From the Archives: Beet Cake
August 24, 2009
I’ve been horrified lately by the pictures on some of my oldest post, many of which feature outstanding recipes that get many hits from the search engines. My food photography skills have decidedly improved over the past two+ years, and so I’m dusting off a few old favorites as time permits to have a digital makeover for your viewing pleasure. This Chocolate Beet Cake was just as delicious as I remembered. It is very chocolaty and yet has a hint of something most folks can’t quite put their finger on unless you divulge the secret ingredient. Packed with vitamins and minerals, the beets not only add nutritional value to an otherwise indulgent dessert, but they also make it extremely moist.
For the original archived post, click here. You can go ahead and laugh at my sad pictures from yore! But now you’ll get the full beauty of this decadent cake with the new photos featured here.
CHOCOLATE BEET CAKE
1 C. margarine or butter, softened, divided
1 1/2 C. packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs at room temp
2-3 oz. dark chocolate
5 medium beets (2 C. pureed)
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. Process until a smooth puree forms. Let cool slightly before using in cake. I like to make the puree ahead and store it in the fridge, sometimes up to several days in advance.
In a mixing bowl, cream 3/4 cup margarine and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Melt chocolate with remaining butter in the microwave on high in 20 second intervals, stirring each time until smooth. Cool slightly. Blend chocolate mixture, beets and vanilla into the creamed mixture. The batter will appear separated so don’t fret.
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 60-70 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.
(serves 16)
Entry Filed under: Recipes, Sweet Treats. Tags: baking, cake, cooking, food, recipe.
32 Comments Add your own
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <pre> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed
1. fallenangel65 | August 24, 2009 at 8:26 pm
This is gorgeous! I can’t wait to try it.
2. Jennie | August 24, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Thanks, K! Hehe, did you take a look at the old post though? Whew, what a difference!! Same great taste though.
3. fallenangel65 | August 24, 2009 at 10:19 pm
I didn’t think they were bad pictures. They still draw you in and invite you to read the blog and create a desire to try what you have made. I have always been blown away by the way you photograph your stuff. The other blog I like the photos on was this one: http://whatdidyoueat.typepad.com/what_did_you_eat. The blogs creator passed away suddenly but her family has left the blog up – so I can still go thru her recipes. You both inspire a long to be in the kitchen and play.
4. heather | August 25, 2009 at 9:31 am
the beet stencil is a great idea. whimsical. i love it.
cheers,
*heather*
5. Rachel | August 25, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Hey, I went on to get the beet cupcake recipe and Here is the beet cake recipe! You read my mind! But, not to split hairs, but the CUP cake recipe says 3 oz chocolate and this says 1 1/2 oz? I just did the beets today so probably won’t make the cupcakes til tomorrow ..how much choc should I use? Can’t wait to taste it again. Love hte stencil/reverse pics. You’ve come a long way, baby!
6. Jennie | August 26, 2009 at 2:33 pm
Huh, would you look at that… you’re right, there are two different amounts for chocolate in those two recipes. Well, this is where I’ll really confuse you…I actually used 2 oz of 100% cocoa (darkest chocolate possible) for this time around. Yep, I’m not very consistent with these things. Really, I don’t think the exact amount matters much – I probably put two different measurements in these recipes because I had just that much chocolate on hand at the time I made each of them. The chocolate factor of this most recent rendition was perfect, so I’d recommend 2-3 oz.
Boy, am I confusing!! Hopefully when we’re sharing brain waves like this, you’re not getting sea sick from mine.
7. Morta Di Fame | August 25, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Wow this is amazing! I make a beet cake that is more like carrot cake. This looks so super fancy and rich and delicious. What a great take on beets!
8. Xiaolu | August 25, 2009 at 8:19 pm
The cake still looks scrumptious in the old photo, but these new ones are stunning! Thanks for 2 inspiring ideas: using beets in cake and using a stencil to add visual impact.
9. Elisabeth | August 27, 2009 at 10:08 am
Hey, here in Germany I don’t know how to find “white” beets. Is it possible to make the cake with beetroots (the first archive post photo seems to show diffenrent kinds of beet)?
Or rutabaga (we had for lunch with potatoes,
10. Elisabeth | August 27, 2009 at 10:09 am
with potatoes, apples and gratinated with bleu cheese) *lol*?
11. Jennie | August 27, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Any kind of beet works just fine – I’ve used red, golden, striped and whatever else is in the seed mix I grow. I have actually toyed with the idea of making a rutabaga cake but haven’t gotten around to making it yet. I think the same principle would apply so you can probably get away with rutabaga instead of beets (however, here in the States, rutabaga means the big fat yellow root, not white turnips, which I think sometimes are called rutabagas in Europe). Hope that helps!
Lunch sounds great!
12. Elisabeth | August 27, 2009 at 1:36 pm
Yes, it was the “big fat yellow root” we had for lunch. Thank you for the answer!
13. Suzanne | August 27, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Thanks for this recipe! I received a huge batch of beets in my CSA this week and am so grateful for this cake! The beets have been used up and my co-workers are enjoying the cake. Thanks again and keep up the beautiful photos!
14. Jennie | August 27, 2009 at 12:46 pm
Did you tell your co-workers what was in the cake before they tried it? I usually save the “big reveal” for after the first bite.
15. Sandy | August 27, 2009 at 9:40 pm
This cake looks scrumptious! what a great (grate?) way to get beets into the kids
I love the beet stencil
16. jami | August 28, 2009 at 12:10 am
The beet stencil is the… well, NOT the icing on the cake! I love it!
17. Louise | August 31, 2009 at 11:19 am
Hi Jennie,
I am so bad at taking any kind of pictures. I think all of yours are just GR8T! The stencil offers the touch of elegance beet cake truly deserves.
Thanks for sharing…
18. Veronika Rojas | September 1, 2009 at 5:06 pm
I never knew you could make a cake out of beets. That is very creative.
I just found your blog and it is wonderful! I read your story and it is amazing how you made the transition form marketing into horticultre. I find it very inspirational. I too work in marketing and wish I could make a big career change into something more artistic and rewarding. Too bad we don’t have a great horticulture program here in Las Vegas. Plants usually die out here due to the scorching heat.
19. Jennie | September 2, 2009 at 11:02 am
Hello and welcome, Veronika!! So glad you found the blog. I appreciate your kind words about my story. I can only imagine how gardening must be in Las Vegas. But there are many creative outlets so I’m sure you’ll find your artistic edge somewhere along the way. I found marketing to be draining while I was in a corporate setting, but the skills I honed in that career are hugely applicable and useful in my new ventures and I actually now love marketing more than ever, just not the kind that makes me wear a suit every day.
Thanks again and I hope you’ll stob by again soon!
20. Grandma’s Zucchini Bread « Straight from the Farm | September 2, 2009 at 4:10 pm
[...] time, not realizing we were being tricked into eating this icky green vegetable! Just like Chocolate Beet Cake, Zucchini Bread packs a lot of healthy vegetable into a tasty sweet treat. As my grandma [...]
21. ADMIN | September 3, 2009 at 3:04 pm
I found myself nodding as you talked about the oldest photos on your site… amazing, isn’t it, how our skills improve so vastly?!
LOVE beet cakes — and this one is just gorgeous. That beet stencil rocks (as has now been mentioned… oh… five times??
)
22. Saturday Surfing September 5, 2009 : Baking Delights - Baking Tips and Recipes | September 5, 2009 at 9:04 am
[...] have heard of a zucchini cake but a beet cake? Images are [...]
23. Tiny Thoughts » Things I’m eating: chocolate spice beet cake | September 21, 2009 at 7:08 am
[...] The recipe, adapted from Straight From The Farm: [...]
24. Cannelle Et Vanille | September 21, 2009 at 1:48 pm
looks amazing! thank you for sharing!
25. Jessica Lee Binder | September 24, 2009 at 1:00 pm
Funny, I’m going through the same experience of being embarrassed by my old photos and re-doing them. It’s definitely worth it. These pictures are gorgeous and I love the way you decorated it.
26. Beet Chocolate Cupcakes « FoodMayhem | September 25, 2009 at 8:50 am
[...] with baking powder or baking soda. So, no solution for making me a good Red Velvet Cake yet, but this beautiful Beet Cake at Straight From the Farm inspired me to make Beet Chocolate [...]
27. Beet Cupcakes « Anotheryarn Eats | October 9, 2009 at 12:15 pm
[...] unlike what you need for carrot or zucchini enhanced baked goods. I had two recipes, one from Straight From the Farm and another a friend passed along to me from The Moosewood Dessert Cookbook. I ended up going [...]
28. Janey | December 30, 2009 at 7:03 pm
I absolutely HATE beets, but get them often in my CSA box. Can anyone tell me if this cake tastes at all like beets? Thank you!
29. Jessica Lee Binder | December 30, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Janey, I made these as cupcakes instead of cake and put a frosting on it, and only 1 or 2 out of about 15 people who tried it were able to guess what the secret ingredient was. Sometimes when you hate something, you’re able to taste it more though, but I think it’s worth a shot.
30. Janey | December 30, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Thank you! I’m trying it!
31. Top 10 for 2009 « Straight from the Farm | December 31, 2009 at 12:01 am
[...] #3. Chocolate Beet Cake [...]
32. Beet the Freeze: Roasted Beet Soup « Cold Cereal & Toast | January 31, 2010 at 4:22 pm
[...] http://straightfromthefarm.net/2009/08/24/from-the-archives-beet-cake/ Possibly related posts: (automatically generated)The Beet Goes OnRoasted Beet Root Soup – “Borscht” [...]