These Beets are Made for....Cake? : Amazing Chocolate Beet Cake

OK, I have a confession to make.  Even us dietitian’s can have a dislike for some fruits and vegetables.  For me, the vegetable is Beets. I will eat Kale, or Kiwi, or itty bitty pearl onions, but put beets on my plate, and I’ll push them around like the most riveting game of croquet you’ve ever witnessed.  

That is until I ran into this recipe by Lynne Curry on the ZESTER DAILY website.

Beets are supposed to be VERY good for us.  There have been studies on athletes that have shown improved performance in runners after supplementing with beets.¹ It seems that the athletes who participated in this particular study even felt they were exerting less energy during the last part of a 5K run.¹ So, why not try them…at least they are in cake for this recipe. 

Why not try it?...

I have to say, even though the picture on the site and the words of wisdom by the author were reassuring, I remained skeptical until the actual first bite of chocolaty gooey goodness happened.

Trust me when I say this…it was amazing!  So, here you go.  My first recipe of the new year! 

Enjoy!

Obtained the recipe from:

http://zesterdaily.com/cooking/beets-dessert-cake-will-wow-crowd/

Original Recipe author: Lynne Curry

Started with whole beets, they really do smell like dirt

Beet Puree (just in case you haven't ever cooked with beets like I hadn't):

Took about half hour and was super easy.   

I peeled and diced the beets, then boiled them until tender.   

Once they were tender I threw them into the food processor and flipped a switch.  I used about four beets for this recipe (which made just under the called for 2 ½ cups of beet pure). You could also probably use cooked canned beets and puree if it's easier.

Peeled and diced the beets for boiling

Beets boiling on the stove

 

Chocolate Beet Cake!

Made about: 10 servings

Cooked about 20-25 minutes

 Mix everything together according to the directions, its so pretty!

NOTE: (if you have three layers this would be perfect, I found myself with only two one-layer pans so I had to add about 15 minutes onto the cook time to make sure they were done in the middle)

Ingredients:

2 ½ cups pureed cooked beets

6 eggs, beaten

¾ cups good quality cocoa powder

After the cakes are done in the oven, cool them on wire racks

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 ½ cups vegetable oil

3 ¾ cups granulated sugar

3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons salt

Directions:

1.     Preheat the oven to 350 F
2.     Oil three 8-inch round cake pans and line them with parchment paper
3.     In a small mixing bowl, beat the beets and eggs. Combine the cocoa powder, vanilla and oil in a large measuring cup.
4.     In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt until combined. Add the cocoa powder mixture to the flour and stir with a rubber spatula until well combined. Add the beet mixture and stir just until combined.
5.     Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake until the sides of the cake pull away from the pan and a wooden skewer slid into the cake’s center comes out clean 20-25 minutes. 
6.     Cool the cakes for 10 minutes and tip them out of the pans onto wire racks to cool completely.

Yes I made some cupcakes also! They were super delish!

Frosted Finished Product!

I have a confession to make, I got so carried away with the amazing smells of chocolate and butter and forgot to take pictures of the frosting being made.

Dark Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Took about 10 minutes to make

 The beets make the moisture of the cake amazing!

Ingredients:

6oz bittersweet chocolate

3 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature

12oz cream cheese, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla

3 cups sifted confectioners sugar

Directions:

1.     Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of summering water. Remove from heat and set aside to cool to room temperature.
2.     In a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment to beat the butter and cream cheese until perfectly smooth. Add the vanilla and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3.     Add the confectioners sugar and blend on medium speed until it is fully incorporated. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and blend on medium-high speed until it is very smooth and light.
4.     Spread one-third of the frosting on top of each of the cooled cake layers and stack them to create three tiers. Leave the sides un-frosted (I frosted the entire two layer cake...sides and all...I couldn't resist)

When all else fails....eat cake.

Reference:

1.     Murphy M, Eliot K, Heuertz R, Weiss E. Whole beetroot consumption acutely improves running performance. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; 2012: 112(4): 548 – 552