Beetroot chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream
This beetroot chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream is rich, very chocolatey and so delicious you wouldn’t know there was beetroot in the mix. It’s a great ingredient to use in a chocolate cake where it delivers texture and moisture without altering the flavour. To make it even easier I cooked the beetroot from frozen using McCain frozen beetroot so this fast tracks the process very nicely.
This beetroot chocolate cake recipe is the one I developed for the Food24 Made with McCain Family Cookbook Campaign, which launches today.
This cake can be made in a loaf tin (23cm x 13 x 8cm loaf tin (aprox 1.5 litre capacity), or a medium bundt cake tin with a similar (or bigger) capacity. Adjust the baking time down to an hour for a bundt tin and spray the tin very generously with baking spray. As oven temperatures vary, start checking the cake for about 1 hour.
Ingredients to make beetroot chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream
Cake:
- McCain frozen beetroot
- Good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
- free-range eggs, separated
- Brown sugar (muscovado or demerara)
- Sunflower oil
- Vanilla extract
- Almond flour
- Flour (cake or all-purpose)
- Cocoa powder
- Baking powder
Recipe: Make 1 large loaf or a medium bundt cake
Beetroot chocolate cake with a fluffy chocolate buttercream frosting recipe
Ingredients
Cake:
- 300 grams McCain frozen beetroot
- 200 grams good quality dark chocolate with 70% cocoa solids
- 3 free-range eggs separated
- 200 grams brown sugar muscovado or demerara
- 165 ml sunflower oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 100 grams almond flour
- 150 grams flour
- 1 Tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking powder
Chocolate buttercream icing:
- 80 grams 70% chocolate melted and then cooled
- 170 grams butter
- 125 grams icing sugar
- 40 grams cocoa powder
- 1 Tbs very strong coffee or espresso
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- Chocolate shavings or walnuts to decorate
- Beetroot powder to sprinkle optional
Instructions
- Place the frozen beetroot into a microwave container with ½ cup of water and cook on high for 8 minutes. Drain and allow to cool.
- Heat the chocolate in a bowl of a double boiler and then allow to cool.
- Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F
- Process the beetroot in a food processor with the sunflower oil until a smooth consistency (there might still be a few very small chunks), about 3 – 4 minutes.
- Separate the eggs and using an electric mixer, whip the whites until stiff peaks. Remove from the bowl and set aside.
- In the same mixing bowl, add the egg yolks, sugars, beetroot and oil mixture, vanilla, salt, chocolate and almond flour and mix until well combined for about a minute.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and add them to the wet batter and briefly mix until incorporated.
- By hand, gently fold through the whisked egg whites.
- Line a 23cm x 13 x 8cm loaf tin (approx 1.5litre capacity) with baking paper. You could also make a layered cake and divide the batter between 2 lined 18cm cake tins (adjust the baking time down accordingly) or one bundt cake (just grease this vs lining with paper).
- Decant the batter into the loaf tin and bake for 1 hour and 10 – 20 minutes and until a sharp knife comes out clean when inserted into the cake. Loosely cover with tin foil to prevent over-browning if necessary. * note that if you make this in a bundt tin or in 2 layers the baking time will need to be adjusted to around 1 hour.
- Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing to cool completely
- Make the icing sugar by melting the chocolate in a double boiler and then allowing it to cool to room temperature.
- Whip all the other ingredients together for a few minutes until fluffy. Ice the cake and then decorate the cake with chocolate shavings or walnuts.
Notes
Storage Instructions
Room Temperature:- If unfrosted, store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.
- If frosted, store in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight for 1 day, but refrigerate if the weather is warm.
- Store the frosted cake in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Bring to room temperature before serving for the best texture and flavor.
- Unfrosted cake: Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using.
- Frosted cake: Not ideal for freezing as buttercream may lose texture, but if necessary, freeze in slices wrapped individually. Thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
- If needed, warm individual slices in the microwave for 10–15 seconds for a softer texture.
A few more chocolate cake recipes & desserts you might like
The best chocolate cake by Ina Garten
Red wine chocolate cake with fudgy chocolate frosting
The best chocolate malva pudding
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I make a beetroot chocolate loaf many times, but the frosting is a great idea! Looks delicious and a great way to hide fiber, too. I’ve never heard of beetroot powder. What does that taste like?
Hi Sam, I would like to bake your beetroot chocolate cake. I live in Spain and Mc Cain frozen beetroot does not exist here. Even raw beet is not very comun here, but cooked beetroots are very comun. Do you think the 300 grams froozen beetroot can be replaced by 300 grams cooked beetroot?
Hi, yes cooked beetroot would work well too just the cooked weight would be a bit less as beetroot loses moisture during cooking. So perhaps around 250gms? you can always add a little milk if the batter is too thick. Beetroot powder is literally dehydrated beetroot ground up so it tastes like beetroot and used as a garncih.