Chocolate Beet Cake

This is a great recipe for Chocolate Beet Cake from Farmer John’s Cookbook by John Peterson. The cake is very moist and dense like brownies, but not quite as chewy. I don’t know if it is just the similarity in colour, but I thought the cake also had a delicate raspberry-like undertone!

Chocolate Beet Cake

Ingredients

  • Oil and flour for preparing the pan
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
  • 1 c mild flavoured vegetable oil divided
  • 3 eggs
  • 1-¾ c sugar
  • 2 c pureed cooked beets about 3 medium beets
  • 1 T vanilla extract
  • 1-½ c all-purpose flour
  • ½ c whole wheat pastry
  • 2 t baking soda
  • ¼ t salt
  • Powdered sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly coat a 10 cup Bundt or tube pan with oil and dust it with flour (We made ours in two loaf pans.)
  2. Partially fill the bottom of a double boiler with water and bring to a boil over high heat: reduce to a simmer. Put the chocolate and 1/4 c of oil in the top pf the double boiler. Heat just until the chocolate melts: remove from heat and stir until well combined.
  3. Combine the eggs and sugar in a large owl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly beat in the remaining 3/4 c oil, chocolate mixture, beets and vanilla.
  4. Sift together all purpose and whole wheat flours in a large bowl. Stir in baking soda and salt. Gently stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture just until flour is mixed in. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  5. Bake until a toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes
  6. Carefully remove the cake from the pan and let cool on the rack. When completely cool, dust with powdered sugar.