| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 20 min |
| Yield: | 8 to 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup half-and-half
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2/3 cup melted unsalted butter
- 2 cups milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules, optional
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil, plus more for greasing the pans
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 large eggs
- 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate baking bar or chips
- 2 cups pureed cooked beets (can be canned)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- For the penuche frosting: Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Stir until the brown sugar is dissolved. Make sure to not scrape the sides of the pan. Add the half-and-half and bring to a boil for another 2 minutes. Remove from the heat to cool, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Gradually add the confectioners’ sugar to the butter mixture and beat with an electric mixer on medium until thick, smooth and creamy. Makes 3 to 4 cups.
- For the chocolate fudge frosting: Over a double boiler or in the microwave, melt the butter. Add the chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Add the vanilla and instant coffee, if using, and stir until smooth. Makes about 3 cups.
- For the chocolate beet cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 8-inch cake pans with vegetable oil.
- In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate large bowl, combine the eggs, granulated sugar and 1/2 cup vegetable oil and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until light pale yellow and fluffy.
- Melt the chocolate and remaining 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a double boiler or a heatproof bowl set over (not it) a pot of simmering water.
- Add the chocolate mixture to the egg mixture, and then add the beets and vanilla and mix. Slowly add the dry ingredients just until everything is incorporated. Put the batter in the prepared cake pans and bake until a tester comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pans, then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely.
- Frost the cake between the layers with the penuche frosting and the outside of the cake with the chocolate fudge frosting.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 1010 |
| Total Fat | 53 g |
| Saturated Fat | 23 g |
| Carbohydrates | 129 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 105 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 123 mg |
| Sodium | 431 mg |
Reviews
This made the perfect Valentines Day treat! Tastes especially good with a cream cheese frosting outside & a vanilla buttercream inside!
The cake was good. I do not care for the frosting. Would be good with a peanut butter or raspberry buttercream frosting.
5 stars for cake, 3 stars for frostings. I LOVE the cake, it is terrific. The slight taste of beet came through on the first one I made and I using all organic dark chocolate took care of that. I used fresh beets, I think one bunch of 3 large beets might be enough – might need 4 beets depending on their size. They were only $1 per bunch for organic when I got them, better than canned. I cooked them gently in simmering water until a fork poked right through easily. Save the juice and make yourself a nutritious smoothie or even as part of a cocktail! The frostings had some issues tho. The recipe given for penuche did not make nearly as much as I needed so I had to double it. That said it is now a delicious favorite, and one I am happy to use as the main frosting. The fudge frosting also did not make enough, and it was very thick – I had a hard time spreading it and it seemed more like divinity fudge candy. I actually did put some into cube trays, refrigerated the batch and served as chunks of candy “fudge” which are delicious by the way. Aside from a bit of vanilla/coffee, are chocolate and butter all we need for frosting? I wonder. I live in Glendale, AZ an hour from Mesa, if I knew where Melody had a bakery I’d go ask!! Anyway the cake is SO MOIST you cannot go wrong with that recipe.
My 1st was glitched…so trying again.
I got a purple grand champion at county fair with this. Can’t submit with frosting. Judges said perfect WITHOUT so figured use REDDI-WHIP can of spray cream. Everyone loves it with the spritz or without! I only use fresh from the garden beets, cooked and pureed. Have stash in freezer for the winter cakes now. I have taken and put 1 cup beets/1 cup shredded zucchini in and it is absolutely wonderful. I use 1/2 cup dutch cocoa powder rather than suggested. I do not care for the frosting recipe.
I got a purple grand champion at county fair with this. Can’t submit with frosting. Judges said perfect WITHOUT so figured use REDDI-WHIP can of spray cream. Everyone loves it with the spritz or without! I only use fresh from the garden beets, cooked and pureed. Have stash in freezer for the winter cakes now. I have taken and put 1 cup beets/1 cup shredded zucchini in and it is absolutely wonderful. I use 1/2 cup dutch cocoa powder rather than suggested. I do not care for the frosting recipe.
The cake recipe gets five stars it is moist and delicious. I found that it took two cans of beets to obtain two cups of pureed beets using a Vita-mix blender. The accompanied frosting recipes need help. The chocolate fudge recipe is missing a step or an ingredient or both. I completely wasted all of those ingredients. The penuche recipe was tasty but I think less powdered sugar would improve the recipe. I found the frosting solidified quite rapidly. It definitely firmly held the two cake layers together. I made a butter and cream cheese chocolate frosting for the outside. The cake was well received at the birthday party with the alternative frosting.
Tasted this last night at Melody Larsen’s Friends and Family viewing party at Sassy’s Cafe and Bakery. Moist, delicious and not a hint of the Beet Flavor. Genius.