Chocolate Cake with Beets

How to bake Chocolate Cake with Beets (Beetroot)

            I was pleasantly surprised by how this cake turned out. I truly felt this cake was a winner, when my kids could not figure out, what went into this cake. I guess the chocolate glaze makes all the difference (but that's also made with light cream!). The (2 cups) grated beets are a wonderful addition, adding nutritive value to this cake & a beautiful texture. Another good thing about this cake is that the cake itself can be made a day ahead & glazed just before serving. The cake becomes more moist and flavorsome if stored overnight in an airtight container. 

           If I make this cake again, I would use a little more sugar to make it a tad more sweeter, and also use melted butter instead of oil for a better flavor. But then again, that's just me. I think that kids approval by itself is an awesome indicator of how good this cake is. I added some chopped chocolate bars on the top to make it irresistible for my kids. If you are, make sure you add their favorite candy bars to lure them in. Sharing this healthy version of chocolate cake from the book Chocolate Divine Indulgence, with my friends at CCC #35 July - week 2.

Serves 8-10

Bake time : 1 hour

Ingredients for the cake:

1.5 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 teaspoon all spice/pumpkin spice powder

3 large eggs

1 cup, firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups, peeled & coarsely grated beets (beetroot)

Ingredients for the chocolate glaze:

5 ounces (150  g) semisweet chocolate chips/grated chocolate (1 cup)

1/3 cup (90 ml) light (single) cream

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method:

For the cake:-

• Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C). Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan. Line the base with parchment paper.

• Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, & all spice/pumpkin spice powder into a bowl.

• Beat the eggs, brown sugar, sour cream, oil & vanilla in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the flour mixture. Stir in the beets by hand.
• Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top, if needed.

• Bake for an hour, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. let cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack & let cool completely, before glazing.

For the chocolate glaze:-

• Melt the chocolate, cream & vanilla in a double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat & set aside to cool.
• Spread the glaze over the cake, allowing it to dribble down the sides. Slice & serve with a topping of your choice.

NOTES:

• Wash, peel, Cube & run the beets in a food processor or chopper for easy grating.
• Trace the bottom of the baking pan on the parchment paper, with a pencil. Fold the paper, twice so that the circumference of the circle aligns neatly, cut with a scissor to get your lining for the pan.