CHOCOLATE BEETROOT AND ZUCCHINI BUNDT CAKE

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This chocolate beetroot zucchini bundt cake is velvety, moist, and deeply satisfying. It is the perfect accompaniment for your morning tea or coffee.

I am calling all chocolate lovers; please gather around! Join me with a hot cuppa or a nice glass of red. Okay! Okay! We have room for veggie lovers as well, come along let's devour this delicious chocolate beetroot zucchini cake. Yup! You heard right! It's got veggies in it. So, let's stuff our faces without guilt while we binge on some chick flick this weekend, after all, it's mother's day.

 

TIPS FOR MAKING BEETROOT ZUCCHINI BUNDT CAKE

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Let me start by saying this bundt cake is wonderfully textured, rich, dark, and moist. The beetroot introduces a unique and vivid color and an earthy flavor to the cake whereas the zucchini adds lovely moisture.

 

ZUCCHINI

For this beetroot zucchini bundt cake recipe, you want to make sure you grate the zucchini finely if you don't want it to be noticeable in the finished product. Most importantly, you need to release the water from the zucchini using a dish towel or thick paper towel, so the cake holds its shape. The excess water might leave the cake soggy if you omit this step. I sure as heck know you don't want your hard work to go in the trash 🙂 Am I right? If you noticed on the ingredients list below, I measured the zukes in volume because the vegetable differs quite a bit in weight.

If you've never cooked with zucchini before, you are missing out. It makes a great addition to many savory and baked goods. I love it so much; I could put that shit on everything. If you are looking for inspiration to add more veggies to your diet, zucchini is one way to go. Here is one way I used zucchini to make burger patties, and it was unbelievably good.

BEETROOT

At first, I wasn't a big fan of beets until I watched a show on the cooking channel where the chef illustrated different ways to introduce beets into various dishes and of course the best way to cook the veg. For me, the easiest way to prepare it (without having a reddish-purple hue splattered all over my kitchen) is to wrap it in foil and roast it in the oven. Roasting the vegetable gives it an exceptionally nutty taste. I went the extra mile to bake the beets; I haven't tried using raw beets for this recipe. I advise roasting the night before you bake the cake so that it will be less stressful.

To begin, you wash the vegetable, chop off the majority of the stalk leaving a tiny bit for ease of handling when peeling. Place in an aluminum foil and wrap. Transfer to the oven and bake at 400°F for 35 to 40 minutes, turning once until the beets are fork-tender. Allow cooling before peeling. Wear a glove if you do not want your fingers temporarily discolored.

Top Tip: DO NOT discard the stalk and leaves. They are very nutritious! Wash them thoroughly and use them in a variety of dishes or smoothies.

THE FLOUR

When measuring the flour for this recipe, I suggest either measuring the weight of the flour or use a spoon to scoop the pulp into the measuring cup and level off the excess with an offset spatula or a knife. This way, you will get the right amount that the recipe requires. Also, the cake will be moist and not too dense.

USING A BUNDT PAN

 

 

As you can see, this is a bundt pan cake (Duh). However, you can use any cake pan to achieve the same result but without that decorative edge or design.

True story: The first time I tried baking with a bundt cake pan, it was an embarrassing flop. I got a fancy non-stick rose gold bundt pan from Ross or Target( I can't remember which) years back. I took my time to make a swirly chocolate cake with cream cheese for a playdate; I made sure to grease the crevices of the pan, I am pretty sure I went overboard juuust to be safe. I was pretty confident I nailed it until it came time to release the cake from the pan, my jaw dropped!

It was an absolute struggle to get the cake to release. I tried all the tricks in the book but my cake still stuck. I ended up using a knife to release the cake, which ended up looking like a mouse did a Cupid shuffle on it. My guests were kind enough to rave about the cake overlooking the presentation🙄.

 

 

To make your life easier, please be sure to grease the pan with butter or shortening. A pastry brush works well to ensure that all sides of the pan are sufficiently covered with grease to prevent that heart-sinking sticking moment!! (see the picture above).

When filling the pan, spoon the batter into the pan gently to avoid the development of air bubbles.

Gently tap the pan on a worktop to release any bubbles that may have formed. Make sure the batter reaches all nooks of the pan. I used a Nordic Ware bundt pan, and the cake slid right out once cooled for 10 minutes in the pan.

The topping is entirely optional!

I drizzled some chocolate ganache on the cake for an added sweetness. Why? You ask, well because chocolate is always a good idea. On a serious note, this is entirely up to you. I made mine a runny consistency by adding more heavy cream. I used this recipe here for my ganache. It was even more delicious the second day.

 

 

UPDATED!

I  used sugared cranberries and a second layer of vanilla frosting for a bit of a contrast, also to make it look like a million bucks (ha!). You can dust the top with powdered sugar and add some fresh fruits for an ooh-ah! Reaction to that final presentation.

There you have it! An easy peasy dreamy delicious veggie bundt cake that is perfect for any occasion. Not too sweet, not too dense. Simply perfect. Give it a try and let me know how ya like it. Oh! Did I mention this cake freezes well? Funny, I know there won't be any left, but I just wanted to put it out there.

 

 

Let's hear it for Mom! It's mother's day on Sunday here in the U.S, and I decided to do something a little different. I asked two of my subscribers to write a favorite memory of their mom or a valuable lesson they've learned from mom. So, these are their stories;

"My mother taught me that life will always change, that people will come and go, and that where you start out in life does not define who you will become or where you will go, it is all a journey and not a destination. The world is an exciting, terrifying place full of adventure, struggle, hard work, and joy and wherever life may take you, the family will ground you and give you a home to return to.  Now I live nearly five thousand miles from my mother and yet she will always be there for a call, and that distance cannot break the bond between mother and child, whether that child is three or thirty-three. I know there will always be a comfort for me wherever she may be."

------Lucy. R

" My mom taught me to be generous, loving, and appreciative of ALL my blessings. She taught me to be hardworking and diligent in all I do. I drove her nuts as a kid, but she loved me unconditionally. She taught me to follow my dreams and work hard, in the event things don't work out, never forget to get on my knees and pray. She is thousands of miles away but ALWAYS there when I need her. She is my best friend, and just like her, I hope to leave my imprint everywhere I go.

------Marie. O.O

"I knew then that no matter how hard you tried, no matter how many jars of honey you threw, no matter how much you thought you could leave your mother behind, she would never disappear from the tender places in you."

- Sue Monk Kidd

The Secret Life of Bees

I would love to hear a great lesson you learned from mom or a special memory you share with her. Share with us in the comments below; we are waiting! To my beautiful and hard-working moms, we know it's a 365 days job but let's enjoy ALL the attention this weekend. Cheers to a HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

P.S: For a smoother finish, you can blend all the ingredients in a food processor. Start with the beets and zucchini, then wet ingredients and the dry ingredients. Transfer to the baking pan, and bake.

 

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