I adapted this recipe from Elana’s Pantry blog but I adjusted it to skip the agave and grapeseed oil both of which we avoid to only use real food ingredients. This is a fairly easy grain free cake recipe that also includes beets which are in abundance pretty often here in Central Texas. It is dense like a flour-less chocolate torte should be and it has an earthiness sweetness from the beets and the honey.
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups grated beets (I grated in the food processor using the grater attachment)
- 1 cup raw honey
- 4 pastured eggs
- ½ cup coconut oil or grass fed butter (melted) or ghee – where to buy quality fats
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup cacao powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt – where to buy salt
Directions:
- In a medium saucepan, heat the beets and honey to a boil, then cover
- Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, until beets are soft
- Transfer beet-honey mixture to a food processor and puree until smooth
- Blend in eggs, coconut oil, vanilla, almond extract, cacao and salt until thoroughly incorporated
- Pour batter into a well greased 9-inch cake or tart pan
- Bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean
- Cool and serve
Photo credit: thepinkpeppercorn, on flickr
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I love that this is grain-free and nut-free. I have an abundance of beets from my garden! It is baking in the oven right now.
So glad you wanted to try the recipe! Let us all know how it turns out!
How it turn out?
The flavor was terrific, however, I doubled the recipe (there are 6 of us) and had a brain lapse when I measured the butter. Put in twice as much needed so, it was a custard consistancy. I will definitely make it again. I cannot handle any kind of flour so recipes like this are much appreciated!
Oh, I forgot to say that it was all gone in less than 24 hours, so the family didn’t mind my mistake at all!
keep calm and carry on! 🙂
That is too funny – I once forgot to add the coconut oil and I had to pour the batter back into the mixing bowl and add it and then put it back in the cake pan – that wasn’t fun either! Glad you liked it anyway!
I made this tonight and it was good. Even my kids gobbled it down! It is VERY sweet. I think next time I would try using less honey maybe 1/2-2/3 cup instead of 1 cup. Also, mine had the consistency of an under-cooked brownie. Yours looks much more cake-like in the picture. I cooked it for 35 mins and did the knife test and it came out clean. I think next time I would keep cooking it. I would definitely try it again!
I hear you – I have made this about 5 times now and it tastes sweeter sometimes vs. others – it must be the difference in the beets! Also–I have had to cook longer before too…but not always. I think I will update the recipe to a time range! Thank you for your feedback and happy eating!
Why do you think grapeseed oil is not "real" food? Just curious.
I want to avoid too many PUFAs (polyunsatured fatty acids) in vegetable oils. Too many omega-6s. Also-heating vegetable oils makes them unstable so read: free radicals. I just use coconut oil or animal fats at high temps or baking. Olive oil for salads. Here is a great post by Butter Believer answering ‘what is PUFA?‘
I'm also curious. I prefer honey over agave but I use both. I thought agave and grapeseed were both good?
Check out this post re: agave: http://www.foodrenegade.com/agave-nectar-good-or-bad/
As for grapeseed oil – vegetable oils are very fragile and when heated they get damaged which releases free radicals…
Ordinarily I don’t like beets, however I think I could eat them this way. 🙂 Love that it is grain free!
Big hit, Lindsey – kids loved it and my husband counted it as “vegetable” – it was gone in 1 day and I don’t like chocolate (I tasted it and thought it was good for a non-chocolate person 🙂
Are the beets supposed to be raw or cooked at the start?
Raw and then you cook them with the honey.
Do you peel them first?
Yes!
In step 1 of the directions, do you add water with the grated beets and honey?
I would say no….sort of like cooking fruit to make jam…the water content of the fruit will come out as you cook it. Let me know how this comes out!
Nope – no water – just the honey and the beets
So I made the cake and it came out creamy but manageable after placing in the refrigerator…I plan on experimenting by making this a few more times. Tastes sweet and I personally liked it a lot…..
Making this right now… Looks BEAUTIFUL! Thanks for sharing this recipe with us 🙂
Let me know how it turns out!
What a lovely idea! I have only recently discovered beets and how to use them. Can't wait to try this.
Mine came out OK- but not as cakey looking as yours! I used coconut oil, and it tasted a bit coconutty, which was alright, but it turned out flatter and more like a brownie. I couldn't cook it any longer as it was getting brown on the edges- hmmm……. what should I do different?
Sounds like it turned out great to me! Did it taste good? That is the most important part!
Lindsey,
We will just love this cake! Thank you so much for sharing your awesome recipe with Full Plate Thursday. Hope you have a great weekend and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Can white chocolate be used?
I’m going to make this, for sure… but why use good ‘raw’ honey if you are going to just cook it? I have organic maple sugar, dehydrated – thinking this would be tasty, but it might change the proportion of dry/wet … thoughts?
I think that would make it too dry. Don’t worry about the raw/cooking thing. The product is better (ie not processed to death) and it is ok to cook it. Remember sometimes it is about flavor not just enzymes and such. I am sure you get plenty of raw honey through other recipes.
Oh wow, this is sooooo good!
I used half honey/half stevia and coconut oil. Using a blender for mixing gets a nice cakey consistency. Will try butter and cinnamon next time.
I had people guess the “secret” ingredient. You should have seen their faces when they realized that their amazing flourless chocolate cake was made from beets! Sneaky 🙂
I am allergic to honey and going sugarfree– now what are the other options for sweetening this beautiful cake?
I haven’t tested this any other way. Maybe you can experiment and report back here what you think works?
I wish it was sugar free, do you think it would be okay to omit the honey and use stevia or will that change the consistency too much. I have a serious disease fed by all sugars (even the natural ones like honey). Thank you!
Why don’t you try it and report back? I have never tried that – this is why I do not post substitutions. I only post what I have made.
Hi! What if I already have beets roasted and pureed? Could I skip steps 1-3 and have it turn out okay? Thanks for your help!
I don’t think it would have the same flavor. Roasting would develop a different flavor than boiling in the honey. I would recommend waiting to try it another time.
I would agree not to use raw honey. I don’t cook honey.. but, I would try maple syrup instead. this looks amazing!
What if you are out of cacao powder? what can I use instead?
To Lee-Ann, use carob powder if you don’t have cacao… I just made it this weekend and used over half carob for the same reason! It turned out great.
Also, I just used raw, pureed beets – did not cook them first. I had to bake longer, 40 min. The consistency was crazy good – a crispy top layer and the bottom is more wet (think tres leches). Good at room temp, even better cold.
Thanks for another great recipe, Lindsey!
I can’t wait to make this! I have TONS of beets! What do you grease the pan with? Do you use the coconut oil?
Is there a secret to baking this cake? I made up the batter, per the directions, poured it in to a well greased 9 inch round pan, ended up baking it for an hour because it took a while for it to settle. When I went to put it on a tray to cool, only half of it came out, and even if I could get the whole thing out, it’s less than an inch high. Not sure what I did wrong, but I’m bummed because I love beets and I love chocolate, and was looking forward to making this for a get together I’m going to tonight
I make mine in a tart pan so I have not tried to pop it out. It isn’t as firm as a cake made with flour – it is a flourless cake, after all. Sorry it wasn’t what you expected. I hope it tasted good! You could cut it up into brownie type squares/triangles?
I am confused by your comment that agave and grapeseed oil are not “real food” ingredients…?
I was so looking forward to trying this, unfortunately for us it was a flop. The consistency as others have mentioned was much like an under done brownie and my brood could totally taste the beets, which was rather off putting along with chocolate.