It’s not so strange to use vegetables in sweet preparations—think of the Carrot Cake, the Sweet Zucchini Cake or the Pumpkin and Amaretti Cake; in fact, these ingredients add natural softness and sweetness to our cakes.
This Beetroot Dessert is tall, fluffy, moist in just the right way and has a slightly rustic taste—perfect for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
The beets used in the batter, with their naturally sweet and delicate flavor and their watery texture, are low in calories and make this cake moist on the inside and very tender.
And don’t worry: the beet flavor is barely noticeable. Like pumpkin and carrots, this vegetable almost “disappears” into the batter while lending a magnificent red color and natural sweetness.
To make the Beetroot Cake I used pre-cooked beets and a few other simple, natural ingredients: almond flour for a pleasant contrast, type 00 flour, eggs and vegetable oil.
I can assure you everyone will enjoy this dessert and no one will guess the “secret” ingredient inside unless you decide to reveal it—it’s a great way to get vegetables into the diet of those who don’t like them.
Believe me, it’s worth overcoming the natural doubts I had the first time I tried this cake—you’ll be pleasantly surprised and it will become one of your most requested recipes.
And don’t forget it’s also very light and low in calories, which is always appreciated.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Cooking time: 50 Minutes
- Portions: 6/8 servings
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Energy 568.78 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 57.55 (g) of which sugars 34.76 (g)
- Proteins 9.04 (g)
- Fat 34.28 (g) of which saturated 4.13 (g)of which unsaturated 21.64 (g)
- Fibers 3.39 (g)
- Sodium 36.65 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 100 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked red beets, grated
- 2 cups type 00 flour (Italian 00)
- 1 cup almond flour
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1 packet (≈4 tsp) baking powder
- 7 fl oz corn (or vegetable) seed oil
- 1 lemon zest (grated)
Tools
- Electric mixer
- Springform pan
Steps
Peel the outer skin from the pre-cooked beets and grate them using a coarse grater. Put them in a sieve over a bowl to drain excess liquid for about 20 minutes.
In a separate bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture is light and frothy. Add the vegetable oil and beat again.
Add the sifted type 00 flour with the baking powder, the almond flour and the grated zest of one lemon. Mix to combine. Fold in the grated beets last, mixing gently with a spatula.
Take a 9 1/2 in round cake pan, butter and flour it, then pour in the batter.
Bake in a conventional oven at 356°F for about 45–50 minutes. Baking times vary significantly depending on the oven, so these times are indicative. Before removing from the oven, perform the toothpick test. Given the presence of beet, it is normal for the toothpick to come out slightly moist; the important thing is that the cake is nicely risen and with slightly more colored edges.
If the toothpick still comes out with raw batter attached, cover the cake with aluminum foil to prevent the surface from burning and leave it in the oven for another 5 minutes. Once ready, wait for it to cool completely before taking it out of the pan.
Serve dusted with powdered sugar, if desired.
Follow my Instagram profile by clicking HERE
NOTES
You can replace the grated lemon zest with the seeds from one vanilla pod.
If you wish, you can add unsweetened cocoa to the batter: simply replace 1/4 cup (about 30 g) of flour with 1/4 cup (about 30 g) of unsweetened cocoa powder and, if desired, enrich it further by adding 2/3 cup (about 100 g) of chocolate chips to the batter.
If you don’t have almond flour, you can easily make it by blending the same weight of peeled almonds in a food processor together with about 2 tbsp of granulated sugar (taken from the total sugar called for in the ingredients).
STORAGE
The Beetroot Cake stays soft and can be kept under a cake dome for up to 1 week. If the ambient temperature is very high, I recommend storing it in the refrigerator.
