Beet Red Velvet Cake
- Total Time
- 2 hours, plus 1 hour 15 minutes beet-roasting time
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:10 servings
- 3medium beets
- ¾cup/ 170 grams butter, plus more for greasing pan
- ¾cup/180 milliliters buttermilk
- Juice of 1 large lemon
- 2teaspoons/10 milliliters white vinegar
- 1½teaspoons/7 milliliters vanilla extract
- 2cups/200 grams cake flour (sift before measuring)
- 3tablespoons/24 grams Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1⅛teaspoon/6 grams baking powder
- 1teaspoon/6 grams salt
- ½teaspoon/3 grams baking soda
- 1¾cup/350 grams granulated sugar
- 3eggs
- Cream cheese frosting (see recipe), or other fluffy white icing
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
376 calories; 16 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 56 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 38 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 326 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Wash beets and wrap in aluminum foil. Bake until the tip of a knife slides easily into the largest beet, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool until beets can be handled, then peel. (This may be done up to a day ahead.)
- Step 2
Butter two 9-inch cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment and then butter again.
- Step 3
In a food processor, chop beets to pieces about the size of finely diced onions. Measure 1 cup and set aside (remaining beets can be reserved for another purpose). Return cup of beets to the food processor. Purée with buttermilk, lemon juice, vinegar and vanilla until smooth.
- Step 4
Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda. Set aside.
- Step 5
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter until soft. Slowly add sugar and beat until creamy. Beat in eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Step 6
Alternate adding flour mixture and beet mixture to butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, and beating for 10 seconds after each addition. Scrape down the bowl after each addition of the wet ingredients.
- Step 7
Divide batter between prepared cake pans, smoothing the tops. Bake until a cake tester inserted in the cake comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Remove pans from oven and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Step 8
To assemble, remove one cake from its pan and peel away parchment. Place flat side down on a serving platter. Drop about 1 cup of icing onto cake and, using a flat spatula, spread evenly over top. Remove the second cake from its pan and remove parchment. Place flat side down on top of first layer. Use remaining frosting to cover top and sides of cake.
Tip
- Measurements for dry ingredients are given by weight for greater accuracy. The equivalent measurements by volume are approximate.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Kristen
Excellent! I used more beet than I think I was suppose too -- I used 1 cup of pureed beet (vs the 1 cup of diced beet) which gave the cake a super red color. The batter was perfect for 24 cupcakes. They took approx 16min to cook at 350. Yum!
Sonali Mishra
The cake turned out very well, with a delicate texture and great taste. I made this recipe four times and assembled the 8 layers to make a huge cake for my 40th birthday party. Mt friends loved it. I tried it again. The only thing is I would appreciate tips to prevent the cake from sinking somewhat after cooking, when it cools. what might I be doing incorrectly? I totally recommend this recipe. far better than another one I have tried! thank you for sharing it.
Levina
I made half of the recipe and baked it in a 6x2 inch round pan. Because I only used 1 medium sized beet, I microwaved the beet in the microwave instead. To do this, I simply wrapped the washed beet with parchment paper and microwaved it on high for 8 minutes. Instead of using 1.5 eggs, I used 2 eggs and added about 1 tbsp more flour. Since I like my cakes less sweet, I reduced the sugar by 25% and it came out perfect! The cake is so moist and soft! Definitely a favourite!
JRead
I've never liked red velvet cake. To me it's bland and uninteresting. Not so this version. The tang and acidity of the lemon and buttermilk in the cake transform the chocolate into a new taste experience that couples well with the earthiness of the beets. The only substitution I made was to swap the cream cheese in the frosting for neufchâtel, as I wanted a looser and lighter frosting to dollop alongside the individual cakes I made with a cupcake pan. Sophisticated foodie guests raved.
Leslie Norden
Incorrect oven temperature Cake is underbaked Expired baking powder Too much baking powder or baking soda Incorrect measurement of ingredients Opening the oven door too early Closing the oven door too sharply Overbeating the batter in the last stage Mixing the ingredients in the wrong order Incorrect moisture levels Incorrect pan size Cake cools too quickly Batter sits too long before baking
Linda G
I had eleven ladies over for some great Mah Jongg play last night. I served this cake with a white chocolate mousse and fresh raspberries between the layers. The dessert was a hit! The cake has a very moist crumb and the taste is decadent. I would still add some red food colouring if a person prefers a 'red velvet cake' product.
If a cake sinks in the center, that usually means more flour is required.
Emmy
Excellent! Tangy and delicious. Used this recipe to make 24 cupcakes. Took about 20-25 minutes to bake through. Swapped buttermilk for kefir. Substituted 2 c. cake flour for (2 c. minus 4 tbsp. all-purpose) + (4 tbsp. corn starch).
Lisa
I sure would love the recipe for tarragon ice cream that is mentioned as an accompaniment in the article!
Priscilla
Great recipe. I advise to put less cocoa powder if you want it to turn really red. My first try was brown.
Shari
Really liked this cake, so moist and delicious, not too sweet. Cream cheese frosting delicious. My husband who grew the beets could not believe you could make a cake with beets. Will make it again. Thank you for this recipe!
Rebecca
I made this cake with quite a few substitutions - eggs -> flax, sugar -> honey, buttermilk -> unsweetened almond milk and lemon, butter -> earthbalance, cake flour -> gluten free rice / garbanzo flour.
It turned out quite well! A little bit dense and spongy, but people seemed to enjoy it.
In the future I would use a vegan GF recipe from the get go.
Anne
I used this recipe in a 10 cp. bundt pan, and the recipe volume was perfect. I didn't have to modify the volume. I baked it at 350F for 50 min, and when cooled, sprinkled it with powdered sugar. Great recipe!
Noodle
The pic above looks like a cupcake. I tried this recipe for cupcakes, it didn't translate very well. Baking time was longer, cupcakes were flat (like the picture), flavor was just ok. I made this about 2 years ago and it came out perfectly as a cake. I have read and re-read the recipe to see what I did wrong, can't find the reason. Not sure I will make again. I suppose the cupcake will look better frosted, but without they look really messy.
Charlotte
Delicious cake, but a few recommendations: Use non alkali processed cocoa, because the color will be much brighter. Alkali processed cocoa makes the batter significantly darker, because they’re very fine particles. 3 beets is too much to obtain one cup of chopped beets. 1 or 2 medium sized is plenty. To obtain more volume, separate egg yolks from egg whites, and beat the latter stiff in a separate bowl. Incorporate to the rest of the batter at the very end, in 3 batches.
TrishNYC
This is a glorious cake! So moist and full of flavor; it's a full-throated rebuttal to all the bland, boring red velvets out there. I followed the recipe exactly except I had to use Hershey's instead of a Dutch process cocoa. The King Arthur Flour website said a straight substitution was OK at 3 tablespoons or less, so I didn't adjust the acidity. The cake didn't rise a huge amount so perhaps that's why. It didn't bother me because the texture and moisture level were perfect.
Jessie
250 g beets, 2 TBSP Dutched cocoa, took 40 min to bake in two 9 in pans Batter tasted outstanding going into oven with enough cocoa flavor Dense cake w/ 250 g of beets, didn't rise much--next time try 200 g in vitamix puree w/o small chunks Used ermine frosting recipe (double batch) but subbed 8 oz cream cheese and 4 oz goat cheese for 1 of the 2 sticks of butter required for a double batch--super delicious Picky eater gave it 5 stars--if less dense with less beets next time, I'll give it 5
MaryP
Made exactly as written. Excellent, but the cake rounds took 42 minutes to bake. Not surprised, I was skeptical of the 20 minute timing. This cake is super moist. Used the NYT cream cheese frosting is also excellent.
Emily S
After making this and reading the reviews, I have theories on the causes of two common complaints: -the beets I bought didn't specify variety and when I cut into the (giant!) beet that I used, it was the red and white striped variety. So my cake, like some others, was a brown velvet cake! - I didn't have dutch cocoa on hand and didn't adjust the acidic ingredients. This may have over-activated the alkaline and caused it to not rise much. An exact amount of the lemon juice would help too.
genevieve
200 g beet Browned butter goat cheese frosting. 4 oz butter browned, 5.3 oz cream cheese, 2.6 oz goat cheese, 214 g powdered sugar, 1.5 t vanilla
Annette St. Romain
This is a delicious cake. I bought precooked beets from Trader Joe's to save time and used all but one in package. It's not as red as a traditional red velvet cake. I made a frosting with mascarpone, cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and a splash of milk, and it was perfect for this cake.
krel
Excellent cake. Moist, superb flavor. Mine did not rise too much, and next time I may double the recipe for a more impressive cake, especially if I'm serving six or more people. Five of us gobbled up most of this cake. Would be interested to hear from anyone who tried including goat cheese in the frosting ... didn't attempt because I was unsure of amounts, but might eperient next time ....
CarolS
Bake in orange le cruset baking dish 30 min
Lisa
Good and very moist! If I make them again I will add a bit of red gel coloring to enhance the color. I used a recipe from Martha Stewart for candied beet slices for garnish. They were very pretty!
Julie
Very beet forward. Maybe I added too many beets? It would be cool if the recipe gave us the amount of beet in grams instead of just hoping my dice = your dice.
Thomas
This cake didn’t rise for me. I made it twice. Followed the recipe exactly, and I only got 3/4 inch layers (used 9” rounds). Smells great but, not going to make again if there is not a fix for this. Anyone else have this issue?
Citizen_MN
I confess I had some doubt about combining beets and chocolate but it tastes fine (and not too much like beets). Not having a food processor, I simply finely grated the beets. It worked great. And I used half less chocolate chips than the recipe called for -- I mean who needs such a megadose? I baked it for 30 min. at 350 in a glass pan, and I let it rest for 30 min. before serving it with yogurt instead of ice cream. The family loved it! I will definitely make this again. Yum!
Noodle
The pic above looks like a cupcake. I tried this recipe for cupcakes, it didn't translate very well. Baking time was longer, cupcakes were flat (like the picture), flavor was just ok. I made this about 2 years ago and it came out perfectly as a cake. I have read and re-read the recipe to see what I did wrong, can't find the reason. Not sure I will make again. I suppose the cupcake will look better frosted, but without they look really messy.
J Maxson
This cake is perhaps the most delicious cake I have ever baked, barring a chocolate cake from Yugoslavia. I followed directions completely and I had no sinking. I did buy fresh baking powder, just to be sure. I have baked it 3 times. Each time to rave reviews. I want to thank you for developing the recipe without red food coloring.
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