CHOCOLATE BEET SHEET CAKE
Serves: 10 to 12 There was a recipe for a chocolate sheet cake in her mother’s handwritten cookbook that Wimbush-Bourque continued to bake more out of nostalgia than anything, she writes. She came up with this recipe because she’d started to occasionally add puréed vegetables to baking and cooking to get a few extra vitamins into her children’s diets — and she was looking to eliminate processed sugar, too. This cake combines the sheet cake of her childhood with ingredients she wants to use today. The recipe is often requested at birthdays and for dessert after Sunday dinner, she writes. The beets can be cooked up to three days ahead of time: Boil, steam or roast them whole, then peel and purée them. To roast, wrap oiled beets in foil and roast in a 400 degree F oven until they can be pierced with a fork. Peel while still warm.
3 medium beets, roasted or boiled, peeled
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat flour
½ cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 medium eggs
1 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 cup honey
⅔ cup pure maple syrup
⅓ cup strong coffee, cooled
¼ cup buttermilk
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 13X9-inch baking pan.
2. Purée the cooked beets in a food processor and measure them; you should have 1 cup of beet purée. Transfer to a finemesh sieve and drain off any excess moisture while you prepare the batter.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Crack eggs into a large bowl and whisk until frothy. Pour in the melted butter and beat until incorporated. Add honey and maple syrup, then beat until mixture is smooth and glossy. Add coffee and the beet purée and combine well.
4. Gently whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Pour in buttermilk; whisk just to eliminate lumps, but do not overmix. Scrape batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula.
5. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted near the centre comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a rack for about 10 minutes. Slice into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.