from Mariquita Farm & Mollie Katzen
When we made this it was delicious, really easy and made us feel better about eating cake! The Urban Recipe blogger used a bit more beet 
puree and whole wheat flour in her rendition and it looks great – we’ll try that next time.
- 1 1/4 cups beet puree
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 c unbleached flour
- 3/4 c cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 t baking soda
To make beet puree, trim stems and roots off beets and quarter them. Place in heavy sauce pan filled with water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 50 mins or until the beets are tender. Drain off remaining liquid and rinse beets in cold water as they’ll be too hot to handle otherwise. Slide skins off and place beets in blender. Pulse until a smooth puree forms. Let cool slightly before using in cake. Puree can be made several days in advance.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously oil the baking pan (9 inch square or round pan). In a large bowl, beat the eggs well. Thoroughly whisk in the sugar, oil, vanilla, salt and beet puree until very smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking soda. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients a little at a time, whisking until smooth.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan. Serve topped with confectioners sugar, whipped cream, or frosting.