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5 from 11 votes
Rich and creamy red velvet bars made with natural beet powder (NO food coloring)! The recipe is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, high in antioxidants and easy to make. This blog post is kindly sponsored by SUNFOOD, all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Red Velvet Bars
Red Velvet BarsThis is hands down the best cake I ever made! I am not kidding. I made many amazing desserts like cakes, brownies, cheesecakes, pancakes, crepes, bars etc but this one is so special. It’s rich, moist, soft, creamy, lush, and super delicious! The recipe is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and easy to make. You can make red velvet bars as I did or use a round cake tin to make a beautiful red velvet cake. I didn’t use any artificial food coloring which you can find in most red velvet recipes. Instead, I used 100% natural beet powder which is so much healthier than a red food dye.
Made with simple wholefood ingredients
Made with simple wholefood ingredientsThese healthy red velvet bars contain only wholesome ingredients like oats, shredded unsweetened coconut, plant-based milk, raw cacao powder, beet powder, cashews etc. There is no need to use dairy, eggs, butter, cream cheese or food coloring. Even though this recipe is vegan, oil-free, and gluten-free, it still turned out exceptionally good.
As mentioned before, I never made a cake before which is so rich and moist and I am sure I will make this dessert more often in the future. Even my boyfriend loves it and he is not a big fan of desserts!
No food coloring!
No food coloring!I wanted to make this cake as natural as possible, that’s why I used Sunfood’s beet powder. This amazing powder is organic, vegan, gluten-free, Non-GMO, Kosher and has an incredible red color which is 100% natural. No artificial food dye, no chemicals, just dried beetroots in powder form.
Beets are known as a nitrate-rich superfood. Nitrates may support healthy blood flow, increase energy, and stamina. Their Beet Powder also has betaine, which may help liver function, cellular reproduction, and aid in the creation of carnitine — which helps your body turn fat into energy.
Consuming Beet Powder on a regular basis can lead to:2
- Youngercomplexion
- Increased vitality
- Healthier heart
- Optimal longevity
- Gracefulaging
(2) Craig S. Betaine in human nutrition1’2. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;80(3):539-549.
Cream
CreamI don’t know what I love more about this recipe, the beautiful red bottom or the rich luscious cream. The cream contains no oil at all and the main ingredient is cashews. You will need to soak the cashews for best results but if you put them in hot water it takes only about 45 minutes.
I haven’t tried a nut-free version in this recipe yet but the thick part of a can (or better two) of coconut milk could work as well. You need to put the can in the fridge overnight and then use only the thick cream, not the water. The result will be different though since cashews add more creaminess, in my opinion.
You can easily prepare the cream in a blender which works best for this recipe. If you don’t have a blender, a food processor might work too.
These Red Velvet Bars are:
These Red Velvet Bars are:- Vegan (egg-free, dairy-free)
- Gluten-free
- Oil-free
- Can be made refined sugar-free
- Can be made grain-free
- Soft
- Rich
- Moist
- Healthier than most red velvet desserts
- Easy to make
- Great for Valentine’s Day, dessert or a birthday party
Gluten-Free Red Velvet Bars
Gluten-Free Red Velvet BarsI used oats for this recipe which I processed in a coffee grinder to make oat flour. You can use regular oats or gluten-free oats and process them in a blender. You can also use store-bought oat flour.
To make the recipe grain-free you could possibly use buckwheat flour instead of oat flour. I didn’t try it out in this recipe but it should work fine. If you aren’t gluten-free you can most likely use all-purpose flour (wheat flour) or spelt flour.
Should you recreate these red velvet bars, please leave a comment below and don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram or Facebook post with @elavegan and #elavegan because I love to see your recreations.
Red Velvet Bars
Author: Michaela Vais
These Red Velvet Bars are vegan, gluten-free, oil-free, and super easy to make. They are rich, soft, moist, creamy, and delicious. Perfect for dessert, breakfast or a birthday party!
5 from 11 votes
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Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Resting time 3 hours hrs
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 6
Calories 397 kcal
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups (150 g) oat flour (gluten-free if needed)
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sweetener of choice (see notes)
- 7/8 cup (75 g) shredded unsweetened coconut (see notes)
- 2 tbsp beet powder
- 3/4 tbsp cacao powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Wet ingredients:
- 1 cup (240 ml) plant-based milk
- 1/3 cup (80 g) mashed banana (see notes)
- 1/2 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cream/Pudding:
- 1 cup (240 ml) plant-based milk
- 2 1/2 tbsp (20 g) cornstarch (see notes)
- 7 tbsp (80 g) granulated sweetener
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups (180 g) cashews (soaked)
Instructions
I recommend measuring the ingredients ingramson akitchen scale.
Soak cashews in hot water for about 45 minutes, then drain the water.
Meanwhile, start making the cake. Preheat oven to 360 degrees F (180 degrees C) and line a baking dish with parchment paper. My baking dish measures 9"x6" (23 x 15 cm).
Process the shredded unsweetened coconut in an electric coffee/spice grinder or blender. Then put all dry ingredients into a bowl and stir with a whisk.
In another bowl combine the wet ingredients.
Pour the wet ingredients into the bowl of the dry ingredients and stir with a whisk until combined.
Spoon the batter into the baking dish and bake in the oven for about 22-25 minutes and let cool.
To make the cream, add milk, cornstarch, sugar, and vanilla extract into a small saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring.
Once the pudding boils turn off the heat. Set aside.
Put the cashews into a blender (preferably a high-speed blender), add the pudding, and mix until the cream is completely smooth (might take a minute or two) and pour it onto the cooled cake.
Put the baking dish into the freezer for about 3 hours to set (or until the cream is not soft anymore).
Cut into bars and enjoy! Store leftovers in the fridge.
Notes
- Granulated sweetener: You can use regular sugar, Erythritol, Xylitol (birch sugar, coconut sugar, etc.).
- Nuts: You can use 75 g ground almonds (almond flour) or any other ground nuts of choice.
- You could use applesauce instead of banana. An even better idea would be to use beet puree, which will also add a nice color!
- Cornstarch: You can use tapioca flour/starch or arrowroot flour/starch instead of cornstarch.
Nutrition Facts Red Velvet Bars Amount per Serving Calories 397 % Daily Value* Fat 24 g 37 % Saturated Fat 10 g 50 % Carbohydrates 38 g 13 % Fiber 6 g 24 % Sugar 4 g 4 % Protein 11 g 22 % Vitamin C 1 mg 1 % * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition information is an estimate and has been calculated automatically
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