http://www.treehugger.com/easy-vegetarian-recipes/chocolate-beet-cake-recipe.htmlBeets in cake? Totally. What could be better than swapping out nutritionally benign ingredients for beets, which are high in folate, manganese and potassium, and have achieved superfood status for their overall nutrient profile and zooming level of phytochemicals?
In this recipe the beets impart sweetness and a luscious moist quality, with nary a blast of beet flavor to be found. Those in the know may detect a little earthy something, but the flavor of the beets is so well incorporated that most would be hard-pressed to notice, other than that the cake tastes delicious.
It’s been said that some people don’t like beets. This seems like a preposterous postulation, but if you fall into that camp, perhaps this can be your gateway dish to liking the nutrient-exuberant fuchsia roots. If you already consider yourself a lover of beets, you probably won’t need much convincing.
Chocolate Beet Cake
•Oil and flour for the pan
•4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
•1 cup vegetable oil
•3 eggs
•1 3/4 cups sugar (or an equal amount of Sucanat)
•2 cups cooked pureed beets (3 medium beets)
•1 tablespoon vanilla extract
•2 cups all-purpose flour (this can be part white whole wheat flour, too)
•2 teaspoons baking powder
•1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat oven to 375F degrees. Lightly coat a 10-cup Bundt or tube pan (or two loaf pans) with oil and dust with flour.
2. Partially fill the bottom of a double boiler with water and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce to a simmer. Put the chocolate and 1/4 cup of the oil in the top of the double boiler. Heat until just the chocolate melts; remove from the heat and stir until well combined.
3. Combine the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly beat in the remaining 3/4 cup oil, chocolate mixture, beets, and vanilla.
4. Sift the flour into a large bowl. Stir in the baking soda and salt. Gently stir the flour into the egg and chocolate mixture just until the flour is mixed in. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
5. Bake until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.
6. Carefully remove cake from the pan and let cool on a rack.
