Beet Cake + Avocado Pudding + Beet Juice Dyed Frosting Birthday Cake

To celebrate my 29 years of life I decided to whip up a little cake using my most favorite thing to grow...BEETS! 

Glorious beets! 

This cake is a perfect example of how you can have veggies in your life even at the end of the meal (or for breakfast if it's your birthday).  Beets really pair nicely with chocolate...especially dark chocolate.  And as for the Avocado Pudding that I made for the center of the cake...I saw it in Bon Appetit Magazine and just had to give it a try. After all avocado's are a haute item these days!

So I'm breaking the instructions down into 3 sections: Beet Cake, Avocado Pudding, and Beet Juice Dyed Frosting. 

Beet Cake: 

From Heather Cristo Blog

¾ cup butter, room temperature
1 ½ cups white sugar (I used 1 1/4 cup) 
1 ½ tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 ¼ cups beet puree (comes from 2-3 large beets) (I used 1 cup because I needed 1 beet for the frosting!) 
1 ½ cups flour
1 ½ cups cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 325. Cook time 30 minutes. 

Cook your beets until fork tender. Peel them and throw them into the food processor. Beet puree ready! 

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and powder, salt, cinnamon. 

Cream butter and sugar...add beets, eggs, vanilla, and milk. Combine. 

Add dry ingredients to wet and place in two prepared baking dishes (these need to have cooking spray, lard, or butter on them to prevent sticking). And bake! 

Avocado Pudding: 

Inspired by Bon Appetit Magazine

{I made a few changes to this one based on what I had around the house}

2 ripe Avocado's with the flesh scooped out

1 tsp vanilla

3/4 cup unsweeted cocoa powder

1/2 cup pure {the real stuff people!} maple syrup

1/4 corn syrup

1/4 cup orange juice

3/4 cup hot (but not boiling) water

Get your 3/4 cup of water heating. Add everything minus the water to a bowl and mix until smooth.  With mixer going slowly add the hot water. Let chill for at least a few hours - I chilled it over night. It's so good! It just tastes clean and chocolate. A+! 

Beet Juice Dyed Frosting: 

Grad a box of confectioners sugar and use the recipe on the side of the box for their buttercream.  The box recipe calls for 3-4 tablespoons of milk.  I only used 3 to account for the beet juice. 

Grate 1 raw beet. Add beet to a piece of cheese cloth and squeeze juice out into the frosting.  Give it a good mixing and you're done!


And now.....

Assemble the cake after the avocado pudding has set {at least 3 hours}. 

beet cake with beet juice dyed frosting