Beetroot cake conundrum

[Tweejakkals]

Hi there
Lesley Jay, thank you for your welcome in the previous thread; just love the sense of humour that pervades the comments posted
And now to what brought me here per kind favour of Google....
How do I get my beetroot cake to look like actually has beetroot in it...ergo beetroot coloured???

[Hazel at the Hill]

Would love the recipe of the beetroot cake, TJ! Have no idea why it's not beetroot coloured, but I do know that the colour can bleed out of beetroot when they are boiled if you've pierced the skin.

Wellie will be on later - I bet she knows!

BTW, welcome to the vine - look forward to hearing all about what you grow in SA!

[Lesley Jay]

Post the recipe Tweejakkals! Go on - share it with all us mad people!!

[Lesley Jay]

There is this one originally posted by Sue.



So another Beetroot cake recipe, I found this on the Riverford website and it turned out beautifully. One of the few I could find that used raw beetroot.
250g self-raising flour sieved
2tsp baking powder
150g soft brown sugar
100g sultanas
200g beetroot peeled and grated (about two medium sized)
150ml vegetable or sunflower oil
2 medium sized eggs beaten
Preheat oven to 180C, 350F or Gas Mark 4
Grease and line an 8" loose based cake tin (I used a 2lb loaf tin for ease of cutting, worked just as well)
Mix together the flour, baking powder and soft brown sugar in a large bowl
Add the sultanas and grated beetroot
Beat the oil and the eggs together and add to the bowl
Combine with either a wooden spoon or electric mixer (found I needed the mixer as the beetroot tends to stick together)
Spoon the mixture into the tin and bake for 1-1 1/4 hours.

This rose beautifully and tastes delicious, the cake flecked with red so looks very pretty too. Might add some spice when I make another one - I have another 8 beetroot left to play with!
best wishes
Sue

[Tweejakkals]

Hey there Hazel!
what I have found is that some recipes cook them others use them raw - as mine does - much like a carrot cake. The lack of colour never bothered me until I saw a picture of one that was as "purple" as a chocolate cake is "brown" hence my quest!
As to what I grow here.....um ja...I'm ashamed to say that a meagre herb garden and a tray of sprouting vegetable seeds is all that occupies the 20 hectares on which I live...for now

[Hazel at the Hill]

That sounds lovely, LJ - I wish I had some beetroot now. Will print off the recipe for when I do!

[Tweejakkals]

I'll happily post it but it is really disappointing. What I would rather post is my parsnip cake recipe given that parsnips in your part of the world are more abundant than they are here

[Hazel at the Hill]

.... The lack of colour never bothered me until I saw a picture of one that was as "purple" as a chocolate cake is "brown" hence my quest!

Bet the picture had been doctored!

As to what I grow here.....um ja...I'm ashamed to say that a meagre herb garden and a tray of sprouting vegetable seeds is all that occupies the 20 hectares on which I live...for now

Well, if you're looking for inspiration - you've come to the right place!

[Earthbabe]

Ooo yes please tweejakkals. That sounds like it should be fab.

[Lesley Jay]

Right then Tweejakkals - we are all waiting for a Parsnip Cake recipe. Please!

[Tweejakkals]

okay (at last) here it is

INGREDIENTS
1 cup castor sugar
1 & 1/4 cups vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla essence
3 large eggs
1/4 cup crushed pineapple
4 cups grated parsnip
1 & 1/3 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup currants
2 tblsp ground cinnamon
METHOD:
1- preheat oven to 160 C Grease a 20cm springform cake tin
2 - whisk sugar, oil, vanilla together. Add eggs one at a time, beating mixture until it is creamy. Stir in Pineapple
3 - Place grated parsnip, flour, salt, baking soda, currants and cinnamon in a large bowl. Pour in the wet mixture, stir to combine.
4- Bake for 1 & 1/2 hours or until skewer comes out clean. Once cold ice with lemon cream cheese icing.

LEMON CREAM CHEESE ICING
Beat the following together until creamy and spread over cake
1 cup cream cheese
50g butter, melted
1/2 cup caster sugar
grated rind and juice of one lemon


Enjoy!!

[Dobby]

The beetroot cake sounds realy nice think i will be makeing it when i get some beetroot Mrs D doesnt like beetroot but has only ever had the pickeld tipe. She doest know whot she is missing
Ill make and not tell her whats in it

[lyndap]

Both beetroot and parsnip cake sound nice.Will give them a go.One way of getting veggies into little kids and teenagers is to hid veg in cake.They all stuffed choc cougette cake last year,but wont eat the veg!

[Sue]

Hi
What about Potato Cake!

Found this one in Prue Leith's Vegetarian Cookbook

Ginger and Lemon Cake
170g butter
170g soft dark brown sugar
3 eggs beaten
170g self-raising flour
2 tsps ground ginger
2 tsps ground cinamon
110g grated potato

for the icing
170g icing sugar, sifted
2tbsps lemon juice
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180C/350F
Grease a 1lb laf tin and line the base with greased greaseproof paper

Cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs gradually, beating well between each addition.
Add a little of the flour if necessary to prevent the mixture from curdling

Sift the flour and spices together on to the mixture and fold in, using a large metal spoon. Fold in the grated potato. Turn into the prepared tin.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 50-6- minutes or until the top of the cake springs back when pressed lightly with a fingertip. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out on to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
When the cake is cold, make the icing, mix the icing sugar with the lemon juice and zest. Spread on top of the cake and leave to set.
Can be frozen.

To save on calories I don't always add the icing, it's nice enough without. Makes a closely textured cake that can be sliced thinly without crumbling.

Enjoy!
Sue

[Hans Mum]

can vouch for the beetroot cake LJ reposted from sue i made it last year and it was fantastic am now going to try the parsnip cake