Make This Now: Fudgy, Rich Chocolate Velvet Cake

Whip up this chocolate cake (with a secret ingredient!) to celebrate spring.

PHOTOS BY LEAH LIZARONDO
 

For those who think eating healthy discounts all things sweet, think again. And for all those who think eating pleasurably discounts all things good for you, think again.

The Venn diagram of healthy and delicious intersects more than you think!

We already add carrots and zucchini to our baked treats, right? Not to mention pumpkin to everything from pie to beer. So here’s a proposition for you to push that envelope a little and try something new: put beets in your cake.

Say wha'?
 

Yep. Trust me, it's not that hard.

I’m not going to be the schoolmarm who takes the joy out of everything — this cake is NOT a compromise. Think of the most delicious carrot cake, zucchini bread and pumpkin pie you’ve had. You don’t feel like you got cheated from cake, bread and pie — they were good just the way they were, veggies and all!
 

The same goes for this absolutely amazing Chocolate Velvet Cake. This cake is something you will make NOT because it contains beets nor because you were trying to be righteous. You'll make it because it's just THAT GOOD.

Try it — everyone will love it. And you can get extra satisfaction from declaring there are beets in your cake, dude!
 

 Chocolate Velvet Cake

Yield: one 9-inch cake

Ingredients:

• ½ cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 ½ cups dark-brown sugar, packed
• 1 ½ cups puréed, cooked red beets
• ½ cup applesauce
• ¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups spelt flour
• ¼ cup Dutch process cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons aluminum-free baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Whipped Coconut Icing (recipe below) or Chocolate Ganache (recipe here)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and oil a springform pan.
2. In a mixing bowl, cream together oil and brown sugar.
3. Add beets, applesauce, melted chocolate chips and vanilla.
4. In a separate bowl, combine spelt flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt.
5. Add to beet mixture and stir until just combined.
6. Pour into prepared pan, and bake for an hour or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
7. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing and placing on a wire rack.
8. Cool completely before icing.
9. Chill cake in the fridge to set icing before serving.
10. Important: Keep this cake chilled.

 Whipped Coconut Icing

Yield: enough for one cake

Directions:

1. Make this coconut whipped cream with 2 cans of coconut milk.
2. Add ¼ to ½ cup beet purée to make pink icing as pictured.
3. Add ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar and whip to incorporate.
4. Ice cake and chill.