Chocolate Beet Cake

One of my goals is be able to do year-round gardening. Last year I had a beet crop I kept in the ground through the winter, just picking as needed. I just pulled up the last of the beets, and have new seedlings ready to go in. I wanted to make some cupcakes for a party tonight so steamed my beets for this recipe. 

And if you missed this beautiful—really!— video post on baking a cake with beats, check it out here.)

Chocolate Beet Cake
3 eggs (organic, range fed)
1-½ c. Sucanat (unrefined cane sugar)
¾ cup coconut oil (can substitute applesauce for half of this, if desired)
1 t. vanilla
1-3/4 c. steamed beets (about 2 medium-large beets, peeled and chopped)
4 T. raw cacao (best) or nonalkalized baking cocoa
2 c. whole-wheat flour (soft white wheat, ground fine)
1 ½ t. baking soda
½ t. sea salt

Puree beets, then add eggs, sugar, oil, and vanilla. Add chocolate and other ingredients. Bake in 9″x13″ oiled pan at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. (I made a half batch for a dozen cupcakes.)

Frosting
Cream together:
¼ c. unsweetened cocoa (even better, raw powdered chocolate)
½ c. butter, softened (or coconut cream concentrate, if it is soft but not turned to liquid. please note that you can’t put frosting made with coconut oil/cream on a refrigerated cake or it will become hard)
½ cup powdered Sucanat (if you have only regular Sucanat, blend it in your BlendTec until very fine, or your frosting will be grainy)      from Green Smoothie Girl

by Dee, wife of Barbara's son Scott