What does one do with the seeming plethora of beets from a CSA?
Unfortunately ours usually go the way of the compost heap (I am not
proud of this) But...I don't really like them. They are on par with
pork chops. I want to like them, I keep preparing them different ways
hoping maybe, just maybe this recipe will do the trick. Only to pick at
my food and realize yet again, I really don't like them.
This time when the beets showed up I decided it was time to try
something different. I may not be a fan of beets, but I am a fan of
chocolate. Say hello to the chocolate beet cake.
You will notice that batter, once the beets are added is quite red.
Finished product (minus the powdered sugar). I must say, it was REALLY good. The beets make the cake really moist, but the beet flavor is masked by the chocolate. Try it (recipe below), you won't be disappointed!
Chocolate Beet Cake
from John Peterson’s
Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables
3-4 medium beets
butter and flour for preparing the pan
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 c. mild-flavored vegetable oil
3 eggs
1¾ c. sugar
1 T. vanilla extract
1½ c. all purpose flour
½ c.
whole wheat pastry flour
2 t. baking soda
¼ t. salt
powdered sugar for dusting
1) Scrub the beets with a vegetable brush and trim roots. Trim
stems and save greens for some other use. (I’m not sure what other use,
but I’m working on it.) Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the
beets. Boil for 20-30 minutes, or until the beets are tender and the
skins slip off easily. Let the beets cool a little, the slip the skins
off under cold water and then purée the beets in a blender or food
processor. You should have about 2 cups of beet purée.
2) Preheat your oven to 375°F. Butter and flour a Bundt pan and set
it aside. (This is where I went wrong — I followed the original
instructions to coat the pan with oil (!) and did not abandon ship even
when I noted that the oil was pooling in the bottom of the pan rather
than coating the whole interior of the pan. Use butter; it sticks.)
3) Fill a medium saucepan about halfway with water and bring the
water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and set a heat-proof bowl over the
simmering water. Place the chocolate and ¼ c. of the oil in the bowl
and heat, stirring frequently, just until the chocolate melts.
4) Combine the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an
electric mixer until fluffy. Slowly beat in the remaining oil, the
chocolate mixture, beets, and vanilla.
5) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, and
salt. Gently stir the flour mixture into the egg and chocolate mixture
until just combined.
6) Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick
inserted near the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove the
pan from the oven and cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Carefully
remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool completely before
sprinkling with powdered sugar to serve.
