Fudgy Chocolate Beet Cake with Chocolate Avocado Frosting

For the cake:

• 2 medium beets
• 2 cups plain unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tbsp cream of tartar
• 1 ½ cups raw turbinado sugar (or substitute cane sugar)
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups oat flour
• 3/4 cup almond meal
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• pinch of kosher salt

For the frosting:

• 2 ripe avocados, halved and pitted
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• few pinches kosher salt
• 2 tbsp strong brewed coffee (optional)

Get Ingredients

Preheat oven to 400° F. Chop the stems off your beets, as well as the tips if they are long. Scrub clean. Wrap in foil and roast until a fork slides easily to the center of the beet, 60-75 minutes. Remove, unwrap, and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Once cooled, peel the beets by pushing the skins off with the back of a knife. they should slide off easily. Cut the beets into chunks and place in the bowl of a food processor. Puree, scraping down the sides as necessary. You may have to add a bit of water to encourage the beets to puree. Scoop out 1 cup of puree for this recipe – the rest is leftover.

Lower oven temp to 350° F. Coat two 8-inch cake pans with cooking spray. Line with parchment paper (trace the bottom of the tin onto parchment paper and cut out so it just fits in the bottom) and spray again. Set aside.

Whisk together almond milk and cream of tartar in a large bowl. Let sit about 5 minutes to curdle.

To the almond milk mixture, add 1 cup of beet puree, sugar, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. With a hand mixer (or in a stand mixer), beat until foamy, about 30 seconds. (This is important so that the coconut oil does not separate and solidify.)

Sift in remaining dry ingredients. Beat again to incorporate.

Divide between the cake pans. Bake at 350° F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with fudgy crumbs, 30-35 minutes.

Remove and cool completely in the pans on wire racks. Then, if time allows, transfer pans to the fridge to cool further. Run a knife around the edge of the cake pan before inverting the cake and peeling off the parchment paper. (Be sure you allow the cakes to cool completely before removing, or they will not hold together!)

Scoop out the flesh of the avocados and place in the bowl of a food processor. Puree until smooth. Add remaining ingredients and puree again, scraping down the sides of the bowl.

Place the first layer on your cake stand or serving plate. If the top is uneven, carefully even it off with a knife. Smooth on about half of the frosting, and top with the second cake layer. Smooth on remaining frosting and add any decorations you like! (If you made 1 9-inch layer, you will have enough frosting to coat the sides, if you want.)

Refrigerate before serving. The cake can be served immediately, but I like it best after being refrigerated overnight. Enjoy!

Cake adapted from minimalistbaker.com/fudgy-vegan-beet-cupcakes/.