Home

Sweet Beetroot Cake

17/11/2023

Beetroot cake is an unusual dessert that surprises with its vivid color and delicate flavor. The presence of beetroot adds moisture to the cake, making it incredibly soft. Here is a version that marries the earthy flavor of beetroots with some sweet and spicy notes typical of Italian tradition.

Ingredients

  • 250 g of cooked and pureed beetroots
  • 200 g of granulated sugar
  • 100 ml of seed oil
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 250 g of all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon of grated nutmeg
  • 50 g of chopped walnuts (optional)
  • Icing sugar for decorating (optional)

Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease and flour a 23 cm diameter round cake tin.
  2. In a large bowl, combine the pureed beetroots, sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Mix well until you have a homogeneous mixture.
  3. In another bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
  4. Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the beetroot mixture, stirring with a spatula or a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth and without lumps.
  5. If desired, add the chopped walnuts to the batter and stir until evenly distributed.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and level it with the back of a spoon.
  7. Bake for about 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  8. Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to complete cooling.
  9. Once cooled, if desired, dust the surface with icing sugar.

Curiosity

Beetroot cake is an excellent base for experiments: some modern pastry chefs garnish it with chocolate ganache or flavored buttercream, to create an even more pronounced contrast of flavors. Moreover, in Italian culinary tradition, the use of vegetables in sweet cakes is not as common as in other cultures, but this dessert represents a pleasant meeting point between different tastes and traditions.