Feeding Friendship: Chocolate Beet Cake!

Beet it! Beet it! No one wants to be defeated!
Show 'em how funky strong is your fight!
It doesn't matter who's wrong or right.
JUST BEET IT!

Folks, I chose BEETS as the ingredient this round! When I was little I LOVED me some beets. My mom would get the sliced ones in a can and I would eat 'em up! The color, the taste! Delish!

Recently, however, I've seen beets in the store and at the Farmer's Market and I'm scared of them. My mom simply dumped them out of a can. What was I supposed to do with this greyish, brownish, purplish bulb with 2-foot long greens?!

Beet it?

Ellie told me "just roast them."

"Yes, but how?!"

"Just like anything else, silly!"

"I'm scared."

No, it really is that easy. Oil + beets + oven at 400 degrees + 1 hour = roasted beets. Then just slide the peel back. Done!

Last year I bought beets and let them wither and die in the veggie drawer of the fridge. This year, I vowed not to let that happen. After a practice round a couple weeks ago to make beet salad, I decided to make beets a feeding friendship ingredient. You know, to get some more beet inspiration.

I found a recipe for Chocolate Beet Cake!! I adapted it from this recipe. Here's how I made it:

The beets are in the glass bowl on the left. Oh and the eggs were actually from our chickens, we just keep 'em in an HEB box....

Ingredients
Cake:
2 medium beets, trimmed of greens
1 tsp vegetable oil
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups buttermilk

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese
2 sticks of butter (you may want to try less, I felt like the cream cheese flavor was lost with all the butter (along with a couple years of my life)
4-5 cups powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons finely grated beets

1) Drizzle beets with oil and wrap with foil. Roast in a 375-degree oven for 1 hour. Allow to cool completely, peel and grate finely. You'll need about 3/4 cup for the cake and 2 Tablespoons for the frosting.

2) In an electric mixer with paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars. Beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy (3-5 min). Beat in eggs, one at a time, for 1 min after each addition. Stop mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl if necessary.

Go mixer, go!

3) Once eggs are incorporated, add beets and vanilla. Continue mixing until thoroughly combined.

Look at that color!

4) In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

5) Add half the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture. Beating on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk. Once incorporated, add the other half of the dry ingredients. Beat on medium speed until just incorporated.

6) Divide the batter between the cake pans (or just bake in batches if you only have one cake pan like someone....). Bake for 23-25 min for 9-inch pan or 30-32 min for 8-inch pan. Toothpick should come out clean, you know the drill.

7) Allow cakes to cool completely.

8) To make the frosting, beat cream cheese until pliable and smooth in a mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and beat until well combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl as necessary.

9) Beat in the beets. Add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until you get the consistency you want.

10) To assemble the cake (this isn't rocket science). Place one cake on a cake plate (or large platter) and ice the top of it. Gently place the other cake so that is aligned with the bottom cake. Cover the whole thing with frosting.

Cake burger?

That is one pink cake!!