Red Velvet Cake From Scratch (Dye Free)

Ingredients

• 2-3 beets (enough to make 1 cup pureed)
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• ½ cup butter, softened
• ¾ cup plain nonfat greek yogurt
• ½ cup milk
• 2 tbsp honey
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups all purpose or white whole wheat flour
• 2 cups sugar (you can substitute coconut sugar or other sugars here).
• ½ cup baking cocoa
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
For the Glaze:
• 6 oz cream cheese, softened (we used Green Mountain Farm greek yogurt/cream cheese blend)
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean, scraped
• ¼ cup milk + extra for thinning if needed.

Instructions

1. In a food processor or blender, place the beets, lemon juice, butter and yogurt. Blend in the processor until mostly smooth. (It will be difficult to get a nice smooth puree since the beets will be raw. Don't worry, you won't taste the beets once the cake is cooked).
2. In a mixing bowl, place the pureed mixture, milk, honey and vanilla extract, stirring until smooth.
3. To the mixture add the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Stir until combined.
4. Pour cake into a lightly greased 9x13 inch pan or a bundt pan.
5. Bake for 30-40 minutes for a 9x13 inch pan, or 35-45 minutes if using a bundt pan.
6. Remove from oven and allow cake to cool for several minutes in pan before removing from the pan and placing on a wire cooling rack to finish cooling completely. Frost when cake is cooled.
To Make the Frosting: In a mixing bowl, stir together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until smooth. Pour the glaze over the cake, allowing it to drip over the sides. Cover and place cake in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Notes