Monday, May 10, 2010

Chocolate Beet Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting


Thankfully my fiance is an adventurous eater so when we were discussing what kind of cake he should have for his birthday (well actually he got 2 cakes), one of the ones that came up was a chocolate beet cake. Which I've wanted to make forever! And I really fell in love with this cake. Maybe it's because I adore beets and just knowing that they're in there with the chocolate makes me love it. The cake was really moist but not too chocolatey, as there's only 3 ounces of chocolate on it - next time I'd add more or try adding cocoa powder. And lots of people, including myself, couldn't taste the beets but my fiance slightly could. The only bad thing about this cake was that it didn't keep very well - it seemed to lose its moisture quickly. But if it didn't have icing on it and could be kept at room temperature, I don't think that would've been a problem.


So once the chocolate beet cake was decided - next I had to find a yummy chocolate frosting to match! I ended up going with a chocolate sour cream frosting. I've never had a sour cream frosting before and was really intrigued. I ended up loooooving this frosting, and can't wait to try out more sour cream frostings. The only bad thing about this one is that it hardens when it's in the fridge (though I guess they all would if they have chocolate in it) - so make sure your cake is ready to frost when you start making your frosting. And if you want the icing to be soft, take it out of the fridge maybe an hour beforehand to let it warm up a bit before serving.

If this sounds good, you might also like:
Black-Bottom Cupcakes
Chocolate Mousse Layer Cake
Sour Cream Chocolate Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting and Chocolate Peanut Butter Glaze
German Chocolate Cake

Chocolate Beet Cake with Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
Adapted from Straight from the Farm and Caprial's Desserts

Chocolate Beet Cake
Adapted from Straight from the Farm

1 cup unsalted butter, softened, divided (into 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup)
1 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs at room temp
3 oz dark chocolate (I'd add more next time)
4-5 medium beets (2 cup pureed)
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

To make beet puree, trim stems and roots off beets and quarter them. Place in heavy sauce pan filled with water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 50 mins or until the beets are tender. Drain off remaining liquid and rinse beets in cold water as they’ll be too hot to handle otherwise. Slide skins off and place beets in blender. Process until a smooth puree forms. Let cool slightly before using in cake. You can make the puree ahead of time and store it in the fridge.

In a mixing bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Melt chocolate with remaining butter in the microwave on high in 20 second intervals, stirring each time until smooth. Cool slightly. Blend chocolate mixture, beets and vanilla into the creamed mixture. The batter will appear separated so don’t fret.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt; add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Divide batter into two greased and floured 8" round cake pans. Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cool completely before assembling cake.

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting
Adapted from Caprial's Desserts

The recipe says this makes enough to fill and frost one 9 inch layer cake, and I did an 8 inch layer cake which isn't hugely different - yet was left with TONS of leftover icing (about 4 cups). So I'd recommend making about 2/3 of this or having an idea of what you want to do with the leftovers!

10 ounces unsweetened chocolate
1 pound cold unsalted butter, diced
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (I'd use less next time, maybe 2 1/2-3 cups)
pinch of salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup sour cream

Place the chocolate in a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water. Once the chocolate has melted about halfway, remove the pan from the heat (leave the bowl in the pan) and let the chocolate finish melting. Meanwhile, place the butter in the bowl of a mixer with the paddle attachment and beat until very light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the melted chocolate, and then stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl. Add the powdered sugar, very carefully turn the mixer back on at low speed (so you don't get covered in powdered sugar), and mix, again scraping down the sides of the bowl often, until smooth. Add the sale, vanilla and sour cream and mix until the frosting is very smooth.

21 comments:

Magdalena said...

I am not a huge amateur of cakes, and in particular cakes with vegetables. But some time ago, my friend from http://sensesinthekitchen-karolina.blogspot.com/, presented beat-chocolate cake (unfortunately, it was before she started her culinary blog). It is supposed to be delicious; take care!

Kristin (Book Sniffers Anonymous) said...

You grabbed my attention with the odd combination of flavors. I have never had beets and have no idea what they would taste like with chocolate but I am interested to give this recipe a try. Thanks for sharing this recipe. The cake looks delicious.

Joanne said...

Beets and avocadoes are the two veggies that I want to try infusing into cakes and desserts. This looks delicious! I'm going to have to taste test it on my family and see if they can tell what's in it!

Anonymous said...

I have never ever ever thought of using beets as a dessert though I have problems if I can't find them to put on top of my salads! On a particularly adventurous day and without telling a soul what's in it, I'll try this out :) Thanks!

(wife.) said...

This is my favorite cake ever!! My grandpa has been making a similar cake for years, and we actually used the recipe for our wedding cupcakes. His is slightly different, most notably using oil instead of butter and cocoa powder+whole chocolate chips instead of melted chocolate. (I also always use canned beets...shhh!) I've usually found that his version keeps beautifully and actually think it's usually better the second or third day. We usually use a vanilla cream cheese frosting, but the sour cream one sounds delicious. I'm definitely going to try it out. Thanks!

grace said...

you like writing 'my fiance,' don't ya! :)
surprisingly, i'm not usually too excited by chocolate-on-top-of-chocolate creations, but dang--that frosting looks outrageously tasty. happy birthday indeed!

Unknown said...

Beets in cake? Doesn't that make red velvet? Lol I'm very new to vegetables in desserts, I haven't tried any yet! The cake looks yummy though!

Lot-O-Choc said...

Oooh wow this sounds different, ive never had beets in a cake before..hmm i may have to try this out it sounds interesting hehe :).

Jannett said...

Sounds like a match made in heaven... :)

Katrina said...

Mmm! I love "tricky" things like this--with beets in a cake. And I'll have to try the sour cream frosting sometime, too.

Deborah said...

What an interesting cake! I definitely want to try that icing.

Teanna said...

Beet cake! Definitely so adventurous, but I feel that I'd love it! I just had chocolate brownies that were made with carrots and spinach (they were vegan) which were amazing!

Von said...

This cake looks so moist and delicious! The idea of beets in cake sounds really interesting- I might try this some day! It looks like mud cake- does it taste like it? The icing looks delicious too!

Steph said...

I always think that it's so cool to incorporate different ingredients in cakes, but always worried that it would weigh it down. This cake is actually quite buttery!

dining room table said...

This is going to be a family favorite for sure! We are a family of chocolate lovers.

Lisa Turner said...

This is very creative! Looks delicious. I once made a cake with beets and quite enjoyed it.

Chef Connie Bearden said...

I will be making this cake.. I made the coconut cream cake and was in coconut overload for days, but it was great! I love beets..and this sounds delish! I make some black bean brownies that are vegan, moist and tasty! You and the cat have inspired me to work on my pastries!
Cheers!

Johanna GGG said...

sounds quite amazing - I have made chocolate cake with beets ages ago and must do it again - love the sound of sour cream in frosting - would be just right for the beetroot cake

kimberleyblue said...

I have a chocolate cake recipe that uses prune baby food, which i think is probably the same idea. never tried the beet route though, and would totally love to. it looks so perfectly moist!

Vaala ◪ said...

I've always wanted to make a chocolate cake with beetroot after eating a really delicious one at a local cafe. Yours looks divine.

Ricki said...

What a gorgeous cake! Like your fiance, I can usually "slightly" taste the beets, but I don't mind anyway. :) And if you like the sour cream frosting, you should try the one by Maida Heatter--as I recall, it's got semisweet chocolate and sour cream it it--and I think that's it! Incredibly rich and delicious. :)