All Natural Red Velvet Cupcakes

Like red velvet, but not all the dye? Kid with Red 40 sensitivity? This is the recipe for you. Found online. Not quite as red (sometimes it looks a little dark purplish, but it's really close. It doesn't taste beety at all - stays very moist and my son loves that he can have "red velvet" again!

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Yields: 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

• 2  medium beets (yield 3/4 cup beet puree, directions follow)
• 1  tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons rice vinegar
• 1  cup sugar
• 1⁄2 cup butter, at room temperature (8 tablespoons)
• 3⁄4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1⁄4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (not bleached flour)
• 2  eggs
• 1⁄2 cup buttermilk
• 1  tablespoon  natural cocoa powder (not Dutch Process, or dark cocoa powder)

Directions

1. Roast the beets:
2. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Fill a small roasting dish with 1/2 inch of water. Place beets in the water, and cover with a piece of parchment paper and a large piece of aluminum foil. Roast for 60-90 minutes, or until the beets are very tender to the point of a knife.
3. When beets are cooled completely, peel, and cut into large chunks. Place in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Process for 2 minutes, or until extremely smooth. If the beets need a little moisture to help them along, you can add the lemon juice and the vinegar from the recipe, and then just don’t add it later.
4. Make the batter:
5. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a standard muffin tin with paper cupcake liners. Add vinegar and lemon juice to 3/4 cup beet puree; followed by all other ingredients. Scoop mixture evenly into cupcake liners.
6. Bake for 18 minutes, or until the cupcakes in the center spring back up when touched. Remove cupcakes from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.
7. Frost with cream cheese or frosting of your choice.