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Vegan Chocolate Beet Cake

Published: February 11, 2020 | Last updated: February 11, 2020 Leave a Comment

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Vegan Chocolate Beet Cake is delicate, lightly sweetened, and delicious! It's a true one-bowl recipe and requires only a few minutes to mix together | imagelicious.com #vegancake #chocolatecake
Vegan Chocolate Beet Cake is delicate, lightly sweetened, and delicious! It's a true one-bowl recipe and requires only a few minutes to mix together | imagelicious.com #vegancake #chocolatecake
Vegan Chocolate Beet Cake is delicate, lightly sweetened, and delicious! It's a true one-bowl recipe and requires only a few minutes to mix together | imagelicious.com #vegancake #chocolatecake
Vegan Chocolate Beet Cake is delicate, lightly sweetened, and delicious! It's a true one-bowl recipe and requires only a few minutes to mix together | imagelicious.com #vegancake #chocolatecake

Vegan Chocolate Beet Cake is delicate, lightly sweetened, and delicious! It’s a true one-bowl recipe and requires only a few minutes to mix together. Perfect treat with a cup of tea.

Closeup of a slice of chocolate cake.

This post contains amazon affiliate links which means if you make a purchase after clicking one of those links, I will receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

I love making vegan cakes. They are usually done by substituting eggs, yogurt, or sour cream with some other ingredients that are similar in texture and play similar binding role in batters.

I often use applesauce or bananas in place of eggs and yogurt. In this recipe for Chocolate Beet Cake I use, well, you guessed it, beets!!

Don’t worry, you cannot taste the beets in the cake. Yet, the beet purée acts as a binding agent, basically like egg, and also adds moisture, instead of sour cream.

Chocolate and vanilla flavours overpower the strong beet taste and it totally disappears. No-one who tried this cake guessed that it had beets in it.

Chocolate Beet Cake is soft and a bit fudgy. It is lightly sweetened and is perfect in the morning with a cup of coffee. It is really easy to make and requires only one bowl to mix the batter. You can add a glaze and turn this simple cake into a rich and beautiful dessert.

All the ingredients to make Vegan Chocolate Beet Cake.

Ingredients to make Vegan Chocolate Beet Cake

  • Beet purée
  • Canola oil
  • Water
  • Brown sugar
  • Vanilla
  • Cocoa powder
  • Whole wheat flour
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Chocolate chips

Collage of process photos showing how batter for chocolate beet cake is mixed.

How to make Chocolate Beet Cake

Once you have Beet Purée prepared, it is a true one-bowl recipe. No need to mix wet and dry ingredients separately, no need to sift or use a mixer. All you need is just one bowl and one spoon!

  1. Mix all the wet ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Add the sugar and mix it in.
  3. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix just until the flour disappears. Important: do not overmix! 
  4. Pour into a prepared pan and bake.

Easy-peasy!

Chocolate Beet Cake Loaf.

Ingredients and variations for the Chocolate Beet Cake

  • Cake pan
    • I use my 12×4-inch loaf pan for most loaf cakes. I know it is not the most traditional size but I just love the longer and slimmer shape of it.
    • I think you should be able to use the traditional loaf pan but the baking time may need to be adjusted.
    • Make sure to oil it really well and then dust with cocoa powder on all the sides so that the cake doesn’t stick.

Batter in a pan.

  • Beet purée
    • I make Instant Pot Beets – they are super easy to make and take very little time.
    • If I don’t want to make my own beets, then I often buy already cooked beets. There are many different brands now that do that but this one is my favourite.
    • Once you have cooked beets, blend them in a small food processor until completely soft and luscious. You may need to add 1-2 teaspoons of water if the mixture doesn’t turn smooth.
  • Water
    • I like using sparkling water for lighter and softer cakes. I make mine with SodaStream.
    • You can use plain tap water also.
  • Vanilla
    • I am one of those rare people who actually don’t like vanilla too much. However, in this recipe it is essential as you need strong flavourings to mask the beet flavour.
    • I use this kind of vanilla extract paste.
    • I also very strongly recommend adding 1/2 teaspoon of Orange Oil – it is one of my favourite ingredients for baking cakes. I think it’s a must ingredient in the kitchen!
    • I also recently started using this Baking Extract and it’s delicious in this cake. Costs a fraction of vanilla extract.

Stack of a few slices of vegan chocolate beet cake.

 

  • Brown sugar
    • Regular brown sugar is not healthier or better for you than regular white sugar. In fact, it is white sugar mixed with molasses. However, brown sugar makes this Chocolate Beet Cake pretty moist, soft, and fudgy.
    • If you prefer cake that is less fudgy and crumbly, you can use half brown and half white sugar.
    • You can use all white sugar for less crumbly and more sturdy cake.
    • IMPORTANT: The cake is not very sweet. Feel free to increase the amount of sugar for sweeter cake.
  • Whole wheat flour
    • I rarely bake with whole wheat flour but I wanted the slight nuttiness of it and more flavour to counteract the beets.
    • I tried this cake with half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour also – the cake was a bit sturdier.
    • I haven’t tried making the cake with all white flour but I think it would work just fine also.
  • Chocolate chips
    • Chocolate chips are used to make this Chocolate Beet Cake sweeter and also a bit fudgier.
    • You can omit chocolate chips but I’d suggest increasing sugar a little bit.

More vegan cake recipes:

  • Vegan Gingerbread Cake
  • Vegan Banana Cake
  • Vegan Pumpkin Cake

Slice of vegan chocolate beet cake on a plate.

More beet recipes:

  • Beet Butterscotch Fudge
  • Pink easy and elegant Cinnamon Beet Pancakes
  • Savoury Chocolate Ravioli with Ricotta-Beet Filling
  • Easy and Healthy Cold Beet Soup
  • Instant Pot Borscht (vegan and gluten-free)
  • Instant Pot Beet Soup with Goat Cheese
  • Quick Refrigerator Pickled Beets
Closeup of a slice of chocolate cake.
Print Pin

Chocolate Beet Cake

Vegan Chocolate Beet Cake is delicate, lightly sweetened, and delicious! It's a true one-bowl recipe and requires only a few minutes to mix together. Perfect treat with a cup of tea.
makes 1 loaf cake in 12x4-inch pan
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword beets, cake, chocolate, vegan
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 14 servings
Calories 136kcal
Author Julia

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup beet puree (1/4 pound)
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 3/4 cup water (I like using sparkling water)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon orange oil (optional)
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • more cocoa powder for loaf pan

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to F375.
  • Oil the loaf pan really well, then add a little bit of cocoa powder and shake the pan to distribute the cocoa powder around the bottom of the pan and the sides. It'll prevent the cake from sticking to the pan.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the beet puree, oil, water, vanilla extract, and orange oil (if using).
  • Add the sugar and mix well.
  • Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until all the flour disappears.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60-75 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean or just with a few dry crumbs.
  • Cool and enjoy.

Video

Notes

This is not a very sweet cake. Feel free to increase the amount of sugar if you prefer sweeter cakes. Also, feel free to use all white or half white and half brown sugar for sturdier cake. Using all brown sugar makes the cake soft and delicate.
Start checking if the cake is baked through around 50 minutes. My oven takes usually longer to bake, so it is done after 75 minutes only but other ovens may have the cake done at around 60 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 136kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 92mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg
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Filed Under: Chocolate, Dessert, Recipe, Vegan Tagged With: Cake

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