Moist and flavorful beet cake with a hint of chocolate
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- -- for the cake --
- 2 medium beets trimmed
- 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened, extra for the pan
- 2 cups unbleached flour extra for the pans
- 2/3 cup cocoa i use hershey's special dark
- 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups water hot
- -- for the frosting --
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup cocoa i use hershey's special dark chocolate
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- Carbohydrate 78.2093146849663 g
- Cholesterol 164.269156296668 mg
- Fat 31.6446240496158 g
- Fiber 1.56190687436982 g
- Protein 6.55709609721742 g
- Saturated Fat 19.1395268960336 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (215g)
- Sodium 6504.12690868507 mg
- Sugar 76.6474078105964 g
- Trans Fat 2.40414276066952 g
- Calories 615 calories
Step-by-step
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375(F). Wrap beets drizzled with oil in foil. Roast about 1 hour or until tender. Cool completely. Peel and grate finely enough to yield 3/4 cup. Can be made up to two days ahead of time - Refrigerate.
- Preheat the oven to 350(F). Coat two 9-in round cake pans generously with softened butter. Line the pans with parchment and coat with butter and dust with flour, tapping out any excess.
- In a medium bowl sift flour, cocoa, soda and salt. Set out grated beets.
- Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat butter and sugar on medium-low until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the beets and vanilla. Reduce speed to low and carefully add flour mixture; mix until fully incorporated. Add hot water and remaining flour, return to medium low and mix until smooth (2 minutes). Divide evenly, smooth tops. Bake, rotating halfway through, until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool the cakes in their pans for 10 minutes, on a rack. Turn them out onto the racks and peel off the parchment. Let cakes cool completely.
- Melt butter in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar and cocoa and mix until combined. Stir in the cream, espresso, vanilla, and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly, until smooth. Pour into a bow and cool slightly. Refrigerate, stirring every 10 minutes until soft peaks form and frosting is completely cooled. About 1 hour.
- Place one of the cakes on a plate and spread 1/2 cup frosting evenly over the top. Top with the second cake and frost with 1/2 cup frosting. Using the remaining frosting to ice the sides of the cake.
Roasting the beets at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until tender transforms their earthy sulfur compounds into sweet, mellow sugars. Cool the roots completely before grating them to 3/4 cup, or residual heat will cook the eggs prematurely when mixed. Wrap the trimmed vegetables tightly in aluminum foil with vegetable oil to trap steam, ensuring even softening throughout the dense flesh. This thermal breakdown yields a fine cellular structure that melts smoothly into the batter without fibrous strings.
Advancing the Prep Window
Roasting and grating the root vegetables up to two days ahead simplifies the main baking day significantly. Store the grated beets in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to incorporate. Room temperature eggs at approximately 70 degrees Fahrenheit emulsify reliably with the butter and sugar during the three-minute creaming phase. Sifting the unbleached flour, cocoa, baking soda, and kosher salt together aerates the dry components, preventing dense pockets in the finished crumb.Mastering the Thermal Balance
Hot water added near the end of mixing blooms the cocoa solids, dissolving residual starches and activating the chemical leaveners. Rotating the two 9-inch round cake pans halfway through the 25-minute bake time compensates for uneven oven hotspots. Cool the layers inside their pans for exactly 10 minutes before transferring them to wire racks. Chill the cooked frosting, stirring every 10 minutes for about one hour, until soft peaks form and spreading consistency is reached. Dietary adjustments can be approached by substituting standard dairy items with plant-based alternatives, though fat percentages must remain comparable to maintain emulsion stability in the icing. Leftover portions improve by the second day as the moisture from the beet cells migrates outward, softening the crumb further while intensifying the chocolate flavor.
