Beet Cake (Check this 'oddball' cake out!)

(All photos in this blog were taken by me, Doris)

So, tell me!  WHAT cake starts out like this...?

Above:  I needed 2 cups of 'beet puree', so, leaving just a nub of 'top' and 'root' on 5-6 beets so they wouldn't 'bleed' their juice into the water, I boiled them until a bit tender.  Then, by immediately putting them into cold water, their peelings slipped off very easily.  After peeling, I trimmed the rest of their top/root and any other 'negative spots' off.  Next, I sliced them up a bit and pureed them in the food processor (I think a blender would work for that, too).   I let the puree cool just slightly before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.

Below:  This is what my 2 cups of puree looked like.

Below:  This is a picture of how the 'complete' cake batter looked like when going INTO the oven (it's quite RED, huh!)...

Below:  Here is a close-up of a dark BROWN 

cake that came from RED batter!....

My 'taste testers' really liked this cake-- it has a dense crumb, and tastes more like a spice cake than anything else.  I don't know about when it was warm or at room temperature but, after being refrigerated overnight like it was, there was absolutely NO 'beet taste', but not a whole lot of chocolate flavor, either.  It is a 'keeper' recipe for us!!!

Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (I think just 2 ounces would be plenty if you use the 60% dark chocolate).  I like to use 'chocolate chips' for this so I don't have to chop it.
• 1 cup butter, softened (divided into 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup portions)
• 1-1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups pureed cooked beets
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

• In a microwave, melt chocolate and 1/4 cup butter; stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, cream the remaining butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs.
• In a small bowl, combine the chocolate mixture, beets and vanilla.
• Beat into creamed mixture (mixture will appear separated). Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture.
• Pour into a greased and floured 9x13" pan.  Bake at 350-degrees for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. (Depending on how your oven bakes, you might want to check it a bit before 35 minutes are up.)   Before serving, dust with confectioners' sugar OR frost with cream cheese frosting (recipe below). 

Nutritional Facts1 serving (1 slice) equals 211 calories, 10 g fat (6 g saturated fat), 56 mg cholesterol, 294 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein.

CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Cream together:

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

4 oz. butter, softened

2 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

(Personally, I think just half of this FROSTING recipe is enough for a 9x13" cake.)

There are various recipes around for beet cake-- some are very old.  I found this one on the Taste of Home website.  Another similar recipe is listed on the website of Straight From the Farm.  As I said above, this recipe is a 'keeper'!!