We had a very successful beet harvest this year. Maybe too successful, if you are like me and aren’t such a fan of beets. I’ve been casting about trying to figure out good ways to use some of them up when I came across a beet cake recipe. I’d printed it out a few years back but never made it. With a fridge drawer full of beets, last weekend seemed like a good time to try it out.
I modified the original recipe a bit and came up with this version. It came out great, and you couldn’t taste the beets at all. When I asked my husband what he thought the secret ingredient was, he answered, “Pumpkin?” Ha!
Beet Chocolate Cake
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups cooked then grated beets
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 cups white flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping:
Powdered sugar or frosting, if desired
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Combine oil and eggs. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Add cooked, grated beets and mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine cocoa powder, flour, baking soda and salt. Add to wet ingredients and stir well.
Grease and flour a 13 x 9 baking pan. Pour mixture into prepared pan.
Bake for 30-35 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick, or when the cake bounces back when you press lightly on it with your finger.
I think it tasted great without any frosting, but if you wanted to you could use some powdered sugar or other frosting.
I’ll be curious to know if your family is able to identify the secret ingredient!