Raspberry Mojito Cupcakes

So pretty, so swirly, so creamy, so decadent, so surprisingly easy to make. These vegan red velvet cheesecake bites look fancy pantsy, and while they do have a few steps to make them, I assure you that each and every step is easy to do. These make the perfect Valentine’s day gift or special occasion treat.

The buttery chocolate cookie crumb crust is topped with swirls of lemon vegan cheesecake and rich red velvet vegan cheesecake. It’s so cool how these bites have the same texture as classic cheesecake but the base is made simply from raw cashews and coconut milk. No weird ingredients!

It’s BEETS! Remember my Hot Pink Pie made with beets? I was SO infatuated with that amazing color, and I just had to make MORE with those powerful little root veggies!

It turns out, if you add cocoa to beets (along with the cheesecake base), it turns RED. Deep, dark, glamorous burgundy red. Omg, don’t you love it?! It’s like art class all over again mixing paint colors. 🙂

And the beets add a subtle earthy quality to the chocolaty flavor of the cheesecake. It’s definitely a specialty cake. Unconventional– absolutely. Delicious? Yes!

To make vegan red velvet cheesecake bites: crumble the chocolate wafer cookies in a food processor, blender, or by placing them in a sealable bag and crushing them with a rolling pin.

In a medium bowl mix together the cookie crumbs with the melted vegan butter. Divide evenly among the cupcake liners then use your spoon or the bottom glass to firmly pack the crumbs down. Bake for 5 minutes then remove from the oven.

This cake was made for my gorgeous mama, who was celebrating a special birthday last week. (Hi, Mom! Love you)

We got to spend the weekend at my parents’ house and had such a great time seeing a bunch of family. We made sure to do our favorites: visit 8th Street Coffee House for brunch, shop at the local antique/vintage shop, eat some Tex-Mex and go to TJ Maxx, ha! Love it.

Red Velvet has always been my mom’s FAVORITE, so I was determined to recreate that for her, using only whole foods. And it was a hit! I was surprised that my brother (who is not gluten/dairy/sugar-free) kept asking for more, haha.

INGREDIENTS
for the crusts:

• 8 vegan graham crackers
• 5 tablespoons melted unrefined coconut oil

for the cheesecake fillings:

• 1½ cups raw cashew pieces, soaked for 2 hours, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup full-fat coconut milk
• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
• ⅓ cup raw cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
• ¼ cup melted unrefined coconut oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons beet juice
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt

for topping:

• coconut whipped cream
• vegan dark chocolate shavings

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To make the crusts, add the graham crackers to a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add in the melted coconut oil and pulse a few more times to combine.
2. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of crust mixture. Use a small glass to tightly pack it down into an even, flat layer. Repeat for the other tins. Set aside while you prepare the cheesecake filling.
3. Add all of the filling ingredients to your blender. Process for 1-3 minutes, or until the texture is very smooth. If the mixture is too thick to blend, add a splash more coconut milk at a time until it blends. Pour the filling evenly over the crusts (there should be about ¼ inch of the cupcake liners showing at the top). Freeze until firm (about 4 hours).
4. For best and creamiest texture, allow to soften slightly (about 10-15 minutes) before serving. Top with coconut whipped cream and dark chocolate shavings and enjoy!