This dark chocolate beet cake has a moist and tender crumb – no one will suspect that beets are hidden inside! No hand or stand mixer required, and pairs well with lots of different frostings. Try my double chocolate layer cake next.
Don’t hate me for this, but I’m hiding vegetables in baked goods again. HEY – I never promised you people I wouldn’t do weird crap. In fact, at this point I think it’s more of a promise that it is inevitable that I’m going to do weird crap.
But it’s different this time, I swear! It’s not zucchini or avocados – nothing green.
This time around it’s a veggie that tends to be very polarizing, is much loved by Dwight Schrute, and leaves your hands and kitchen looking like you may have brutally murdered someone a short time ago.
Beets! Or if you’re outside the US, you may know them as beetroots. Personally, I love beets. I love a good beet salad with some arugula, a little feta and maybe a handful of walnuts. Mmmmm.
I recently started experimenting with beets in baked goods so that I could utilize their natural red coloring for vibrant, red velvety desserts that are low in fat and sugar.
So far I haven’t found the perfect way to make that happen that doesn’t load it up with all the usual suspects of butter, sugar, dairy, etc., but I’m still working on it.
Why this chocolate beet cake is so great
This delicious, moist, tender dark chocolate cake incorporates beets in such a way that even the most discerning mouths won’t be able to detect it.
It’s rich without being heavy. It’ll satisfy a sweet tooth without being overly sweet.
You may think to yourself, “omg you want me to grate a bunch of dirt vegetables and ruin a perfectly good chocolate cake?!” If that sounds like you, HUSH.
I would never purposely instruct you to ruin a perfectly good chocolate cake because I’M NOT AN ANIMAL.
Beets are your friends
The grated beets meld into the rest of the batter as it bakes and there is no physical evidence that they existed once it’s cooled (just hide your beet-stained paper towels and you’re in the clear). Just taste it.
I promise you you’re not going to feel like you’re eating a vegetable – you’re going to feel like you’re eating a rich, chocolate cake that is just dying to be frosted and consumed by the nearest living human.
They lend this wonderful moisture to the batter that isn’t heavy, isn’t oily, and packs in some Vitamin C, iron and potassium.
Can you taste the beets?
I will be completely transparent here: if you store this cake (tightly wrapped) in the fridge, the flavors will develop more and you might (MIGHT) detect the oh-so-slightest hint of earthiness.
But I swear the only reason I noticed it was because I was looking for it – you’ll have to try pretty hard and know what you’re looking for.
If you just served this to someone with the pretense of “Have some chocolate cake!” I can’t imagine that any of those people will come back to you with horrified looks on their faces, screaming “BEEEEEETS! BEEEEEEEEEETS!” as they run screaming out of the building.
So when people ask what kind of cake it is, you don’t have to say it’s a “chocolate beet cake” – just tell them it’s chocolate cake and leave it at that. No one has to know. Just don’t be suspicious about it, okay?
How to get rid of beet stains
I’ll admit, this part kinda sucks. Even if you wear disposable gloves while you’re prepping and grating the beets, that damn beet juice finds its way to your skin.
And I get the sense that this isn’t a fashion trend too many people are going to jump on board with.
There is a super simple solution to this problem, and its name is baking soda. You’re already gonna have it out as one of the ingredients for this recipe, so just make sure you have enough to scrub the evidence stains off of your hands.
Pour the baking soda onto your skin, add a little bit of water and rub. Mine always come off completely the first time around, but feel free to do it again if the stains are lingering (as long as your skin can tolerate the exfoliation).
If you have a darker complexion where it’s not as noticeable, two things:
- I’m super jealous.
- Clean your hands this way anyway. It’s most likely there, you just can’t see it! And I’d hate for you to ruin a white dishtowel or touch your couch and add a stain that you’ll have to explain isn’t blood for the rest of your time with said couch.
Ingredients for chocolate beet cake
- Beets, cooked and cooled (see how to prep them here)
- Unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- Olive oil
- Light or dark brown sugar
- Granulated sugar
- Maple syrup or honey
- Eggs
- Pure vanilla extract
- Cake flour (don’t panic if you don’t have any – make your own cake flour!)
- Unsweetened cocoa powder
- Baking soda
- Salt
How to make chocolate beet cake
- Grate the beets until you have about 2 cups. Place a colander inside a large mixing bowl, and pour grated beets into the colander. Let them naturally drain of any excess moisture – don’t wring them out or use paper towels to sop up liquid! You want them to retain a moderate amount of moisture.
- Preheat the oven to 350F and spray two 9″ round cake pans with nonstick spray and dust them lightly with cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.
- Slowly add dry ingredient mixture to wet ingredient mixture and stir to combine.
- Add beets and stir to combine.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pans and use a spatula to even out the top if needed.
- Bake each cake layer for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Let cool in pan for 15-30 minutes, invert the cake pan onto a wire rack and let the cake cool completely.
- Frost as desired, slice and enjoy!
What kind of frosting should I use on a beet cake?
You can top it with whatever frosting makes your heart sing:
- chocolate ganache
- milk chocolate
- cannoli frosting
- cookie butter frosting
- vanilla
- blackberry buttercream
- classic buttercream
- mascarpone whipped cream
- cream cheese
Or just leave it naked! Top it with a light, delicate dusting of powdered sugar and call it a day.
I like it just fine by itself without any additions, so this isn’t one of those cakes that has to be paired a frosting to strike the right balance.
For these photos, I just showed you a single layer with some milk chocolate frosting because I wanted to focus more of the cake, the tender crumb, and the beautiful brown color that a good chocolate cake should be.
Get outta here, blackout cakes (no wait, come back – I’m sorry I still love you too).
But also because I only had a small amount of frosting on hand from another recipe and I didn’t want to wait any longer to share this recipe with you all. Patience is not a thing that I have, guys.
It’s a miracle that I’m able to wait for things to come out of the oven, TBH.
Can I make this a layer cake?
Yes! The recipe below will produce two 9″ round cakes so that you can make a beautiful layer cake, but if you only want one layer like these pictures, just slash the recipe in half!
Or if you only had enough ingredients for one layer, but still wanted a layer cake, you should cut the round in half and have a half-moon cake. And then you could decorate it with a little fondant astronaut and flag on top and the cut side could look like cheese!
As always, I never promised you genius.. just a whole buncha weird.
More hidden veggie desserts!
- Paleo Zucchini Chocolate Cake by The Healthy Foodie
- Paleo Chocolate Avocado Pudding
- Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes with Cookie Butter Frosting
- Dark Chocolate Avocado Super Fudgy Cookies
- Chocolate Beetroot Doughnuts by Vegan Insanity
- Chocolate Avocado Cupcakes with Cookie Dough Frosting
Description
Ingredients
- 2 cups beets, cooked and cooled (see how to prep them here)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ½ cup olive oil*
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup maple syrup or honey
- 3 medium eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups cake flour**
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- Pinch salt
Instructions
- Grate the beets until you have about 2 cups (not packed tightly together). Place a colander inside a large mixing bowl, and pour grated beets into the colander. Let them naturally drain of any excess moisture – don’t wring them out or use paper towels to sop up liquid! You want them to retain a moderate amount of moisture.2 cups beets
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray two 9″ round cake pans with nonstick spray and dust them lightly with cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the butter, oil, sugars, and maple syrup/honey until thoroughly combined.1/2 cup unsalted butter1/2 cup olive oil*1/2 cup brown sugar1/2 cup granulated sugar1/2 cup maple syrup or honey
- Add eggs and vanilla and stir to combine.3 medium eggs1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.2 cups cake flour**3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder2 teaspoons baking sodaPinch salt
- Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir to combine.
- Add beets and stir to combine.
- Pour batter into prepared cake pans and use a spatula to even out the top if needed.
- Bake each cake (one at a time) for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cool in pan for 15-30 minutes, or until you feel comfortable touching the pan without oven mitts. Run a knife or thin spatula around the edges to loosen the cake from the pan, then carefully invert the cake pan onto a wire rack and let the cake cool completely.
- Use a serrated knife to slice a thin later off the top of each cake so that they’re flat and ready to be stacked.
- Place the first cake layer on your serving platter/cake stand and cover with your frosting of choice. Top with the second cake later and frost that as well. If you want you can cover the sides of the cake as well, or just leave them naked!
- Decorate as desired, slice and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is generated by an automatic API and does not take variations across specific brands into account. This information is provided as a general guideline and should not be treated as official calculations. Learn more here.
Susie Homemaker
My mom had a recipe for a chocolate red beet cake when I was a kid. The red beets were chopped small so the cake texture seemed like there were chocolate chips in it– just that little bit of soft resistance. It was soooooo good!!
This coming from a kid who wouldn’t touch a plant-food except corn until she was 15 years old!
Can’t wait to try this!
P.s. some people are squeamish about Olive oil– it’s the best in all my baked goods!
P.p.s. Organic beets are the only way to go! HUUUUGE DIFFERENCE in flavor!!
Leslie Kiszka
I hope you love it!
Jennifer
I’m a little confused. Should I cook and then grate beets? Can I puree them?
Leslie Kiszka
Hi Jennifer, happy to help clarify: As noted in the recipe card, you want “2 cups beets, cooked and cooled” (and I’ve included a link that gives directions on how to cook beets if you need it).
The first step in the recipe card is to then:
You wouldn’t want to puree them as that will provide a different density and texture than what we’re looking for in this recipe.
Hope this helps!
Anita
So how many pounds of beets do you need for this recipe
Leslie Kiszka
Hi Anita – the recipe calls for 2 cups of grated beets. I don’t use pounds for measurements for that, but to give you an idea it would be less than 1 pound’s worth.
Natasha
Flavour was great. I was a bit skeptical about using olive oil, but I read up on it and tried it here for the first time. It worked. My only issue was the texture of the grated beets. I baked them in foil, oil, and salt, just as instructed, then peeled and grated them. And we could really feel them! Chewing the cake felt like eating beet salad and chocolate cake in the same bite. It was weird. I would definitely purée the beets next time (as I’ve done for other beet brownies).
Leslie Kiszka
Hmm, that’s never happened to me before! I wonder if maybe the beets needed a bit longer in the oven? I’d imagine maybe if they were undercooked, they’d have a tougher time dissolving in the batter (pun not intended). I’m sorry to hear this happened for you.
Gladice Hawkins
Can you use applesauce instead of oil and use a sugar substitute how would you redo the recipe to get these ingredients in place of the other ingredients.
Thank You
Gladice
Bee
Will it freeze? I want to use some beets now but want to save the cake for Christmas.
Leslie Kiszka
Great question! I haven’t tried it specifically with this cake recipe, but this general method of freezing the cake before it’s frosted should work:
Let the baked cake cool completely. Then, wrap it with a couple layers of plastic wrap or Press and Seal wrap, followed by a layer or two of aluminum foil. Then place it in a freezer-safe container and keep it in the freezer until the day before you want to frost and serve it.
Transfer the cake from the freezer to the fridge and let thaw slowly (about 8 hours or so). You can also let it thaw at room temperature – but either way, make sure you keep it wrapped up tight to avoid condensation forming.
Then you can make the frosting, frost the cake, and serve. Good luck and Happy Holidays!
Amoreena Guerrero
The cake turned out perfect! I struggled a bit making it but in the end it was worth the uncertainty. I didn’t have enough beets so I used zucchini to get enough veggies. It totally worked. delicious!
Leslie Kiszka
I’m so glad you liked it!
Malathi Srinivasan
This looks super delicious. Can I skip the maple/honey? Am guessing the beets would also add to the sweetness. Would I need to substitute any other liquid for moisture?
Leslie Kiszka
I don’t recommend skipping the honey, as it does provide the moisture and additional sweetener needed to balance things out. Otherwise, it’s a bit dull and too “earthy” :)
Karolina
This was so good! Made it with my kids who loved it. We steamed the beets in the instant pot for 30 minutes to get them soft and the only change was coconut oil instead. Thank you so much!
Leslie Kiszka
Yum! I’m so glad you liked it.
Alison
I don’t have cake flour. Can I use all purpose flour in its place?
Leslie Kiszka
You sure can! You can make your own cake flour by measuring out 1 cup all-purpose flour, removing 2 Tablespoons, then adding 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch and sifting it together twice. Check out my post on all things flour, as I have all sorts of information about the different kinds, what can be substituted for what, and ways to make your own types of flours as well: https://stressbaking.com/flour-101/
Dawn Conklin
My family is funny with things they don’t like. One of the kids will always try things (tho she likes beets so all is good) and the other will sometimes try new ways with things she doesn’t normally like. If she likes it, then yes she will eat it again but just don’t talk about it being in there haha! Now I am the only adult in the house who likes beets. He will try things in a new way sometimes – key word here is sometimes. Like the cake, I couldn’t tell him ahead of time there were beets in it. As a matter of fact, only the kids know now – shhh :)
Who knew that beets in a cake would be so good?
Leslie Kiszka
Haha, kids are funny like that!
Deseree
You have combined ingredients to make this delicious cake that I would have never thought of to do. Great job and I will have to whip this up soon.
Amanda Mason
I’ve heard that using beets in baked good is really yummy and no one will know! I’m so going to try this! And I loved the tip of getting the beets off your hands!!
Karen Roy
Can u use diced canned beets?
Leslie Kiszka
Sure! I would just recommend patting them dry with paper towels to get rid of excess moisture.
Kiki Johnson
First off – this cake looks insanely delicious! So moist and chocolatey and the berries are the perfect addition! And then that neat little trick with the baking soda – THANK YOU – this is actually super helpful. I have had my share of beetroot hand and am not loving it!
Monica
So delicious! This might be the only way I’d ever (personally) choose to eat beets, haha! But fortunately I could eat A LOT of them this way! And I love the idea of adding a bit of espresso!
Natalie
Oh wow. Beet in a chocolate cake?! I just must give this cake a try ASAP. It looks so flavorful and so moist. So perfect for weekends. My hubby will flip when I make him this!
Kylie | Midwest Foodie
I can only imagine the earthy flavor and moisture that beets would give to this decadent chocolate cake! Looks like a great recipe – will be pinning for later!!
Analida Braeger
Yummy. A flourless cake that looks ooey, gooey, and decadent . I love beets and never thought they coul be used in desserts. Thanks for sharing!
Michele
@Analida Braeger, NOT flourless. Takes 2 cups cake flour! I was just looking to see if anyone tried gluten-free.
Denise
I love beets, I love chocolate cake… its sounds like a win to me! I love this idea!
Gloria
I have never used beets in a sweet recipe. Maybe it is the Ukrainian in me LOL. This cake looks so delicious. I just might have to experiment in the kitchen and give this a try.
Anna
Beets are such great veggies! So versatile and healthy! And it’s such a great idea to use them in a cake, I’ve made similar cake with beets in the past and it was soooo delicious! The texture looks like a million bucks, I would love a slice now!
Elaine Benoit
I love putting veggies in baked goods! I adore beets and wouldn’t even mind the earthiness that might appear after the first day! Bring it on! This chocolate cake looks so delicious and moist!
Sherri
I’m all for hiding veggies in recipes! Love this idea of adding beets to chocolate cake…even if it does leave your hands tainted…lol ;) Looks super decadent! :)