Red Beet Walnut Chocolate Cake

Never been a beet fan. I’ve tried many times to convert but I have no love for the strong earthy taste. However, the color has lured me back over and over again. Over my years of trying to like beets, there have been ways I’ve found to enjoy them if I can change their texture or dilute the flavor. Once I created caramelized beet chips for a Thanksgiving salad and found them surprisingly delicious. This motivated me to experiment on.

Since then, using them as an ingredient in baked goods, like this Whole Wheat Red Beet Bread I made last year pleased my palate. This Roasted Beet Tarragon Hummus was also delicious. 

And that gorgeous color. It just makes me happy. 

I’ve put mashed potatoes into a loaf chocolate cake before and the results were delicious.  It was time to try a version with beets. 

This cake is very simple to make, pureed beets are added to a basic chocolate cake recipe slightly scented with a hint of cinnamon and studded with raw walnut pieces.

For a finishing touch on the cake, I used some beet juice and powdered sugar to create a simple but stunning glaze and sprinkled more raw walnuts on top for decoration.

The cake is delicious. You do not taste the beets in either the cake or the glaze but the beets give both a deeper, slightly earthy flavor. This is a perfect winter cake. 

Note, the recipe below is for a 9″ loaf pan. The cake in the pictures is much larger. I wanted to use my fancy bundt loaf pan. It was much bigger, so I doubled the recipe. 

Red Beet Walnut Chocolate Cake

Yield: 15 pieces

Ingredients:

• 4 oz canned red beets, drained, reserve the juice.
• 1+1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 4 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 9 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup raw chopped walnuts plus 2 tablespoons for decoration
• 1 cup Powdered sugar
• 2-4 tablespoons water

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease and flour a 9-inch loaf pan and set aside.
• Place the beets in a food processor or blender and puree. Remove one tablespoon of the puree and set aside.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
• Beat together the butter and sugar until creamy, about 3 minutes.
• Add the eggs one at a time, making sure the first one is fully incorporated before adding the next. 
• Beat in the vanilla extract. 
• Add the beet puree and mix until combined.
• Slowly add the dry ingredients until fully incorporated.
• Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Place in the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
• Remove from oven and let cool completely before removing the cake from the pan. transfer the cake to a cooling rack placed over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. 
• Whisk together the powdered sugar and the beet puree. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you have a smooth glaze.
• Pour the glaze over the cake and immediately sprinkle the remaining 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts over the top.
• When the glaze has set, place, slice and serve.