This month, the Crazy Cooking Challenge is to bake a chocolate cake. I decided to make Betty Bakes’ Chocolate Beetroot Cake as I was wondering whether Dave, who does not like beetroot, would notice it in the cake. No-one who had a taste of this cake knew it had beetroot in other than Dave – and he thinks it is great. It has a lovely deep colour and not too overwhelming a chocolate taste. It got a resounding thumbs up from the taste panel. Betty Bake has a gluten free recipe, but as this is not a concern for me, I used ordinary flour and substituted the sugar!
The one great thing about this challenge is that I get to show case my fellow South African bloggers. Betty Bake was more than happy to let me use her recipe, and I am more than happy to be able to share it with you.
Chocolate Beetroot Cake
Ingredients
- 50 g dark chocolate
- 1 small pinch fine salt
- 45 mls cream
- 200 g fructose
- 3 eggs
- 180 mls canola oil
- 250 mls cooked and puréed beetroot *
- 45 mls cocoa powder
- 5 mls bicarbonate of soda
- 5 mls baking powder
- 500 mls flour
Method
- preheat the oven to 155° Celsius
- combine the chocolate, salt and cream in a bain-marie over a low heat
- melt the chocolate and then stir until smooth and put to one side
- use a whisk mixer to beat together the fructose, eggs and oil until thickened slightly and the mixture has lightened a little
- add the beetroot to the egg mix and mix in
- add the chocolate mix and mix in until totally incorporated
- sieve together the cacao, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and flour
- gradually add to the wet ingredients, beating well
- place the mix into a buttered and floured cake tin – I used a spring form tin
- bake for 40 minutes
- leave to cool before turning out of the pan
Notes
Click on the links for conversions and notes.
It is amazing how friendships can grow through blogging. I met Betty Bake aka Bernice through our blogs. Since then we have become firm friends. We message each other about places to visit. And travel through each others’ eyes. This is such a blessing.
I can’t quite imagine the taste, don’t use beetroot much. But it looks delicious.
we don’t use beetroot much either, but you could not taste it at all!
Hmmm beetroot, can’t say I’ve used it before! Looks delicious though!
thanks Jen, worth the try!
Absolutely fabulous. Love the beetrooot addition. So innovative.
Thank you so much 🙂
I’ve heard about using beetroot in chocolate cake, but I haven’t tried it myself. It looks wonderful, and very moist!
thanks, it ticked both those boxes 🙂
So if it has beetroot in it… can we call it a serving of vegetables???? 🙂 Looks Yummy and moist.
I can’t see why not!
Hi Tandy,
Your cake looks fantastic. I have yet to cook with beetroot, but you have certainly given me a good reason to try it. Yum!
please let me know if you do 🙂
Yum! I found a beet chocolate cake recipe and pinned it. We grow beets and it seems like a wonderful way to use the vegetable. Thanks for posting!
I am also trying to grow my own beets 🙂
I love the hidden vegetable in there. The kids would never know =)
Jennifer #19
and that is a perfect way to get them to eat their vegies 🙂
I’ve been considering making a chocolate cake with beetroot in for a while now. I love the idea of making chocolate cake healthier but still keeping all the moisture of the cake. It looks lovely.
it is a win win situation 🙂
I haven’t worked with beetroot before, but it sounds like it will lend wonderful moisture to the cake!
It certainly did 🙂
Looks fantastic! I made a beet cake for my blog a few months ago. I love the addition of sweet beets.
It added a lovely deep rich colour 🙂
Well it certainly looks delicious, Tandy. A very novel idea indeed. Would the springform pan be a full size 23cm?
thanks and yes, the standard size pan AD 🙂
I’ve seen a recipe similar to this, with beets and chocolate, but I was completely unsure if I should try it. Because of this post, I think i will give your recipe a try 🙂
please let me know what you think!
I’ve never tasted beetroot but it does look like one wonderful cake.
If you haven’t already, I’d love for you to check out my Crazy Cooking Challenge entry: Double Chocolate Meyer Lemon Mousse Cake
Lisa~~
Cook Lisa Cook
Thanks for the visit Lisa, it was a great cake 🙂
Have never even seen a recipe for beetroot, but it may be simiular to cooking with beets. That I have seen before. Interesting. Nice post Sure your blogger friend was happy that you did her cake. Andi
Thanks Andi, yup, beets and beetroot are the same thing. I have a post planned about the different words for the same ingredient which I really need to get completed 🙂
A friend of mine uses Beetroot to do a lot of baking with. Sounds like it would be good. Come visit me. I am number 63
on my way ….
Great way to sneak in some veggies too!
for sure – really great for kids treats 🙂
Looks delicious Tandy. Strange that you can’t taste the beetroot. Must definitely give this lovely recipe a try.
🙂 Mandy
it is really good Mandy 🙂
I have heard that cake made like this is great but have not yet got round to making it. it looks good too! Is canola oil like vegetable or sunflower oil?
Hi, canola may be called rapeseed oil in Spain but you can use any vegetable oil. The cake is really worth trying 🙂
Hi Tandy
This looks really good, i am going to try using beet in one of my “eggless choclate cakes”
please let me know how it works out!
I love when sweets are offset enough that they’re not cloying and I think the beetroot takes care of that problem. This looks delicious and I will give it a try as soon as my beets come in… Thanks for sharing. Come visit when you can. I’m #29.
thanks for the visit Sharlene – this cake really took care of the sickly sweet problem 🙂
Looks like a great cake and WOW beet roots – I would of never thought of that! I have put puree zucchinni before in Chocolate Cake! Thanks for participating, come check out my Whopper Cake, if you haven’t had a chance (it’s #1 in the linky party)!
I must try a cake with zucchini! Thanks for the visit Tina 🙂
This is incredibly cool. I have not seen a cake using beetroot before. Very unique.
thanks Kim 🙂
Hi Tandy,
Your cake is awesome, I just love the addition of the Beet. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful week!
Miz Helen
#7
thank you so much Miz Helen 🙂
Chocolate cake is a great place to hide vegetables. The cocoa flavor usually overrides any other flavors and the vegetables add such a nice moistness. This is a lovely cake.
thanks Kristen, it was well balanced 🙂
I had never heard of a beetroot cake before. Makes eating chocolate cake almost healthy. Bet it was super moist too, will have to try. #18
please let me know what you think if you do give it a try 🙂
Hi, thank you for posting this, it’s one of those recipes I’ve always meant to get round to trying and haven’t. My partner REALLY doesn’t like beetroot, but what the heck, if he doesn’t like it then it’s a case of more for me 🙂
please try it and see if your partner notices the beets!
I’m really found of beetroot, In Brazil we usually make fresh juices mixing beetroot and orange juice, it tastes delicious, but I’ve never make a cake, its a great idea…I must try it 🙂
I love juicing beets with carrot, apple and ginger 🙂
This sounds good, I’ll try next time…have a great weekend:)
thank you, and you too 🙂
It looks like a very moist and soft cake! I haven’t used beetroot in baking, but sounds very intriguing!
it is worth trying 🙂
Your cake looks delicious. I can’t believe you have beetroot in the cake, great way to get your vegetables in diet.
thanks, it is perfect for kids who don’t like to eat the healthy things!
I am very fond of a good & decent chocolate & beetrrot cake & yours is using canola oil instead of butter: I like that change a lot :)!
Yours looks just stunning 🙂
thanks Sophie, anything with chocolate works for me 🙂
I have never had a beetroot cake but yours does look so fabulous.
thank you Rachel 🙂