Moist vegan beetroot chocolate cake

I must confess, I am not a baker. I find it too messy, things can go south and then you still have all the washing up to do. But his moist, vegan beetroot cake is one of those recipes that I will keep on making.

I also prefer not to have cake in my house too often because I will eat it! So I only bake on special occasions. This does not mean I only eat cake on special occasions. My other favourite cake with hidden veg from my blog is the carrot cake muffins but it could also be turned into a cake. It works as a lunchbox snack but can also be glamarous with a cream cheese frosting and flower crown.

So when I bake I like to feel that it was worth the effort. I should also have all the ingredients in my pantry already. It is an added bonus when cake can also be classified as nutritious.

The orignal genuis recipe is from Simply Green. I baked this cake about two years ago for my birthday, I decorated it with purple pansies and everyone was impressed. Me too. It just ticks so many boxes, it is vegan, low in fat, dairy-free and you don’t have to add 2 cups of sugar. It is also flop proof and I liked the fact that it is just one layer. Almost like a small batch cake.

The recipe contains Spelt flour, I like to bake with spelt. It is very similar to wheat and is an ancient grain. It does not make me feel bloated, it contain slightly more protein than wheat flour but unfortunately Spelt is still not gluten free.

This was also the first time I made ganache with coconut milk. I think it is genuis!! I have used this icing on brownies and cupcakes. It is not overly sweet and the bonus is that it is dairy free.

This cake is moist and you will never know about the extra portion of beetroot that has been added in. The orignal recipe had olive oil in but I replaced it with coconut oil. For no particual reason other than I had run out of olive oil. I also tend to roast or boil beetroot but this time around I cut it in cubes and steamed it. It only took 15 minutes and was soft and delicious. I will definately start steaming beetroot in the future.

Moist vegan beetroot chocolate cake

• Author: Ankie Niesing
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 80min
• Yield: 10 1x
• Category: Cake

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Description

Delicious moist, vegan chocolate cake with added beetroot. 

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Scale 1x2x3x

Ingredients

• 1 cup beetroot puree 
• 2 tablespoons flax meal
• 4 tablespoons water
• 2 cups spelt flour or whole wheat flour
• ⅓ cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ cup melted coconut oil
• ¾ cup almond milk
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Dairy-Free Chocolate Ganache

• 170g semi-sweet dark chocolate pieces
• ¾ cup full fat coconut milk

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Instructions

Prepare Beetroot Puree

1. Peel and quarter 3-4 medium-sized beets. Steam the beetroot for 15 minutes or until a knife easily pierces them. Add the cooked beets to a food processor or Omniblend and blend until smooth. Measure out 1 cup for use and set aside.

For the Cake Base

1. Preheat the oven to 180′ C. Line a 20cm round cake pan with baking paper and grease around the side.

2. In a small bowl, combine the flax meal and water and let stand for 5-10 minutes or until thickened. Meanwhile in a large bowl, sift together the spelt flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the centre and set aside.

3. In a small bowl, combine the flax mixture, beetroot puree, melted coconut oil, almond milk and vanilla. Add the beet mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.

5. Remove the cake from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the cake from the pan, remove the baking paper and cool completely on a wire rack. While the cake is cooling, prepare the ganache.

Prepare the ganache

1. Add the chocolate pieces to a medium-sized heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, gently heat the coconut milk until steaming, but not bubbling. Carefully pour the hot coconut milk over the chocolate and stir until all the chocolate is melted. Allow the ganache to thicken at room temperature for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Note that the ganache may seem runny at first, but it will thicken to a spreadable texture after the elapsed time.

2. Using an offset spatula, frost the cooled cake and serve.

 

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Notes

Beetroot puree can be made in advance and kept in the fridge until ready to use. It’s also not necessary to let the puree cool before adding it to the cake batter. To save time, buy cooked vacuum-packed beetroot and blend. If your coconut milk has separated during storage (it has a thick layer of fat and a watery layer), it’s imperative that you mix it back together before measuring; a blender or food processor can assist with this if need be.

Keywords: Vegan, dairy-free, beetroot, chocolate cake