Chocolate Beet Cake

Chocolate beet cake. Yes, you read that right. I admit it sounds odd, but the cake is actually quite delicious. I was suspicious of this recipe when I first read it in a Live Earth Farm newsletter years ago, but as the beets were piling up I decided to give it a go. I was glad I did. And who knows, if you don't tell anyone there are beets in the cake, they may never catch on!


I usually use regular red beets for this recipe, but this time I didn't have enough, so I used some chiogga beets as well. They are the stripey ones.


I chose to make cupcakes this time, because they freeze well in nice little individual servings, but you could use a bundt pan or 8-inch round or square pan as well.





Chocolate Beet Cake


1 1/2 pounds Beets (or enough to make 1 1/4 cups puree)
3 Eggs
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
1/2 Cup vegetable oil
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 tsp Salt
1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
3/4 Cup Cocoa Powder
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda

Cook the beets either by boiling in water to cover by 1 1/2 inches until tender, or baking them in a 400 degree oven. Once they are cool enough to handle, slip off the skins (I like to do this under cold running water) and put them in a food processor. Process until a puree forms, adding water or beet cooking liquid if necessary to get a pureed consistency.

Preheat the oven to 350

Lightly grease and flour a bundt pan, 8-inch round or square baking dish, or line muffin pans with cupcake liners.

Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl. Whisk in the sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla, salt, and beet puree. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. Add the wet ingredients to the dry a bit at a time until completely incorporated.

Pour the batter into your prepared pan and bake 45-50 minutes for a bundt pan, 35-40 minutes for an 8-inch square pan, and 15-20 minutes for cupcakes, or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean. Cool and enjoy.

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Balsamic Beet Salad

Continuing with the Valentine's Day theme, here is a very red side dish that can be served with any number of things, including roasted chicken.

1 Bunch Beets (about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 pounds)
2 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Dried Oregano
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Scrub the beets well. No need to peel yet, we will get to that later. If your beets are small, you can cook them whole. If they are larger, you will want to cut them into smaller pieces for quicker cooking. Mine were about medium and I quartered them lengthwise.

Put the beets in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the beets are tender. This will take about 30-45 minutes depending on the size of the beets. When the beets are tender (stab one with a fork or the tip of a knife to test for doneness), remove them from the heat and drain. Put some cold water in the pot with the beets to cool them down a bit and pull the skins off. They should slip right off. I like to do this with the pot in the sink.

Drain the beets and put them in a salad bowl. Cut them into slices or bite-sized chunks and pour the balsamic vinegar over them. Stir to coat with the vinegar, then add the remaining ingredients and stir again. Adjust seasonings as needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Roasted Beets

As a CSA member, there are a lot of beets in my house. I have to admit, for about the first two years of my membership I was deathly afraid of the things. Never ate them. I gave them all away. But then, one year, I got brave and made this recipe. And boy am I glad I finally did! It did the trick for both my husband and me. We became beet fans, and now eat them pretty regularly in a variety of ways. But this preparation is super simple and brings out the sweetness quite nicely!

Roasted Beets



Beets, cut into chunks or wedges if they are big
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Fresh Rosemary Sprigs

I didn't list quantities because you can make as many or as few as you want. Put the beets in a bowl (or directly on a foil-lined baking sheet - less clean up) and drizzle with some olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and toss well with your hands to get all of the beets coated with a bit of the oil. Now spread the beets out on the baking sheet and tuck sprigs of rosemary among them. Roast in the oven until nice and tender and beginning to caramelize, 40-60 minutes depending on the size of your beets and the oven temperature. If I am only roasting beets, I go pretty high at about 425. But if you are cooking something else at the same time that requires a lower temperature, no problem. The beets will just take a little longer to cook. I cooked these at 350, and they took about 50 minutes.

Beet, Apple and Carrot Salad Recipe

This one is so simple, I don't really think it's fair calling it a 'recipe'. However, it is a side dish I turn to often when time is short and I need something quick. It also keeps well in the fridge and as such makes great snacks or lunches later in the week.

Beet, Apple and Carrot Salad

Roughly equal parts beets, carrots and apples. Scrub the beets and carrots. Core and seed the apples (I do this by cutting them in quarters, then slicing on the diagonal to remove the core and seeds.) If you are picky about such things, you can peel, but I never do. Shred everything with the food processor or a box grater.

For one beet, 2 carrots and one apple I use about 1 Tbsp Champagne Vinegar (or you could use Sherry Vinegar, Red Wine Vinegar, Cider Vinegar, probably even Balsamic Vinegar. Try a few and see what you like.) and 1 Tbsp Olive Oil. Whisk the vinegar and oil, then add in the veg/fruit. Stir to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. That's it!

Super simple and so refreshing.

We had this with the Cornbread Stuffing and a wonderful roast chicken my DH made.