Chocolate Beet Cake With Beet Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe from Joy the Baker

I hate beets.  They taste like dirt.  But one Valentine's Day when Ken and I were recently married we went to a fancy Italian restaurant in downtown Salt Lake.  Dinner wasn't that great but the dessert....oh my the dessert....was fabulous! It was a beet cake with chocolate frosting.  We were slightly skeptical at first but once we had a bite, we were sold.  The secret with the beets is that you can't taste them but they add an amazing moistness to the cake.  The cream cheese frosting in this recipe is tinted with roasted, grated beets to give it a natural, pink color which I think gives it a more homemade, natural look.  If you want to impress a group then make this cake! It is very, very yummy!

For the Cake:

2 medium beets, unpeeled but trimmed of their greens
1 t. vegetable oil
3/4 c. unsalted butter, softened plus more for greasing the pans
1 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 c. granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla
2 c. flour plus more for dusting pans
2/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1 1/4 c. buttermilk

For the Frosting:
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4-5 c. powdered sugar, sifted (I used 5)
2 T. finely grated beets, mashed
1 t. vanilla
1-2 t. milk, depending on desired consistency (I used 1)
1/2 t. fresh lemon juice
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Thoroughly wash beets and trim leaves.  Place in a piece of foil.  Drizzle with vegetable oil.  Seal up foil (I did about 3 layers of foil).  Place on baking sheet and roast beets until they are tender, about an hour (I did mine for an hour and a half).

Remove beets from oven and open up foil and allow to cool completely.  Peel beets with a paring knife.

Using a box grater, grate the beets on the finest grating plane.  Measure out 3/4 c. grated beets for the cake and 2 T. for the frosting.  Set aside.

Reduce oven to 350 degrees.  Use butter to grease two 8" or 9" round pans (it's easiest if you use your hands).  Cut out 2 parchment paper circles to go in the bottom of the pans.  Butter the parchment paper.  Dust flour in the pans.  Set aside while you prepare the cake.

In the bowl of an electric mixture with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  About 3-5 minutes.  Beat in eggs, one at a time, for one minute after each addition.  Scrape down sides of bowl as necessary.  Once eggs are incorporated beat in beets and vanilla until thoroughly combined.

In a medium bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture.  Beating on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk.  Once just incorporated, add the other half of the dry ingredients.  Beat on medium speed until milk and dry ingredients are just combined.  Try not to over mix the batter.  Bowl can be removed from the mixer and folded with a spatula to finish incorporating ingredients.  Cake will be on the thick side.

Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans.  Bake for 23-25 minutes (for a 9-inch pan) or 30-32 minutes (for a 8-inch pan).  Cake is done when a skewer comes out clean.  Remove cakes from oven and allow to cool completely (you can also transfer to wire rack after 25 minutes to finish cooling).

To make the frosting:
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese for 30 seconds until pliable and smooth.  Add the butter and beat for another 30 seconds until well combined.  Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Beat in the beets.  Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk, lemon juice and salt.  Beat on medium speed until smooth and silky.  Refrigerate the frosting for 30 minutes before frosting the cooled cakes.

To assemble the cake, place one layer of cake on a cake stand or plate.  Top with a generous amount of pink frosting.  Spread evenly.  Place the other cake on top of the frosting (I did the flat, bottom side of the cake up so that I had a really smooth surface to frost versus a mounded surface).  Top with frosting. Work onto the sides of the cake.  You will have extra frosting left over.  Refrigerate for an hour before serving.  Cake will last well wrapped in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Hello good friend.