I’ve had my fair share of baking mishaps, especially when it comes to using ~alternative~ ingredients. It’s safe to say that this was one of those times.
So in all honestly, this mug cake was supposed to be pancakes. But perhaps what’s even more disappointing is that they were supposed to be pink. I have extremely poor pancake making skills so I thought that might be the reason why the pancakes looked brown instead of pink, but when I panicked and tried to salvage what I had by making a mug cake it was still, sadly, brown. Womp womp.
Not all hope was lost though, since this cake still tasted amazing even though it wasn’t pink. AND I think I figured out why it didn’t turn out as saturated as I wanted. And I bet you’re wondering how I was planning on getting it pink in the first place. The answer? BEETS.
Yes, it sounds gross but beets make for a great all-natural dye and you can’t taste them in this recipe. That being said, here’s where I think I went wrong:
1) Use fresh beets. I was short on time and used beets in a jar. The color wasn’t as potent as fresh cooked beets since they were sitting in liquid.
2) I used spelt flour which is a darker color. You can try fresh beets and spelt flour, which may solve the problem, or to be extra sure you can sub the spelt flour for white whole wheat flour to ensure a bright pink color.
So with all of that being said, here is the recipe. Happy Valentine’s day and may your beet mug cake turn out pinker than mine!
naturally dyed mug cake
Ingredients
Makes 2-3 ramekin mug cakes
- 1/2 cup pureed beets, about 2 small beets
- 1/3 cup mashed banana
- 1/2 cup spelt flour or white whole wheat flour
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 2 tbs coconut oil
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 375.
- Scrub and peel the beets. Wrap them in foil and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until tender.
- When they’ve cooled down, but are still warm, place them in a food processor and puree until almost liquified, similar to apple sauce.
- Combine the beets, mashed banana, and the rest of the liquid ingredients in a bowl.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and add dry to wet. Stir well.
- Ladle the batter into ramekins and microwave each for about 2-3 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Serve the mug cakes warm with a sprinkle of chocolate chips, strawberries, or a dash of whipped cream.