Let’s face it, most of us love chocolate, and a lovely slice of chocolate cake is music to our ears. But what if we added some some veg to make an easy Beetroot Chocolate cake?

3 servings of chocolate beetroot layer cake

Beetroot Chocolate Cake with Layers?

You see the problem is I can’t just make a regular cake, I have to add bits in, puts twists on it, etc…😉

So my version has layers AND chilli! But in case you’re getting anxious, don’t! I’ll explain it all below!

Ok first, let’s talk about the beetroot. It’s common knowledge that beetroot is good for you. But why? What exactly is it good for? Well apparently it has a myriad of benefits:

may help fight cancer due to the betacyanin (the purple colour is due to this plant pigment)
may improve digestion due to high antioxidants
may lower blood pressure, as it is rich in nitrates.

But don’t take my word for it, check out this article by netdoctor.co.uk which has much more information.

Ok where were we with the cake?

Ah yes, so the extras I used – chilli powder and layers.

The chilli powder does not make the cake spicy hot! It merely adds a richness to the chocolate flavour so it elevates it I think. Talking of flavours, the beetroot’s flavour doesn’t really come through in this cake either. It’s the sweetness of the beet which contributes to the cake flavour in a different way. Plus it changes the colour slightly too.

I also decided to make this a layer cake – I’m not sure why but it really does add to the beauty of it. The layers look so pretty when you cut into it plus there’s more icing (a major plus for the kids) and more to go round too! If you just want the one layer or even two, just halve the batter or make it two thirds – it will work just as well!

On the topic of the kids, not sure about you, but my kids are pretty fussy when it comes to vegetables. If they had known there was even a spoonful of beetroot in this cake, they’d have left it well alone. Sooooo… I just didn’t mention it – at all!! And guess what? They had no idea and what’s more, they LOVED it!

Note to self – if only I could do this with all their food! 😉

And yes, I did eventually tell them, but only after they’d polished it all off – I couldn’t risk them leaving half of it for me to wade through. Not that I’d have minded, but my jeans only just fit me now…! 😆

Top tips

I have to say this easy beetroot chocolate cake really is just that – pretty easy!

However, if I was to give any tips, here’s what I’d say:

All fridge ingredients should be left at room temperature before starting so that everything is incorporated into the cake batter easily.
You can make the cake layers in advance and freeze if you like. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months as long as you wrap them in clingfilm with a double or triple layer before putting in a sandwich bag or tupperware box. The same goes for the buttercream.
When I make my cake, I like to crumb coat it and let it chill in the fridge before continuing with the rest of the buttercream frosting. The crumb coat just makes sure that when you do get around to the frosting, you don’t end up with bits of cake in your buttercream! This is really annoying and the texture is less than ideal. This is just something I have been doing recently – it’s still fine the other way too though!

Right, let’s get cracking with the recipe. Oh and if you love this cake but like the idea of other cake recipes too, why not check out my Blueberry Lime cake with walnuts and Thyme or my Triple Chocolate Spiced Banana Bread!

In the meantime, to the recipe! Let me know what you think!