo Brownies
- Peanut Butter Chocolate Brownies
- Chocolate Walnut Birthday ‘Cake’
- Heavenly Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
- Chocolate Walnut Birthday ‘Cake’
With love,
Jules x