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Have you ever baked with beets? When you try this vegan chocolate beet cake, you’ll agree that this is the BEST, moist chocolate cake recipe ever!
Moist, moist, moist. Moist. There. We got that out of the way.
Why do people hate that word so much, anyway!? It’s never really bothered me – in fact – I want to hear that things are moist! And guess what? This cake is MOIST 😉
Not only that, but it’s vegan! I mean, I don’t eat a vegan diet, but I do think it’s a good way to eat, and it’s always nice when you’ve got a few recipes in your back pocket to serve to guests that may either eat vegan, or have an egg or dairy allergy!
The other great thing about making a vegan cake? You can EAT the cake batter! No raw egg concerns here, not that I’m ever stopped by that…..
One more thing.
It’s my 3-year blogiversary today!
I kind of love that I’m posting a chocolate beet cake to celebrate today’s anniversary, since the VERY FIRST post on my blog when I started out are these double chocolate beet cupcakes. The pictures totally make me cringe, so I recently took a few new ones! I just haven’t gotten around to editing them yet.
So, what’s in a vegan chocolate beet cake?
Since we’re keeping things vegan, there are no eggs, butter or dairy in this cake. Removing these three things from a cake seem almost impossible to me, but I promise you, you won’t miss them!
The applesauce, oil and beet puree ensure that everything remains (you got it) MOIST.
The pureed beets also give the cake a nice dark purple hue.
You’ll need about 2 large beets for the cake. Cook them up in the oven with some water, until fork-tender, then puree them in a blender until smooth. Reserve the remaining water after cooking the beets – you’ll need it to make your frosting brilliantly pink!
The other ingredients you need for this cake are pretty straight-forward:
- all-purpose flour
- espresso powder, mixed into hot water
- cocoa powder
- organic sugar
- baking powder, baking soda, salt
- oil
- apple cider vinegar
- almond milk
Do you have to bake the cake in 2 layers?
No! I did a layer cake here because I think it’s so pretty, but I’ve also tried this recipe as a sheet cake and it was terrific!! The sheet cake almost seems more moist, if that makes sense?!
If you’re using two 9″ pans, the bake time will be about 30-35 minutes. If you’re baking the cake in a sheet pan, you’ll want to HALF THE RECIPE and reduce the baking time to 25-30 minutes. Always bake your cake a little less than what you’re expecting and check it with a toothpick to avoid overbaking!
How do you make vegan BUTTERcream?
The answer is vegan butter! There’s a few other recipes out there for vegan frostings that use coconut oil or other things, and that works fine, but to get that true buttercream texture I highly recommend vegan butter!
Use a few tablespoons of that reserved beet juice from cooking the beets in the oven to color your buttercream frosting. Isn’t it just the prettiest shade of pink!? And it’s all natural!
How long does this vegan beet cake keep?
Since this cake has only ever lasted about 2 days around here, I can safely tell you it will last about 2-3 days at room temperature, in an airtight container. If you store the cake in the fridge, it should last 3-4 days in total.
If you’re making the cake ahead of time, you can also freeze the baked cake (once cooled) for up to 2 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge before frosting it!
I’m telling you, this cake is THE BEST. We’ve had it a few times in the past couple of weeks now, and I could easily eat it again.
Happy blogiversary to me, and I hope you have a piece of cake with me to celebrate!
If you’re having some cake, how about one of these other cake recipes?
- chocolate caramel cheesecake
- matcha-vanilla cake
- orange-carrot cake
- mini chocolate cake (if you need something smaller)!
Vegan Chocolate Beet Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 cake 1x
Description
Have you ever baked with beets? When you try this vegan chocolate beet cake, you’ll agree that this is the BEST, moist chocolate cake recipe ever!
Ingredients
- 2 large beets, peeled and quartered
- 1 1/2 cups unsweetened almond milk (sub other non-dairy milk)
- 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 2/3 cup avocado oil (sub vegetable oil)
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup organic sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
Vegan Buttercream
- 1 cup vegan butter, room temperature
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1–2 tbsp reserved beet liquid
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F and place the quartered beets into a small baking dish, along with about 1/4 cup water. Cover the dish, and bake for about 30-35 minutes, or until the beets are fork-tender. Allow the beets to cool for 5 minutes, then place them in a high-powdered blender, along with a tablespoon or two of liquid and puree until smooth. Measure out 3/4 cup puree to cool. Reserve the remaining liquid from the cooked beets.
- Turn the heat down to 350 F and spray two 9″ round cake pans with non-stick spray and dust the pans with cocoa powder. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the almond milk and apple cider vinegar, and allow it to sit for a couple of minutes. Add in the avocado oil and applesauce, and whisk to combine. Add the 3/4 cup beet puree, sugar and vanilla extract. To the boiling water, add the espresso powder, and stir until completely dissolved (set aside).
- In another large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add half the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stir a few times with a large wooden spoon, then add the espresso. Stir a few more times, then add the remaining dry ingredients. Stir with the spoon until just incorporated. Spread the batter evenly between the two cake pans (use a kitchen scale, if desired).
- Bake the cakes for 30-35 minutes, checking at 30 minutes with a toothpick to ensure the cake is fully cooked. If the toothpick has batter remaining, bake for the additional 5 minutes. Remove the cakes from the oven, and allow them to cool for 5 minutes, before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely
- Prepare the vegan buttercream. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld electric mixer, whip the softened vegan butter until light and fluffy. Add half of the powdered sugar, followed by 1 tablespoon of reserved beet cooking liquid and mix together. Add the remaining powdered sugar, along with the vanilla extract and mix on high. If the buttercream seems too stiff, add additional beet liquid; if it is too soft, add an additional cup of powdered sugar. Frost the cake!
Frosted cake can remain at room temperature, in an airtight container, for 2-3 days, or 3-4 days in the fridge.
If making ahead of time, the cake can be kept (before frosting) in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight before frosting.
Notes
*Vegan chocolate cake recipe adapted from The Minimalist Baker.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: cakes
- Method: oven bake
Happy 3 years Katherine! How time flies! This cake is a great way to celebrate! I’ve cut out a lot of dairy, so I often eat vegan desserts. I can’t wait to give this one a try. I’m gathering from your description that it’s a moist cake?! 😉 I’ll admit that I avoid the word, but sometimes you just need to use it! Pinned and making soon!
Haha, you picked up on that whole moist cake thing then? I can’t believe it’s been 3 years either! It does go SO fast. Hope you love this cake!
I’m glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t hate that word. It doesn’t bother me, especially when we’re talking cake. And this cake? GORGEOUS! Save me a slice!
Right!? Who decided to hate on that word haha! Thank you so much Kelsie!!!
Happy blog anniversary Katherine! This cake is so beautiful and looks like the perfect way to celebrate. I’ve never used beets in baking, but it sounds like a great idea! And I use the word “moist” all the time. People need to get over it! LOL
It’s a great idea! It gives it a nice purple hue and adds so much moisture! Thanks Marcie – to all the moist desserts in our future, haha!
Katherine I love this it’s made with Beets! I love beets and it looks beautiful!!! Perfect for the Valentine’s for sure! Pinned! xo
Thanks Kim!! The pink from the beets is very Valentine’s appropriate, right!? 😉
Happy 3 year anniversary Katherine! I love popping by Love in my Oven to check out your creations! This looks like one delicious, MOIST cake! LOL! Bet Hattie loved the pink icing!
Aw thanks so much Mary Ann!! I love creating! Hattie was only about the icing, haha – she didn’t care for the cake!!
This cake looks so incredible! I love how perfect it is for Valentines day!
Thanks Christie!! The pink is totally perfect for Valentine’s 🙂 Happy weekend!
Happy blogiversary!! Nothing better than celebrating with a pretty pink cake! Love it!!
Thanks Annie!! Thanks for following along the past few years 🙂
Happy blogiversary!! What a beautiful and delicious way to celebrate! Now, if I could only grab a slice (or 3) from my screen 😉 Love pink! It’s my fave! Have a wonderful weekend ahead!
Haha I wish I could have gifted you a few big pieces of this cake too, Dawn!! AFter testing it a few times we were chocolate caked out, haha!! Cheers!
Happy Blogiversary, dear Katherine! And what a fabulous way to celebrate, this cake is absolutely gorgeous!!! And haha, that poor word “moist” definitely gets a bad reputation, but it’s such an important adjective, especially when it comes to this cake–it looks SO super moist and delicious!!
Thank you Catherine!! I can’t believe 3 years have already gone by. Haha it is a very important adjective! Maybe one day people will get over it, haha!
I can’t believe my kids wouldn’t be all over this! But more for mommy then hehehe. my mouth is watering I found that to be very amusing! Does look fabulous. Happy Valentine’s Day