Red Velvet Cake w/ Blueberry Frosting

Photo: Red Velvet Cake with Blueberry Frosting and Chopped Fruit
Do you wanna know a secret? Red velvet cake is actually just chocolate cake with red food coloring! Many red food dyes are made of questionable ingredients so instead we recommend a more natural approach by using beets! We use a fantastic red beet powder in this recipe but you can also use a ¼ cup of steamed beets and then process it into a soft puree and add to the wet ingredients in your cake. It should be used to replace a ¼ cup of liquid from the mixture so that cake isn’t too wet.
Yield
8-10 Servings
Ingredients

Red Velvet Cake

  • ¼ teaspoon red beet powder + more if desired
  • 1 teaspoon cold water
  • Cheesecloth
  • 1 chocolate cake box mix of your choice
  • Simple syrup (optional)

Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting

  • ½ cup natural cashew butter
  • 1 ½ cup blueberries
  • ½ cup coconut oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2-3 teaspoons liquid sweetener of choice (i.e. agave, coconut nectar, etc.)
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Water, if needed
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven according to box directions.
  2. Mix red beet powder and cold water in a small dish. Add a little more beet powder for a richer color if desired. (Adding too much will make the cake bright red.) Strain the red beet mixture through a cheesecloth and gently squeeze out the red-colored liquid.
  3. Mix in beet liquid with wet ingredients of box mix. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients according to box instructions.
  4. Bake cake according to package directions. When done, allow cake to completely cool before frosting. You can even refrigerate the cake until you’re ready, this will actually make it even easier to frost. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving.  
  5. To prepare the Cashew Cream Cheese Frosting, combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. You will need stop the machine a few times to scrape down the sides. If the mixture is too dry, add a couple Tablespoons of water at a time until the mixture is smooth and creamy. You can also prepare this frosting the night before as well. Scrape frosting into a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. This frosting can stay in the refrigerator for up to a week.
  6. When ready to serve, spread Frosting on top of Cake and add any garnishes/toppings desired. Serve and enjoy!