Beet & Apple Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting

I know what you're thinking, but I'm not crazy! If you've read through my blog in the past, you will know that I love beets and apples together. There are a lot of recipes for beet cupcakes out there and most of them include chocolate, but we just had Green Machine Brownies last week so I figured the kids had enough chocolate (I'm sure they would tell you differently)!

First off, I'm not a very good baker. I had to really wing these to I could get the beet and apple in them. I figured the flavor would be pretty good when I was done but the either the consistency would be really dense, they would fall in the middle or they wouldn't be sweet enough. It was a lucky Monday for me because they turned out on my first try! They were a bit gooey and didn't rise to be a big cupcake, but I enjoyed them. It was more of a mini-cupcake than a great big one

As always, the apple and the beet complimented each other perfectly and the bright lemon frosting was the perfect touch. No need for chocolate in these cupcakes! The beet that I used was a white/pink beet so they aren't as  vibrant red as they would be with a normal red beet, but with my CSA beets running out and this being my new favorite cupcake of the season, I'm sure I'll be using a red beet soon.

Maybe I'm turning into a baker after all ... Nah, but I love to try!

Beet & Apple Cupcakes with Lemon Frosting

Makes 12 cupcakes

1 beet (about 1 pound)
1/2 c almond milk
1/2 c applesauce
1/2 c maple syrup (or honey)
2 T coconut oil
1 T lemon juice
1 c AP flour
1 t cardamon*
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt

*If you don't have cardamon, you could use cinnamon, but you should really stock cardamon in your spice cabinet!

Lemon Frosting
6 oz vegan cream cheese
1/4 c maple syrup (or honey)
1 T lemon juice
1 t lemon zest

Preheat oven at 375º.

Peel and dice the beet. Bake for 30 minutes or until very tender. Roasting the beet helps release it's natural sugars!

Meanwhile, mix remaining cupcake ingredients in a bowl. Once the beet is tender, puree it in your food processor then add it to your cupcake mixture.

Fill cupcake pan 3/4 way full with mix. Bake at 375º for 20-25 minutes or until a knife can slide in and out of the cupcake without any residue.

While you are waiting for the cupcakes to cool, whip your lemon frosting. Once cupcakes are completely cool, top them with the frosting. I like to use a little extra lemon zest to sprinkle on top of the frosting ... it just looks pretty!