Choco-beetroot cake, a gluten-free and allergen-free delight!

Nutrition is often used as an excuse to add vegetables to cakes. For me, adding vegetable purees is all about texture and flavor. Beetroot puree gives the dough a soft, melting texture and pairs deliciously with the flavor of chocolate.

For the frosting, we like it simple: a dark chocolate ganache. It's classic, not too sweet and so good! For a festive touch, I added a little cloud of vanilla plant-based meringue on each portion when serving. It's completely optional, but the contrast between the dense cake and the lightness of the meringue is so nice.

This recipe uses our gluten-free and allergen-free cake mix . It requires no eggs or dairy and makes a hearty, delicious cake that's safe to eat!

Chocolate beetroot cake

Yield: one 9-inch (23 cm) diameter cake

Ingredients :

• 1 ½ cups beet puree
• ¼ cup olive oil (or other of your choice)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 cup unsweetened plant-based milk of your choice
• ¼ cup cocoa
• 1 preparation for Candied Lemon cake

Preparation :

1. To make the beetroot puree, you need cooked beets. They can be boiled or baked, the important thing is that they are cooked through to the center. Peel the beets and blend them in a food processor (or blender) until you have a smooth puree.
2. Preheat oven to 350 °F and oil a 9-inch (23 cm) diameter cake pan.
3. In a large bowl, mix the beet puree, oil and vanilla.
4. Mix the cocoa with the Candied Lemon cake preparation and add to the wet mixture, alternating with the vegetable milk.
5. Bake at 350 °F for about 60 minutes.
6. Allow the cake to cool before carefully removing it from the mold.

Please note: the cake must be perfectly cold if you want to ice it with the ganache, otherwise it risks melting! It is therefore better to let the cake cool in the refrigerator for a few hours before icing it.

Ganache Frosting

Yield: Enough frosting for a 9-inch (23 cm) diameter cake

Ingredients :

• ¾ cup canned coconut milk (full fat!)
• 1 ½ cups dairy-free dark chocolate chips

Preparation :

1. Try to take mostly the thick part of the coconut milk and top up with the liquid part if necessary. The thicker the milk, the thicker the ganache will be.
2. Melt the chocolate in the coconut milk over very low heat, stirring until the mixture is smooth.
3. Pour into a mixing bowl and let cool completely in the refrigerator.
4. When the mixture is completely cold, stir or whisk to lighten the texture.
5. Keep refrigerated until ready to frost the cake.

Note: if your coconut milk is very liquid, it is still possible to make this ganache. I add 2 to 3 tablespoons of deodorized coconut oil when melting the chocolate and it compensates for the too liquid coconut milk.

Assembling the cake

For best results, both the cake and the ganache must be perfectly cold. If the ganache is too thick, it is possible to whip it and it will regain its flexibility.

Cut the cake in half horizontally so that you can fill the center with ganache. Cover the entire cake with ganache and decorate to taste!

If you choose to make the meringue, I recommend adding it only just before serving to prevent it from collapsing, much like whipped cream would.

Vanilla vegetable meringue

Yield: about 2 cups

Ingredients :

• ½ cup of aquafaba, which is the liquid contained in a can of chickpeas (choose a can of chickpeas without salt ideally)
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation :

1. Drain the can of chickpeas, reserving ½ cup of the liquid.
2. Pour this liquid and the vanilla into a bowl and whisk with an electric mixer (blender or stand mixer) on low speed for 4-5 minutes, until the mixture begins to become very frothy.
3. Add the sugar, one spoonful at a time, and continue beating for about ten minutes or until stiff peaks form.
4. Store in the refrigerator. Ideally consume within the day because the meringue falls slowly. However, it is possible to whip the leftovers again (4-5 minutes) to regain the initial texture.

Note: It's easy to use a can of unsalted chickpeas, but if like me you prefer to cook the chickpeas yourself, you can save the cooking water to make meringue. Just make sure to rinse the chickpeas well and soak them before cooking to avoid impurities. Any leftover cooking water can be frozen (I use ice cube trays) for later use.

cookTime	---	PT60M
prepTime	---	PT20M
totalTime	---	PT80M
recipeCategory	---	Dessert
cookingMethod	---	In the oven