As part of our CSA box, we received beets. I had never eaten a beet up until this point! Can you believe that? I had no clue what to do with our beets until a friend suggested I make a chocolate beet cake. I searched online and found several beet cake recipes. I pretty much chose the one for which I had all the ingredients already.
The recipe was really pretty simple and easy to make. There weren't any unusual ingredients, other than the beets. The cake came out super moist and was tasty. I don't see myself buying beets just to make a cake, however, if I ever do receive beets, I will definitely make this cake again!
Here's the recipe for you:
Chocolate Beet Cake
1 c. margarine, softened, divided
1 1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs at room temp
1 1/2 oz. dark chocolate
5 medium beets/2 c. pureed beets
1 t. vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
confectioners’ sugar for dusting
To make beet puree, trim stems and roots off beets and quarter them. Place in heavy sauce pan filled with water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 50 mins or until the beets are tender. Drain off remaining liquid and rinse beets in cold water as they’ll be too hot to handle otherwise. Slide skins off and place beets in blender. Pulse until a smooth puree forms. Let cool slightly before using in cake. Puree can be made several days in advance.
In a mixing bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and brown sugar. Add eggs; mix well. Melt chocolate with remaining butter; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Blend chocolate mixture, beets and vanilla into the creamed mixture (mixture will appear separated). Combine flour, baking soda , salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. spring form pan. Bake at 375 degrees F for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cool completely before dusting with confectioners’ sugar.
That sounds tasty! I'd never had beets until last summer and I LOVE them now.
ReplyDeleteIf you're interested in eating them plain, my favorite ways to have them are chopped into chunks, boiled and then a little butter, salt, and pepper. And my new way, is slice them into 1/2 inch slices, coat with some olive oil, a little balsamic, salt, and pepper and throw them on the grill.