Beet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Beet cake with orange cream cheese frosting uses grated fresh beets for a deeply moist, spiced layer cake with a rosy hue. Topped with toasted walnuts, it’s a lighter twist on carrot cake.
YIELD
18 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
35 minREADY
50 minIf you love carrot cake, this is its earthy, rose-tinted cousin. Two cups of grated fresh beets melt into the batter, keeping the crumb remarkably moist and lending a subtle, almost berry-like sweetness and a gorgeous color, without tasting like a vegetable.
Warm ginger and cinnamon spice the layers and balance the beets’ earthiness, while the cake stays on the lighter side thanks to oil instead of butter, reduced-fat cream cheese and a sugar swap. Tapping the filled pans on the counter knocks out air bubbles for an even, fine crumb.
The frosting is where the orange comes in: cream cheese whipped with grated orange rind and vanilla, then powdered sugar beaten in just until smooth. Don’t overbeat it, or the frosting loosens and weeps. A scatter of toasted walnuts on top adds crunch.
Keep it loosely covered in the fridge, since cream cheese frosting needs to stay cool.
Pro Tips
- Grate the peeled beets on the large holes for moisture without watery streaks.
- Add the flour mixture alternately with the milk, starting and ending with flour, for a tender, evenly mixed batter.
- Use chilled cream cheese and beat the frosting just until blended; overbeating turns it runny.
- Cool the layers completely before frosting, or it slides right off.
Variations
- Stir chopped walnuts or pecans into the batter for a nuttier cake.
- Add a little orange zest to the cake batter to echo the frosting.
- Bake it as a sheet cake or cupcakes if layers feel fussy.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare cake, peel beets using a vegetable peeler.
Grate beets, using the large holes of a grater, to measure 2 cups.
Coat 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with cooking spray; line bottoms with wax paper.
Coat wax paper with cooking spray.
Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, and eggs in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well-blended.
Add beets; beat well. Lightly spoon the flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife.
Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (flour through salt) in a large bowl, stirring well with a whisk.
Add flour mixture to sugar mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture.
Pour batter into prepared pans; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles.
Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks; remove from pans.
Carefully peel off wax paper, and cool cake completely on wire racks.
To prepare frosting, beat orange rind, vanilla, and cream cheese with a mixer at high speed until fluffy.
Add the powdered sugar; beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat).
Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with ½ cup frosting; top with remaining cake layer.
Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.
Sprinkle nuts over top of cake.
Store cake loosely covered in refrigerator.
Comments
Awesome recipe! Using it for class, it is going great!