When Demi saw someone cooking with Beetroot on TV, she was not going to give up until she had done it herself. “Mummy look! We have to make something with beetroot, it’s such a fabulous colour! How can we not bake a hot pink cake?!”
So we bought a beetroot during our last market visit, and when Louis was napping and the other boys went out, we went straight to the kitchen to make our pink cake.
Now, beetroot and I aren’t really friends. They’re just such an earthy vegetable I really struggle to get the idea of dirt out of my head while I’m eating them. So far I had been unsuccessful. Until this cake. I let Demi take the reigns so it probably had something to do with the extra honey and vanilla she snuck in, but I can now say I’ve eaten beetroot and enjoyed it. All three kids indulged in more than their fare share during movie night and Demi went so far as to ask for it for breakfast one morning. I obliged, no harm in sneaking in an additional serving of veg first thing.
Moist, fluffy and sweet without being too sweet, this cake is perfect if you’re looking to up your vegetable intake, or sneak them in to your kids. And if you have a look at the batter, you’ll see why this cake is every little girl’s dream!
Beetroot Vanilla Cake
Ingredients
1 beetroot, peeled, steamed and pureed
2 cups of wholemeal self raising flour
2 tsp of baking powder
2 tsp of vanilla extract
1/4 of a cup of honey
1/2 a cup of unsalted melted butter
2 eggs
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°c.
2. Peel and roughly chop the beetroot and steam it for about 15 minutes, or until it is tender.
3. Add it to a bamix or blender and puree it until it is smooth.
4. In a large mixing bowl, add all the ingredients, stirring thoroughly with a rubber spatula until the batter becomes pink and it is mixed together smoothly.
5. Grease and line a round 22cm cake tin and pour the mixture in, smoothing the top of the cake with the spatula so it is even.
6. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until the cake has risen and firm to the touch, with a toothpick inserted into the centre coming out clean. (Demi insisted on an upside down photo to to show you all her Elsa cake tin).
7. Cool on a wire rack, and serve warm.
If you can get a kid to smile like that when presented a vegetable cake you know you’re on to a winner. This is worth a try just to see that beautiful beetroot cake batter colour in person. We hope you enjoy this cake as much as we have here.
Nutrition facts based on one piece of cake.
