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 350ËšF.
- 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 @ 350Ëš 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