I don’t know how this happened; I am not a baker. I roasted beets in the oven and removed the skins while it was still hot. The beet skin had caramelized and the natural earthiness of the beets deepened and I got a whiff of dark chocolate. I make beet sorbet ice cream; awesome but still not considered baking.
Hmmm…So in the blender goes 2 medium gorgeous glossy roasted beets (I said farewell to them thinking it will wind up in the trash) a heaping spoon of unsweetened cocoa powder, two drizzles around the blender of agave nectar and a squirt of liquid stevia. The zest of a clementine and pinch of sea salt finished it up the madness and the whirring began. We can stop right here. Perfect. Warm. Chocolate pudding. It’s neutral, goes with any type of meal unlike the avocado or sweet potato based chocolate puddings and I have a feeling it’s gonna be on the fast track going out; roasted beets have a reputation of doing that.
I stare at my beet pudding and it is deep and dark and rich like velvet. RED VELVET CHOCOLATE CAKE! (I think the pudding might have up and smacked me) But I am not a baker.
But I have millet flour and I vaguely remember a vegan recipe for chocolate cake…. So here we go:
• 2 cups roasted red beet puree
• ¼ cup of agave nectar (more or less is adding stevia or not)
• ½ cup millet flour
• 1 tbs baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• zest of an orange, any type
• 1 tbs red vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• pinch of salt
Combine all the wet ingredients and mix with dry. (Work quickly because the baking soda and vinegar starts bubbling and whilst the cake bakes, it makes it moist and fluffy).
Put in mini loaf pan greased with a little coconut oil or a cupcake tin and bake in preheated 350 degree oven. 25 to 30 minutes. You want it slightly soft in middle.
I normally juice until dinner but I ate it while I was typing this. It is was warm and rich and with the texture of sweet earth . No pungent beet flavor but definitely a richness that might warrant more agave nectar or stevia but I liked it just the way it was.
Happy baking!