Chocolate Beet Cake

Name: Chocolate Beet Cake
Ingredients: 200 g beets, roasted or boiled (net weight); 150 g butter; 100 g dark chocolate (I used 56%); 50 g vegetable oil; 50 ml strong coffee (1 tsp coffee); 3 eggs; 200 g sugar; 150 g flour; 15 g cocoa; 2 tsp vanilla sugar; 2 tsp baking powder (leveled); a pinch of salt; chocolate glaze; nuts

A truly unique cake with a secret ingredient. I've always been drawn to unconventional recipes that use ingredients you wouldn't normally expect in sweet baked goods — like a Carrot Cake, Chocolate Zucchini Cake, or a Pumpkin Muffin. For a long time I'd been wanting to bake something sweet with beets, and the moment has finally come :) To disguise the beets, I used cocoa, chocolate, vanilla sugar, and a strong, aromatic coffee. The cake turned out absolutely wonderful — the beet purée, just as I had hoped, gave it an incredible moistness and richness, and also deepened the color. You can't taste the beets at all; none of my taste-testers could figure out the secret ingredient, and honestly, I wouldn't have guessed it myself if I hadn't known :)

Ingredients:

Wet ingredients:
200 g beets, roasted or boiled (net weight)
150 g butter
100 g dark chocolate (I used 56%)
50 g vegetable oil
50 ml strong coffee (1 tsp coffee)
3 eggs
Dry ingredients:
200 g sugar
150 g flour
15 g cocoa
2 tsp vanilla sugar
2 tsp baking powder (leveled)
a pinch of salt
Optional:
chocolate glaze
nuts

How to cook chocolate beet cake

Grate the beets on the finest grater setting (a "crown" grater) to get a smooth, silky beet purée. Some recipes suggest blending the beets in a blender, but in my opinion that's not ideal — the blender won't give you a true purée; you'll end up with uneven little chunks with sharp edges, which won't contribute the delicate texture and moisture you're looking for.

Break the chocolate into pieces and add the cubed butter.

Melt together into a smooth mixture in the microwave or over a double boiler. Let cool slightly.

Add all the wet ingredients except the coffee and stir well to combine.

In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients.

Mix thoroughly.

Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until well combined.

Brew a strong cup of coffee, then immediately pour it into the batter and mix well.

Pour the batter into a greased pan (my pan is 21 cm in diameter).

Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for approximately 40–50 minutes. The cake is done when a skewer inserted into the center comes out without any raw batter, though a few moist crumbs are still okay. Be sure to let the finished cake cool completely.

If you like, you can top the cake with any glaze using your favorite recipe (cocoa-based or made with melted chocolate). Here's the glaze I made: 3 tbsp milk, 2 tbsp cocoa, 2 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp butter — simmer everything in a small saucepan until thickened. If the top of the cake has domed up, level it with a sharp knife, then spread the glaze over the top and sprinkle with your choice of nuts (I used sliced almonds).

I absolutely loved this cake on the day it was baked — the texture is incredibly tender, soft, and practically melts in your mouth, almost like a soufflé, with a rich, intense chocolate flavor. The next day, after resting in the fridge, the cake is just as good; it firms up a bit but stays just as moist and succulent — a perfect companion to a cup of coffee or tea! This chocolate beet cake has a truly outstanding flavor — I highly recommend giving it a try!