Vegan Chocolate Beetroot Cake
This Vegan Chocolate Cake is gorgeously most and soft with an inviting velvety bite thanks to a particular secret ingredient: Beetroot.
I can already hear your scepticism and trust me my husband had the same protests and funny faces.
He is my harshest critic in large part due to his quite fussy tastes and yet this cake in his words “bloody marvellous”.
I am certain you will have a very similar reaction and fall in love with just how moreish this cake is. All you have to do is trust me, beetroot is the secret to a great cake. A little courage and trust and this recipe will not steer you wrong.
Despite what could seem obvious, the use of soft vegetables is actually quite common in desserts, especially those with a "spongy" consistency such as sponge cake and pound cakes.
One of the most common examples we have is the Carrot Cake, Rhubarb Sponge and the Italian Nation favourite "torta di mele" (apple sponge cake), that I'll soon feature in here as well.
An example I can show you with a less than usual ingredient is this Sweet Potato Cake Loaf, which many have tried and widely appreciated!
The explanation is quite simple: pulp fruit and vegetables introduce moisture and make it possible to obtain a dessert with a soft structure. In addition, the use of these ingredients allows us to halve the amount of fat in recipes, which is by no means a trivial feat. That makes these desserts/cakes ideal especially if you are on a diet or simply reducing your calorie intake.
These Oil-free Chocolate Brownies, for example, contain ripe avocado instead of fat, which gives it a thick, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
The beetroot cake, however as "weird" as it may seem, is actually a very popular dessert here in the UK.
With an unmistakable soft and delicate taste with rich deep chocolate it is most assuredly still a sweet dessert.
This is not a savoury cake and there is no earthiness creeping through. You would not know it had beetroot if you were not told of it.
On the contrary, you will find yourself with a moist cake that lends itself well to being filled with creams and ganache to be offered as a snack, or to show off at birthdays or events.
Today though we are going to cover this vegan cake with some simple red coloured whipped cream, and delicious edible sugars decorations (I picked red and pink heart shaped ones, 'cause I think they look super pretty on it!).
It goes without saying that this wonder lends itself very well as a Valentine's Day cake to prepare for your loved ones.
You can however play around with the base recipe and adapt it how you please to make it perfect for the event or day.
Its rustic classic yet delicate appearance is really inviting, don't you think?
How to Make Vegan Chocolate Beetroot Cake Recipe
Ingredients:
…for the cake…
330 g All Purpose Flour
250 g Beets (just boiled until soft – no vinegar)*
250 g Sugar
160 g Oat Milk (or any plant milk of your choice)
50 g Vegetable Oil
40 g Cocoa Powder
16 g Baking Powder
10 g Instant Coffee Granules
1 tablespoon Vanilla Paste
Pinch of salt
…to top…
250 ml Vegan Whipping Cream
50 g Icing Sugar
2 tablespoon Sugar Decorations (optional)
½ teaspoon Vegan Red Food Coloring (powder)
…for the cake…
330 g All Purpose Flour
250 g Beets (just boiled until soft – no vinegar)*
250 g Sugar
160 g Oat Milk (or any plant milk of your choice)
50 g Vegetable Oil
40 g Cocoa Powder
16 g Baking Powder
10 g Instant Coffee Granules
1 tablespoon Vanilla Paste
Pinch of salt
…to top…
250 ml Vegan Whipping Cream
50 g Icing Sugar
2 tablespoon Sugar Decorations (optional)
½ teaspoon Vegan Red Food Coloring (powder)
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 180° C (355° F).
1. Preheat the oven to 180° C (355° F).
2. Add the beets and all the wet ingredients to a food processer bowl and blitz until smooth and creamy.
3. Add in sifted flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, coffee granules and salt, and process again until all is mixed up and well combined.4. Line a 22cm - 9" round cake hinged mould with parchment paper and grease around the side.
5. Pour the batter into cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
6. Allow the cake to cool down completely before de-moulding it.
7. Whisk the vegan whipping cream with sugar and the food colouring (if using) until stiff peaks.
8. Arrange the whipped cream on the top of the cake, smooth it out with a spatula and create some wavy peaks for a rustic effect (alternatively you can pipe the cream using your favourite nozzle).
9. Sprinkle up some sugar decorations and enjoy!
*if you’re using fresh beetroots: Peel and quarter 3-4 medium sized beets (approx. 400 g/1 pound of beets). Steam the beets for 15 minutes or until a knife easily pierces them. Allow to cool down at room temperature, then measure 250 grams and proceed as per recipe.
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