Chocolate Beet Cake
We’ve all made cakes with zucchini or carrots, so why not with beets? Their earthy flavor is just the right companion for spicy ginger and dark chocolate. Not a fan of ginger? Try a fragrant mixture of fennel, anise and cardamom. You can use raw or cooked beets for this recipe, however, cooked beets have a tendency to turn brown which is why I used raw ones—the less heat they are subjected to, the better. In this case, the dark brown sugar over-powered the Chioggia beets’ brilliant red-and-cream candy cane colors, making for a darker cake. The next time I make this, I’m going to use coconut sugar so that the lovely red beets can play a more predominant role in the resulting color of the cake. Either way, this chocolate beet cake turned out delicious (and my house smelled heavenly while it was baking).
INGREDIENTS
3/4 cup butter, softened
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar
3 eggs
4 ounces dark chocolate, grated
2 cups beets, peeled and grated
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2-1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
PREPARATION
In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs and mix well. Stir in the chocolate, beets and vanilla. Add the flour, baking powder, salt and ginger, mixing until all ingredients are combined.
Pour into a greased 9-inch cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-55 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan before removing to a serving plate. (I grated a little more dark chocolate over the cake while it was still warm).
Dust with confectioner’s sugar just before serving. Serve with sliced strawberries or fresh raspberries, if available.
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