Fancy Chocolate and...Beetroot Cake?

[Green_Gooseberry]

Found this recipe in a magazine but forgot to write it down, here is another version I found on the internet...

Ingredients
Feeds 6. Takes 1 hour plus cooling.

50g bitter cocoa powder
180g plain flour
1½tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
250g caster sugar
300g cooked fresh beetroot
3 eggs
200ml corn oil
1tsp vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4. Butter and flour an 18cm (7in) round or square cake tin.

Sift the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Mix in the sugar and set aside.

Purée the beetroot in a food processor. Add the eggs, one at a time, then add the corn oil and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour the beetroot mixture into the well. Lightly mix, using a rubber spatula, and pour into the prepared cake tin.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. It won't rise a great deal and the top may crack a bit. Allow to cool a little before removing from the tin, then leave to cool completely on a wire rack. To serve, dust the cake with icing sugar or bitter cocoa powder, and cut into generous slices.

[Green_Gooseberry]

[jennym]

This reminds me of something I saw on telly about tricks the food producers use to make cakes moist - beetroot was mentioned then too. Always fancied trying some sort of pudding with beetroot. Never got round to it.
Must say, although this recipe probably tastes ok, it strikes me that a cake made with so much oil in it (around 20% if my maths is on form) just doesn't seem right somehow. Funnily enough, I probably wouldn't have commented if butter had been shown instead of corn oil!

[ceres]

I've made this before and I didn't like it much.  It was heavy and oily.  I might try using beetroot in the chocolate marrow recipe or the courgette bread, without the marrow or courgettes of course! 

[gwynleg]

Yes I made this before and didnt like it much at all - not a satisfying chocolate cake!

[asbean]

Thanks for bringing up this post - I've just remembered I saw a bar of Lindt coffee intense in the cupboard  :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-* :-*

[Kea]

My carrot cake recipe is made with oil not butter and it's always nice.

[ceres]

Yes, I do recipes with oil that are very nice too but there is something not quite right with this one.

[Kea]

Maybe the pureed beetroot is the problem....why not raw grated beetroot like in a carrot cake.

[ceres]

Worth a try.  If I don't like it, the birds will get a treat!