CSA Produce: Beets, EggsServes 8
Ingredients:
85g dark chocolate
3 medium eggs
300g sugar
240ml sunflower or vegetable oil
300g cooked beets
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
30g cocoa powder
200g flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
for the chocolate ganache
250g dark chocolate, broken into pieces
250ml heavy cream
Directions:
To cook the beets, peel about 3-4 large beets. Chop them into chunks. Place in a pan with just enough water to cover them. Put a lid on the pan, and simmer till the beets are fork tender. Add more water while cooking if needed. But make sure you cook away all the water, you don't want the cooked beets to be watery. Then place the cooked beetroot in a blender and puree. Weigh the amount of beets needed, and proceed with the recipe below.
Pre-heat oven to 350 f.
Melt the chocolate (for the cake) over a double boiler. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and oil. Slowly add the cooked beet puree , the melted chocolate and vanilla into the egg mixture. Beat just until combined.
Sift the cocoa, flour, baking soda and salt. Add this to the beet batter. Fold just untill everything is combined. Dont over work or over mix the batter.
Spread a teaspoon of butter or oil over the surface of a 10 inch cake pan. Sprinkle some flour all over, and tap out the excess. Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake tin. Bake for about 30 minutes, or till a tooth pick or skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Baking time may vary depending on the pan and oven you are using.
While the cake is baking, work on the ganache frosting. Place the chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream in a sauce pan, just till it starts to barely boil. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and whisk till it forms a smooth sauce.
When the cake is done, cool it on a wire rack. Then pour the chocolate ganache over while the ganache is still warm. Let the ganache topping cool and set a little before serving.
* I made this for a friends birthday and after everyone told me how great it was...I told them there were beets in it. It is a must try, great for getting your kids or any fussy eaters to eat beets.