Fresh Beet Cake
A red three layer cake with cream cheese icing.
Servings 8
Cost 5
Ingredients
- 8-10 ounces fresh whole beets (one large or two medium)
- 5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- ¾ teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (160 grams)
- 1 ¼ cups granulated sugar, scant (235 grams)
- 1 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, natural type not Dutch process
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 6 tablespoons neutral oil such as Wesson**
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 6 tablespoons buttermilk
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 12 oz cream cheese, softened (Neufchatel works too) (336 grams)
- 3 oz unsalted butter, softenend (84 grams)
- 2 cups powdered sugar (8 oz/225 grams)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Cook the beets ahead of time. Cut the beets in half, boil until tender, then let cool and peel. Puree the cooked beets, then put the puree through a strainer and drain as much excess juice out as you can. You may have more, but for the cake you'll need 5 oz/140 grams of cooked beets. Stir the lemon juice and zest into the cooked beets.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 6-inch round cake pans or two 8-inch round pans.
- Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.
- Put the eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer and begin beating with the whisk or paddle. Drizzle in the oil and beat until thick and lemon colored (about a minute). On low speed, beat in the pureed beets, vanilla, and buttermilk.
- Add the flour mixture and stir by hand until blended, then beat on low for about a minute or until smooth and evenly blended.
- Divide the batter between three greased and floured 6-inch cake pans (a little over 9 oz per pan). Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 22-25 minutes. The cakes should puff up a little. If baking in 8-inch pans, check at 20 minutes.
- Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then loosen and invert onto a cooling rack.
- When cake is cool, beat softened cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or paddle. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating on low speed until blended and scraping bowl often and light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and lemon juice.
- Frost the cake and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Notes
I mostly use olive oil, but when I need a neutral oil Wesson oil seems to be the best (in my opinion). It also seems to stay fresher longer than canola.