Chocolate Beet Cake with Beet Cream Cheese Frosting

Pin it

Hey Dude (that Im currently dating),

We need to talk. Its about your mother.

Mostly its about how I need to meet your mother. Weve been carrying on for a while now and I need to meet the lady that birthed you, clothed you, slapped you upside the head, and made you the awesome man you are now. If I dont meet her soon, she will surely think me some sort of hussy harlot who was born in a barn and doesnt much care for other peoples mothers. This is not the case. I care about most mothers, often.

Its a lady thing that perhaps you dont understand. I need to be nervous. I need to bite off all my nails. I need to agonize over the perfect outfit that will make me look sophisticated, but sweet and approachable, womanly without being more womanly that her. I need the outfit that says I can damn well take care of myself, and keep her dear and darling son in line for the rest of his life. Its a fine fine fiiiine line.

I need to let your mother look me up and down in examination. I need to stand there and let her envision me as her daughter-in-law. I need to eat her casserole, express my desire for the recipe then I need to do her dishes.

I need to let her tell me how to do things that I already know how to do, like make a pie, and pluck my eyebrows. We need to watch 60 Minutes together. Her in her recliner, me sitting on the floor. I need to offer to bring dessert. Shell make a face when its being served, and enjoy it despite herself. Its all a dance. Every moment of it. Its all a test because mothers do not let their sons go quietly they let them go passive aggressively.

Lastly, she needs to see that I make you hap! py. That s where you come in. Dont act weird. Well, dont act weirder than you usually act. Be natural and put your arm around me once in a while. Its your job to make sure that no one gets a third glass of wine. Thats when things get weird.

Its also your job NOT to tell your mother that there are beets in the cake Im serving for dessert. That will be our little secret. Unless she loves it then Im taking all the glory.

Cool.

Love,

Joy

Quite right. This chocolate cake is chocked full of roasted beets.

Beets are trimmed of their greens (which are delicious sauteed) and roasted whole in foil and just a touch of oil. You know like youre making a beet salad, but youre totally making cake.

Besides beets, this cake also has the usual cake- y suspects: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, powder, and salt.

I love preparing cake pans for baking. Something about the ritual just calms me.

Parchment paper rounds (that are cut by hand) totally ensure that the cake will come out of the pan in o! ne piece . Its an extra bit of work, but I love the insurance.

Roasted beets are cooled and peeled (which is easy not to worry), and grated on the fine side of a box grater.

If youre wondering about beet stained hands yes, I had two. They eventually wash clean.

Beets add moisture and sweetness to the cake. Beets do not make the taste like a salad. Thats an important thing to know.

The cake batter will be a purple color, but will bake into a moist chocolate cake with no trace of beets.

Lets talk about frosting. Butter and cream cheese are left at room temperature until soft. Theyre beaten with powdered sugar, vanilla, and a squeeze of lemon.

Beets, too! Beets, shredded and mashed add a slight sweetness and intense color to the frosting. Its all you need for food coloring. Its delightful and delicious. And again it does not taste like salad.

You may have a few beet strands in your frosting as you decorate the cake. Think of it as natures sprinkles.

I cant believe I just typed that.

Im sorry.

I want you to fall in love with this cake. I did.

The cake itself is moist and chocolate-y. Its not too sweet either! Bonus. The frosting is bright pink, speckled with beet bits, and creamy sweet.

No one would ever know this cake is chocked full of vegetables. We can just keep that little bit of information between us. Secret ingredient power!

Chocolate Beet Cake with Beet Cream Cheese Frosting

Makes one 8 or 9-inch layer cake

adapted from Fine Cooking November 2001

Print this Recipe!

For the Cake:

2 medium beets, unpeeled but trimmed of their greens

1 teaspoon vegetable oil

6 ounces (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing the pans

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pans

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

For the Frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

4 ounces (1 brick) cream cheese, softened

4 to 5 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons finely grated beets, mashed with a fork

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract or scrapings of one vanilla bean pod

1-2 teaspoons milk, depending on desired consistency

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

pinch of salt

Place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Thoroughly wash beets under running water, and trim their leaves, leaving about 1/2 inch of stem. Place clean beets in a piece of foil. Drizzle with just a bit of vegetable oil. Seal u! p foil. Place on a baking sheet in the oven. Roast until beets are tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour.

Remove the beets from the oven. Open the foil and allow beets to cool completely. Beets will be easy to peel (just using a paring knife) once completely cooled.

Using a box grater, grate the peeled beets on the finest grating plane. Measure 3/4 cup of grated beets for the cake and 2 tablespoons for the frosting. Set aside.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Use butter to grease two 8 or 9-inch round baking pans. Trace a piece of parchment paper so it is the same size as the bottom of the cake pan. Cut it out and place inside the cake pan. Butter the parchment paper. Add a dusting of flour to coat the pan. Set pans aside while you prepare the cake.

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars. Beat on medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, for one minute after each addition. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Once eggs are incorporated, beat in beets and vanilla extract until thoroughly combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter and egg mixture. Beating on low speed , slowly add the buttermilk. Once just incorporated, add the other half of the dry ingredients. Beat on medium speed until milk and dry ingredients are just incorporated. Try not to overmix the batter. Bowl can be removed from the mixer and mixture folded with a spatula to finish incorporating ingredients. Cake batter will be on the thick side not pourable.

Divide the batter between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 23 to 25 minutes (for a 9-inch pan) or 30-32 minutes (for an 8-inch pan). Cake is done when a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove cakes from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto a cooling! rack to cool completely before frosting and assembling the cake.

To make the Frosting:

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese for 30 seconds, until pliable and smooth. Add the butter and beat for another 30 seconds, until well combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bowl as necessary. Beat in the beets. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk, lemon juice, and salt. Beat on medium speed until smooth and silky. Refrigerate the frosting for 30 minutes before frosting the cooled cakes.

To assemble the cake, place one layer of cake on a cake stand or cake plate. Top with a generous amount of pink frosting. Spread evenly. Place the other cake on top of the frosting. Top with frosting. Work frosting onto the sides of the cake. You will have extra frosting left over. Refrigerate for an hour before serving (it will make the cake easier to slice). Cake will last, well wrapped in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.

Starbucks to expand selling wine, beer in US

Beer and wine will be on the menu at some Starbucks locations in the US. AFP pic

LOS ANGELES, Jan 25 Starbucks is to start selling wine and beer in some stores in southern California and Atlanta, Georgia, expanding a move which has worked well around its northwest US base, the coffee giant said Monday.

The Seattle-based global coffee shop franchise said it will also sell premium food offerings as part of the expansion to cater for customers into the evening, which also involves a number of its outlets in Chicago.

The move is a natural progression for us as we are always looking for ways to evolve and enhance the Starbucks experience based on what our customers are telling us, said US vice president Clarice Turner.

Were pleased with the response of our customers to the introduction of wine, beer and premium food at several of our stores in the Pacific Northwest, and were excited to see how the idea translates to other markets.

Evening opening hours were was first tried out in Seattle in October 2010, while five stores in the Seattle area and one in Portland, Oregon currently serve wine, beer and premium food.

Late last year, Starbucks announced plans to bring the concept to locations in the Chicago area by the end of 2012. Atlanta and Southern California will each see four to six stores, also by the end of the year.

The new premium food will include savoury snacks, small plates, and hot flatbreads, while the wine and beer list will be hand-selected to reflect local customer tastes and preferences, and will be refined over time.

As our customers transition from work to home, many are looking for a warm and inviting place to unwind and connect with the people they care about, said Turner.

At select stores where it is relevant for the neighbourhood, we are focussed on creating an atmosphere where our customers can relax with a fri! end, a s mall bite to eat and a cup of coffee or glass of wine.

The move comes a year after Starbucks unveiled a new logo designed to conquer new markets.

The old ubiquitous logo a deep green ring emblazoned with Starbucks Coffee, encircling a black-and-white siren was replaced by a circular image of the green and white siren, with no mention of coffee or the company. AFP-Relaxnews

Share it with others

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

buttermilk roast chicken

Without a doubt, the very best part of fried chicken is the battered, seasoned, gold-tinged and impossibly crisp exterior. But, as far as Im concerned, the tender chicken within is no distant second. The best fried chicken recipes have you soak the uncooked chicken in a salty/sweet brine of buttermilk and seasonings for at least day, resulting in meat thats decadent long before it hits the fryer. Wouldnt it be great if the insides could garner the same gushing their pretty skins do?

This is what I was thinking of when I stumbled on an old Nigella recipe for buttermilk roasted chicken. Of course, that was four weeks ago and for three of them, I sat at a table piled with eraser dust and red pencil overlooking the avenue below, editing away dreaming mostly of the buttermilk chicken I would finally make when I was done. The recipe turned out to be a good place to start, but I wanted more a longer soak, more salt, less oil, more garlic and, for some reason, I felt the recipe was itching for paprika. So, I went another round with it last night finishing it with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of more paprika and flaked sea salt before roasting it and this, at last, was the buttermilk chicken I had dreamed about.

... Read the rest of buttermilk roast chicken on smittenkitchen.com

smitten kitchen 2006-2011. |permalink to buttermilk roast chicken | no comment to date | see more: Budget, Meat, Photo, Quick

Dessert Parlour @ BSC

Is there truly always room for dessert? This sugar specialist will help test that sticky theory, taking up space on Bangsar Shopping Center's fourth floor beside the Burp food court.

Customers can lounge in cushy comfort indoors or breathe Bangsar's unfiltered air on the alfresco terrace. Everyone from restless children to ladies who lunch may feel therapeutically tranquilized here (until the inevitable glucose rush).

Malaysian treats are the highlight, so banish all aspirations for macarons, creme brulee & tiramisu. Dessert Parlour's 'leng chee kang' (RM4.50+) _ a cooling combination of lotus seeds, gingko nuts & what-not _ is what the doctor might recommend for our what-the-heck weather.

Pulut hitam (RM4.50+) _ black rice pudding with coconut milk. The terrible truth, however, is that Dessert Parlour makes mediocre versions of these familiar recipes. Shoppers at BSC can stop here for a pick-me-up, but nothing we tried would warrant ! a specia l visit.

Skip the banana fritters with ice cream & honey (RM7.50+). Disastrously bland & doughy.

For a better brush with syrupy stuff, head to this enclave's other mall, Bangsar Village, where Garibaldi serves treats both creative & crazy-tasty, such as bourbon panna cotta with strawberries marinated in aged balsamic vinegar.

White chocolate mousse with dark chocolate pipe. Might be even more decadent if milk chocolate played a role in this, to create a menage a trois of the most seductive ingredients known to man. Nothing teases & titillates the taste buds like chocolate.

Crispy meringue with chocolate chip parfait & dark cherries. Sure, it might seem unfair to pit Dessert Parlour's cheaper offerings against Garibaldi's, which hover near the RM30 price range. But if cost isn't an issue, then sweet satisfaction lies with the Italians.

Make bubur cha cha, cendol & ais kacang while the sun shines!

Dessert Parlour @ Bangsar Shopping Center,

Kuala Lumpur.

Open through 10pm.

Christmas Day Breakfast: Gordon Ramsay inspired scrambled eggs with caviar and smoked salmon

It is our family tradition to have four courses served throughout Christmas day, rather than have three courses in one sitting. This way, we don't really overeat and get to enjoy the meal better. As the person responsible for cooking all the meals on Christmas, it also makes my job a lot easier.

For breakfast, I made scrambled eggs topped with caviar, served with smoked salmon, sundried tomatoes and cherry tomatoes. Last year, I also made scrambled eggsand one of my readers/fellow blogger Ms Jazz of Augustdiners suggested that we try the Gordon Ramsay way of making scrambled eggs.Since I was intrigued, I googled up the recipeand used it for this year's Christmas Day breakfast.

I have to say, the Gordon Ramsay-inspired scrambled eggs was absolutely delicious, very creamy and fluffy at the same time. Will stick to this recipe next time whenever we wanna make scrambled eggs, in fact I loved it so much I made scrambled eggs for the next few days using this recipe.

Just a note, when cooking the eggs may seem a little watery, but when you eat it, it's just right (creamy), so it's nothing to be too concerned about. For a touch of luxury, we topped the scrambled egg with some lumpfish caviar (which you can get easily in supermarkets). If you cannot find chives, you can substitute with spring onions, chopped very finely.

To serve, you can just serve it on a piece of rustic bread, or on its own. You can also cut off the top of an eggshell, wash it and leave it to dry, and scoop the scrambled egg into the shell if you want something special.

Christmas Breakfast is served

Jingle bells

Scrambled eggs topped with caviar

Scrambled eggs with caviar, served with smoked salmon and tomatoes
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: less than 5 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients
7 large eggs
3 tbsp cold butter
1 tbsp creme fraiche (I substituted with cream)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
A handful chives, chopped finely

200 g smoked salmon with cumin
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
Sundried tomatoes
Lumpfish caviar

1. Break the eggs into a cold, heavy-based frying pan (do NOT season it now), add half the butter and put it on medium low heat. Using the spatula, stir the eggs frequently to combine the yolk with the white. Keep stirring (as you would when cooking a risotto - do not stop stirring).

2. Add the remaining butter as the mixture begins to set. Do not let them get too hot, you will need to move the pan on and off the heat - about 2-3 times (see the video below). The eggs will take about 3-4 minutes to cook.

3. Add the cream/creme fraiche (brings the temp of the eggs down) and season the eggs with salt and pepper. Add the chives and give it a quick stir. Serve immediately.

The perfect scrambled eggs

Full set of photos available to view here.

Check out the rest of our Christmas menu here.

Heathy Cookies

Want some heathy cookies?

Nope, thats not a typo.

Healthy would be nice, but

These are all Heath.

I bought this bag of milk chocolaty toffee bits the other day.

Then I made the mistake and opened the bag to nibble on them.

You know, just for a taste.

Then I didnt stop nibbling on them.

Every time I did something in the kitchen, I would pinch a few bits.

So I made myself bake something with them tonight before all my bits were bitten.

Toffee bits and a few basics are all you need for these cookies.

Fluffiness.

Dark brown sugar.

Yumminess.

Butter and peanut butter. Yes and yes.

Creamed.

Eggs and vanilla.

Or eyebrows depending on which way I flip the photo. : )

After mixed, throw in the bits.

Roll and dip them in more toffee bits.

Then bite.

Easy!

And if you want to make them a little sweeter. Maybe for your sweetie.

Just bake them in a heart shaped silicone pan.

It just adds a little bit of love.

Heathy Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, slightly softened
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/3 cup (8 oz bag) Heath Toffee Bits

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a small bowl, mix flour, soda and salt using a wire whisk and set aside.
• In another bowl, cream butter, dark brown sugar and peanut butter until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs and vanilla and mix until combined.
• Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and mix until combined.
• Stir in toffee bits, reserving some to dip tops of cookies.
• Roll cookie dough into 1-1/4 inch balls. Chill for a few minutes to make it easier to roll or use a small cookie scoop.
• Dip tops of cookies in bits and place on parchment paper covered baking sheet.
• Bake about 10 minutes.
• Place cookies on cookie rack to cool.
• Makes about 30 2-inch cookies.
• Note: I only had almost a cup left of bits to use for these cookies, but I would use the whole bag and possibly even two for these cookies.

Enjoy every little bit!