“Is it better to be feared or loved? Loved, because people associate with you because they want to, not because they need to. We need to eat beets, but we want to eat cake. Be the cake of the world.”
― Jarod Kintz
OR just be the chocolate beet cake of the world.
I haven’t done TOO much baking at our homestead yet – for many reasons. One being we are at 9,200ft elevation, and sometimes major adjustments are needed when baking. & I’ve been so busy milking goats, dehydrating veggies, and just getting settled on our farm, that I haven’t had a TON of free time.
However, once I saw this magical photo (taken by a homesteader in Vermont) a few weeks ago, I knew I would most likely be able to find a few free hours to make it happen.
Jessica lives in southern Vermont and can be found making all kinds of homemade goodies @sugarhouseworkshop or www.sugarhouseworkshop.com
The recipe below is from Jessica, who is somewhere around 1,500ft – however, I’ve made minor adjustments to work for our elevation. I included both recipes because I’m assuming that the population who would be reading this and live at 9,200ft is minuscule.
High Altitude (9K ft) Chocolate Beet Cake
- 3-4 medium to large beets, peeled and chopped
- 2.5 c all purpose flour
- 1 c sugar
- 1/2 c dutched cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 3 eggs
- 3/4 c warm water
- 1/4 c oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
Low Altitude (1K ft) Chocolate Beet Cake
- 3-4 medium to large beets, peeled and chopped
- 2 c all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 c sugar
- 1/2 c dutched cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 c warm water
- 1/4 c oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
Cook beets in lightly boiling water for 15 minutes or so until soft and easily pierced with a knife. Purée beets in a blender or food processor, and set aside 1 1/4 cup. Heat oven to 350. Whisk dry ingredients in a medium bowl, and in a separate bowl combine eggs, water, vanilla, oil, and puréed beets. Whisk to combine. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir together until thoroughly mixed. Coat a 9″ pan liberally with butter or oil. Pour in batter and bake 45 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool at least 20 minutes, then remove from pan and pour glaze over.
Chocolate glaze
- 1/2 c cream
- 1 tsp maple syrup or honey
- 3oz bitter or semi sweet chocolate, chopped
Heat the cream and syrup over low-medium heat until simmering. Add chocolate and stir to melt it throughout. Pour over cake and allow to set at least 30 minutes.
Enjoy!