Chocolate Beet Cake

208 Ratings
  • 5 48
  • 4 81
  • 3 44
  • 2 28
  • 1 7

You won't taste the pureed beets, but they make this cake extra moist and play up its deep chocolate flavor.

Martha Stewart Living, November 2011

Gallery

Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary

total:
3 hrs
prep:
25 mins
Servings:
8
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Ingredients

Directions

  • Cover beets with 2 inches water in a pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until very tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp paring knife, about 30 minutes. Drain. Puree beets in a food processor until smooth.

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  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Whisk in eggs, water, oil, vanilla, and 1 1/4 cups beet puree (reserve remaining puree for another use).

  • Coat a 9-inch round cake pan (3 inches deep) with cooking spray. Line bottom with parchment, and coat with spray. Pour batter into pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Turn out cake from pan, and discard parchment. Let cool completely, right side up.

  • Trim top of cake using a serrated knife to create a level surface. Transfer cake, cut side down, to a platter. Pour chocolate glaze over the top, and let set, about 30 minutes. Garnish with beet chips.

Cook's Notes

Unglazed cake can be stored at room temperature (wrapped in plastic) for up to 2 days. Storage: Glazed cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.

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Reviews (9)

208 Ratings
  • 5 48
  • 4 81
  • 3 44
  • 2 28
  • 1 7
Martha Stewart Member
12/07/2019
I haven't made this yet, but I was wondering if anyone tried using natural cocoa powder instead of dutch processed. I thought it was strange that the recipe uses dutch processed and baking soda, since usually natural cocoa pairs with baking soda, and dutch processed with baking powder. Any thoughts or tips would be appreciated. Thanks!
Martha Stewart Member
01/25/2018
This is my go to chocolate cake recipe. We love it. We have it for most of our Birthday celebrations, and it always disappears!
Martha Stewart Member
08/03/2017
I take care of an elderly man with a sweet tooth like no other. He refuses to eat any and all vegetables so I have to get creative incorporating them into his diet. This cake was a major success and he still doesnt know it has beets.
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Martha Stewart Member
02/02/2014
Fantastic cake, loved by young and old. We made two yesterday for after church coffee hour, and both went fast. We had two cups total of beet puree, so added half cup of applesauce for the two cakes. We added 5 minutes to time.
Martha Stewart Member
07/30/2013
This is a very good cake, moist and chocolate flavor. I frosted it with cream cheese frosting colored with beet puree. Very pretty and it didn't last long.
Martha Stewart Member
10/29/2012
Unfortunately, I could definitely taste the beets in this recipe. My daughter didn't mind it, but my husband (a beet hater) couldn't eat it. i much preferred another recipe I tried that called for half as many beets, where the beet flavor actually was imperceptible.
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Martha Stewart Member
10/17/2012
Oops - ignore that previous post - I didn't read far enough into the recipe!
Martha Stewart Member
10/17/2012
Does anyone know exactly how much pureed beet this recipe calls for? "4 medium beets" is a pretty loose measurement....
Martha Stewart Member
02/06/2012
I made this last week and loved it. It isn't too sweet and has a nice rich flavor. It doesn't take too much to satisfy. I love that it has some veggies in it and it into fattening. A good "healthier" chocolate cake recipe. xo- MyGreenDiet.com
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