Tacky Christmas Sweater Chocolate Beet Vegan Cupcakes

By Kitchengrrrls @kitchengrrrls

Tacky Christmas Sweaters have been all the rage for a couple of years now. On a recent trip to Value Village (okay, okay! I go at least once a week!) I spotted a rack of "tacky Christmas sweaters" made up to be as tacky and ridiculous as you can imagine. So silly but so cute! 

These beet cupcakes are inspired by the tacky Christmas sweater trend. Pink doesn't seem like an obvious Christmas color choice but it works with the adorable sprinkles we decorated these cupcakes with.

Basically, you just need a whole lotta festive sprinkles to make your cupcakes as tacky as possible. But, let's be honest, there's nothing tacky about these cupcakes... they're cute as a button! And moist and fluffy! 
 Vegan Chocolate Beet Cupcakesadapted from Minimalist BakerIngredients
2 medium beets (essentially you need 1/2 cup of pureed beets)1 cup unsweetened original almond milk1 tsp apple cider vinegar3/4 cup vegan sugar1/4 cup vegetable oil2 tsp vanilla extract1 cup and 1 heaping Tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder1 tsp baking soda1/2 tsp baking powderpinch of salt

DirectionsPreheat the oven to 375°F, remove the stem from the beets and peel them.

Wrap beets in some tin foil, add a few drops of oil and wrap tightly. Allow to roast for about an hour or until you can insert a knife easily. Set in the fridge (in a bowl to catch juice) to cool to room temperature.Once cooled, puree the beets in a blender until relatively smooth. Measure out 1/2 cup and set aside.Whisk together milk and vinegar in a large bowl, allow to curdle. Add sugar, oil, vanilla and the 1/2 cup beets. Beat until foamy and nicely mixed.Add flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt to a sifter, add into the wet ingredients while mixing with a fork or mixer. Beat until smooth without over mixing.Pour batter into a lined cupcake tin, filling about 3/4 of the way. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool before frosting. Vanilla Beet Buttercream FrostingLink to Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting.
Just add a few drips of beet juice that is left over from the pureed beets. Watch your frosting turn a beautiful hue of magenta!