It’s amazing what you can do without any flour! I made this gluten free chocolate cake using beets. Being “Deceptively Delicious” I fooled my husband. While my children are game to eat pretty much anything I make, my husband is known as the “picky” eater around here.
Because of his strong critiques and my perfectionist bent, I often find myself testing a new recipe four, five or more times. Though this one I nailed the second time, it was that easy.
As I whipped up beet cake 2.0, I did find myself thinking, “How can I hide this mystery ingredient from him?” He had scoffed at beet cake 1.0, spitting it into the sink. “How can I fool him?” I thought as I stirred the batter. I guess that would make me Jessica Seinfeld to his Jerry.
Though unlike Ms. Seinfeld, I found myself sneaking beets in not to add nourishment (all of my recipes are fairly nourishing with high protein almond flour and low glycemic agave). I was rather, trying to figure out a way to make a less costly cake.
Almond flour is fabulous to cook with, though pricey. I wanted to come up with a cake that would be cheaper to make -though do keep in mind that this cake while cheaper, does not offer the same nutritional benefits that one made with almond flour would.
Here’s my “deceptive” purple velvet torte. Enjoy!
Purple Velvet Torte
Ingredients
- 2½ cups grated beets
- 1 cup agave nectar or honey
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup grapeseed oil or palm shortening
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup cacao powder
- ½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the beets and agave to a boil, then cover
- Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, until beets are soft
- Transfer beet-agave mixture to a vitamix and puree on highest speed until smooth
- Blend in eggs, oil, vanilla, almond extract, cacao and salt until thoroughly incorporated
- Pour batter into a well greased 9 inch springform pan
- Bake at 350°F for 30-35 minutes until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean
- Cool and serve
My older son has been steadily working away on this blog with me. He is 10 years old and every week he discusses what “we” will be posting. He often sneaks down after I put him and his brother to bed, for a blogging session during which we take photos or write copy here.
This week, as I was on a deadline for another project, he decided that he would be the one shooting the pictures of the purple velvet torte. So, please welcome my new phototgrapher! He took these pictures on his own as I proofread another document, knocking the camera over only once. Besides that incident he was a total pro! Really.
He was however, very disappointed as he “proofread” this copy that I used the word “sneaks” above. He wanted me to say that we “work together,” and I must say, he is correct. I guess that would make me Heather to his Leta (once her daughter starts reading dooce Ms. Armstrong may have her hands full).
Update: I’ve edited the cooking time in this recipe thanks to one of the comments below. The one in the recipe above is now correct and my family is very happy since they are eating this gluten-free torte yet again (since I made it a third time to verify the cooking time). As always, thanks for your comments!
Lauren B says
Hi Elana, I finally got around to making this (swapping erythritol/stevia for agave) and it was absolutely scrumptious. No beet-y taste that I could discern. Will be blogging about it after finals, perhaps with a veggie based GF recipe of my own. ;) Thanks so much for all that you do! You are a genius. Looking forward to your cook book!
ruth says
I made this last night – very good! An interesting Passover option. I will make it again, but not blend the beets – for more texture. I might also add something else for texture (coconut or matzah meal), might decrease the oil a bit… and bake longer.
I also whipped up some cream cheese frosting, to make richer ; )
Deborah Wilson says
Mmmmm, coconut, thanks for the idea!
Jessica says
Hey all,
I just made this last night. I used two beets to get 2 1/2 cups. I use weight watchers, and so I swapped grapeseed oil for pureed prunes cup for cup. It added another layer of sweetness, so I might decrease the agave in the future. It got rave reviews, and lowered the fat content. Thank you Elana! Another recipe successfully taste tested by my picky family!
Natalie says
Thank you for this recipe! One of our guests has nut allergies, and it’s always so difficult to find flourless recipes that do not call for nuts. I will definitely try it this Passover (and just omit the almond extract). Can’t wait to try it!
elana says
Deborah -Thanks so much! Let’s see if they are up to snuff on their veggie stuff over there :-)
Deborah says
Hi Elana,
Well, I’ve just sent a note and your recipe (with a link to your website) in to the White House. Let’s see what response we get. I’ll be sure to let you know.
Thanks
Deborah
elana says
Deborah -What a great idea. I would be honored if you would send it in. xo
Hanni says
I made this today–beautiful purple hue and surprising texture, more like baked custard than the fudge I was expecting. To make this cake a little more decadent, I would serve it atop some chocolate sauce (i make mine with coco powder, maple syrup and water or oil), and garnish with a few banana or strawberry slices alongside.
Deborah says
Thanks for the lovely recipes. I heard that the White House kitchen garden does not include beets because the President doesnt like them This just might be the recipe that changes his mind. Would you be willing to send it to him? I think that you can submit suggestions at the White House site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
I would send a link but didnt think that would be right as it is your recipe.
Thanks again for a great site
Alycia says
Baked this two nights ago. My husband was super skeptical, but liked it! I didn’t need to add any water with the beets and agave nectar. 1 Tablespoon seemed like a lot of almond extract so I decreased that to 2 teaspoons and I also used only 3 eggs. My cake burned a tad with the recommended baking time, but I just cut off those edges and it was still wonderfully moist and yummy. I decorated the cake with some stencils and cocoa and sugar mixed together (didn’t have any powdered sugar). Next time I think I might add a few chocolate chips and try decreasing the agave just a bit. Thanks so much for the recipe, Elana.
Deborah Wilson says
Thank you for leaving a comment after you actually baked this cake. I’ve weeded through I don’t know how many well meaning “Oooh, this sounds good!” to find this. Now I’ll give it a try.