Beet Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

I’m sure you are surprised to see the next post after mentioning my diet that I am posting about Beet Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting! Me too! Although I am not surprised about the cake part. The beet part is what gets me!

Since I am trying to cut calories, I pulled out some cookbooks to see what “light” recipes I could find.

Yeah, that cake on the front doesn’t exactly look “light” to me but whatever!

Anyway, as I perused the recipes, I came across the Beet Cake recipe. I have no idea why I stopped to read it–much less make the cake. I don’t even like beets. I remember always seeing them at Franke’s Cafeteria when I was a kid. NO THANKS!

I guess I was feeling adventuresome.

Having never eaten a beet, I sure didn’t know how to buy one.

There was a little note in my cookbook that said to buy medium globes with stems  and leaves attached, no soft spots.

I knew enough about beets to know that they stain. I searched high and low in our house for a pair of rubber gloves of some sort. No luck! As I peeled and grated the beets, I held on to them with the plastic produce bag from the store. That seemed to work just fine. I found them to be rather tough. Grating them was more work than I thought it would be.

The cake was fairly easy to make.

Mix the dry ingredients.

Mix the wet ingredients.

Add oil.

Add the dry to the wet. Put it in a pan and put it in the oven.

For your pans, you need to line them with waxed paper.

Isn’t this the most beautiful batter you have ever seen?! I was so excited when I saw it!

I was so disappointed when it came out of the oven and was not pink. I really expected it to stay that wonderful fuchsia color! Bummer.

While the cakes cool, mix up the frosting. It is a basic cream cheese frosting, except it has orange zest in it. WOW! That makes it super yummy!

A few toasted walnuts on top adds to the deliciousness.

The recipe says to cut into 18 slices. Are you kidding me? 18? Now I see why it is in a “light” cookbook. The pieces are tiny!

I took this cake to potluck at church. Everyone loved it! It was very rich. It’s a good thing the pieces were tiny. See, that is a good way to make a cake when you are on a diet. Make it and take it somewhere. That way you get to try it without having it hang around to tempt you!

Beet Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Cake:

1 pound beets (about 2 medium )

Cooking spray

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 large eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk

• Preheat oven to 350˚F.
• Peel beets. Grate on the large holes of a grater-about 2 cups.
• Coat 2 (9 inch) round pans with cooking spray. Line the bottoms of the pans with waxed paper and spray again.
• In a mixing bowl combine flour and next five ingredients. Use a whisk to sift them together.
• Combine white sugar, brown sugar, oil and eggs in a large bowl. Beat on medium until well blended. Add the beats, mix well.
• Add flour mixture to the sugar mixture alternately with the milk. Start and finish with the flour.
• Pour into prepared pans. Tap the pans on the counter one time to remove any air bubbles.
• Bake @ 350˚ for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
• Cool in pans 10 minutes on wire racks. Carefully remove waxed paper and cool completely.

Frosting:

2 teaspoon grated orange rind

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (8 ounce) block 1/3 less fat cream cheese, chilled

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons finely chopped walnuts, toasted

• Beat orange rind, vanilla, and cream cheese with a mixer until fluffy.
• Add powdered sugar. Beat until blended but don’t overbeat.
• Place one cake layer on a cake plate. Spread 1/2 cup of frosting on that layer. Top with other layer. Spread the remaining frosting on top and sides of the cake.
• Sprinkle nuts on top of the cake.
• Store loosely covered in the refrigerator.

Critics’ Corner

Chip: This cake can’t be “beet”.

Megan: I never thought veggies could taste so good.

Katie: It was soooooooooooooooo (take a breath)oooooooooooooo GOOD!

Just in case you were wondering about the calorie information and such, here ya go:

A serving is 1/18 of the cake.

Calories 120.7

Total Fat 2 grams

Total Carbs 25 grams

Dietary Fiber 0.3 grams

Sugars 17.9 grams

Protein 2.0 grams

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