RECIPE - Chocolate Beet Cake

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, egg-free, and vegan

This is the best chocolate cake recipe I’ve ever had. Hands down. Don’t be fooled by the word “beet”. The beets make it rich and moist…you can’t taste any beets.

It was my husband’s birthday this weekend and his birthday cake request was a chocolate beet cake that I had made him for his first birthday after we met. But…I couldn’t find the recipe.

So, I went to ChatGPT and put in my normal prompt for a recipe, “Assume you’re a world-class pastry chef…”. Out came a decent recipe, and then I had an idea.

I asked - “Can you do any better?”. And what I got was SO MUCH BETTER!

Here is the best cake recipe you may ever taste. It’s not too sweet, it’s just rich and amazing. If you have a recipe better than this, please share it, because if you’ve got a recipe better, then I’ve gotta try it!

Chocolate Beet Cake

Ingredients:

  • Wet Mix:

    • 1 1/2 cups cooked and pureed beets (from about 3 medium organic beets). Steam, boil, or roast the beets ahead of time. Roasting will make them sweeter…I boiled them because I’m lazy. Don’t worry about peeling them, no one will notice.

    • 3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

    • 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso, cooled (to enhance the chocolate flavor)

    • 1/2 cup high-quality extra virgin olive oil

    • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

    • 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste

  • Dry Mix:

    • 2 cups premium gluten-free all-purpose flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-free flour

    • 1 1/2 cups coconut sugar

    • 3/4 cup high-quality cocoa powder (Dutch-processed)

    • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

    • 1/2 teaspoon Himalayan pink salt

  • Chocolate Ganache (with a Coffee Twist):

    • 1 cup dairy-free dark chocolate, finely chopped

    • 1/2 cup canned coconut cream (or the thick part of canned coconut milk)

    • Optional - 2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee or espresso (to echo the coffee notes in the cake). This added a coffee-flavour to the cake that was a bit much. I might not do that again. The coffee in the cake just adds to the chocolate flavour.

Instructions:

  1. Prepare Cake Batter:

    • Combine the beet puree, almond milk, cooled coffee, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl.

    • In another bowl, sift together the flour, coconut sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.

    • Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, folding until just combined.

  2. Bake:

    • Pour batter into a greased and lined 9-inch cake pan or a 9”x5” bread pan.

    • Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. If using a bread pan, it will take 45 - 60 mins

    • Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

  3. Coffee-Infused Ganache:

    • Heat coconut cream just until it's hot but not boiling. Pour over the chopped chocolate and let sit for a minute, then stir until smooth and glossy. Stir in the coffee (optional) to create a rich and glossy finish.

  4. Finish & Serve:

    • Once the cake is cool, pour and spread the ganache over the top. The ganache thickens as it cools. If you want it to drip off the sides, pour while its still warm. Or, wait until it cools and is thicker if you’d like to ice the cake.

    • If desired, garnish with orange zest or chocolate shavings for an extra touch of fanciness.

That’s it! The richest and delicious chocolate cake I’ve ever had!