Now before the sirens start going off in your brain about how beet cake shouldn’t be a thing, let me explain – we have carrot cake, zucchini bread, sweet potato pie! So many vegetables in baked goods that it’s almost too many to count. And yet beets, with their natural sweetness and gorgeous texture, still never made the list? Rude, imo. So here is to beets and what they can do in cake, and I promise, when you eat this, you’ll be surprised at exactly what beets can do.
To give you the highlights – beets add the natural moisture that you get in carrot cakes or zucchini breads, making them another amazing way to get a rich, moist cake, and a highly unique flavor. Plus, the bright beet color you know naturally fades in this cake, making it a much more approachable baked good than you’d anticipate. And lastly, beets are coming into season, so why wait for carrot cake spring to come back around, when we have beets ready and waiting for us? It’s a win-win-win all around when you decide to dive into the world of ~the beet cake~
Table of contents
Dry ingredients you will need for this beet cake
You’ll be surprised at how similar this cake is to normal vegetable-based cakes that you’ve made in the past. For this beet cake you will need:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, 280g
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp each all spice, clove, nutmeg
We ingredients you will need for this beet cake
Now the wet ingredients is where things will start to get a bit different. Here is where the beets come in, but you add them last. Here are all the wet ingredients you will need:
- 1 cup & 2 tbsp cup coconut oil or neutral oil, 235g
- 1 cup white sugar, 220g
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed, 135g
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups finely grated beets, 260g
How to prepare this beet cake
Typical of most cake recipes, you mix the dry, then the wet, then combine. This beet cake is no different, with the full step-by-step being below!
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices.
- In another bowl, beat together the oil, sugar, and eggs until smooth. Add in the beets and stir to combine.
- In two parts, add the dry ingredients to the wet, use a whisk to mix this until smooth.
- Lightly grease the sides of a 9″ springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Pour in the batter and bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes.
- Let the cake cool completely. While this is happening, beat together the butter and cream cheese for the frosting. Use the electric mixer and beat until smooth and fluffy. Gradually sift in the powdered sugar in batches, mixing until a smooth, light icing forms.
- When the cake is cooled, generously add a portion of icing to the top, swirl it around to the edges of the cake. Decorate as you prefer and serve!
Tips on the cream cheese frosting
Now I love a good cream cheese frosting. It might be basic, but it has a nice tang that compliments this perfectly sweet cake.
For the frosting, make sure both your cream cheese and your butter are the same level of softness. This will matter more than you think when you start whipping it.
It’s also imperative that you sift your powdered sugar. Although it can be an annoying step, it will ensure that your frosting comes out smooth and homogenous, with not errant lumps or clumps in the mix.
Why is this recipe in grams?
Baking is a very finicky and exact science. The only way to ensure complete accuracy is through measuring by weight, and not volume. As much as I wish I could give you multiple ways to measure ingredients, in this recipe measuring by cups might cause some volatility and miss-matched results. I want to ensure you get the best results with this recipe (and I want to keep this recipe fool-proof!) so I highly recommend getting a small affordable kitchen scale if you want to move forward with this cake recipe!
Looking for other similar baking recipes?
Here are a few that are perfect for fall!
Brown Butter & Sage Pumpkin Bread
The BEST Pumpkin Cookies
Vegan Blood Orange Chocolate Cupcakes
And that’s everything for this beet cake!
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Equipment
- 1 whisk
- 1 stand mixer or hand mixer optional for the frosting
- 9" 9-inch spring form cake pans
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, 280g
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp each all spice, clove, nutmeg
- 1 cup & 2 tbsp cup coconut oil or neutral oil, 235g
- 1 cup white sugar, 220g
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed, 135g
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups finely grated beets, 260g
Optional cream cheese frosting
- 1/4 cup butter, softened, 56g
- 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened, 113g
- 2 & 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted, 250g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices.
- In another bowl, beat together the oil, sugar, and eggs until smooth. Add in the beets and stir to combine.
- In two parts, add the dry ingredients to the wet, use a whisk to mix this until smooth.
- Lightly grease the sides of a 9" springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. Pour in the batter and bake at 350°F for 45-50 minutes.
- Let the cake cool completely. While this is happening, beat together the butter and cream cheese for the frosting. Use the electric mixer and beat until smooth and fluffy. Gradually sift in the powdered sugar in batches, mixing until a smooth, light icing forms.
- When the cake is cooled, generously add a portion of icing to the top, swirl it around to the edges of the cake. Decorate as you prefer and serve!
Comments
I am here for the natural progression of vegetables to beet cake. Any thoughts on flax eggs being successful here? Thanks Justine!
I haven’t personally tested it, but I’ve had luck with flax egg in the past as a substitute! Here I would say that you’d lose a significant amount of structure in the cake, but if you try it please report back!
Hi, are the beets you use raw or cooked?
Raw! Thank you for the question – I’ll note that in the recipe!
When baking cookies I often use applesauce to substitute the egg. Do you think that could work in this recipe? Trying it tonight and deciding between applesauce and flax seed as my brother is allergic to eggs!
This is tricky – applesauce doesn’t really give any structure in the way an egg does, so I’d recommend flax egg if you can, although I haven’t personally tested it.
Hi Justine, what would you recommend for making this cake in cupcakes, baking temp and time wise?
I’d keep the temperature the same and lower the bake time by 10 minutes, adding 2 minutes at a time until you can insert a toothpick and it comes out clean!
I love carrot cake so the idea of a beet cake really intrigued me!
The batter was such a beautiful color!!
However — I will say that I had an issue with the liquid ingredients. Not surprisingly, melted coconut oil can quickly become solid when introduced to cold things… so, my eggs that had been in the fridge and/or the beets cooled the oil down such that it was clumpy with coconut oil!! Haha no worries, I was able to place the bowl on top of hot water, slowly stirred it, and the oil melted down again. No harm, no foul – but be warned about the temperature of the wet ingredients.
Big fan of this recipe – thank you for posting it!
That’s a great note! I’ll add that the eggs should be at room temp!
Hiiiiii! I have extra beets on hand, but they are steamed and peeled. How would I adjust the recipe for cooked beets? Or would that be too difficult?
Just so I don’t lead you astray, I think raw beets are the best bet for this one. Cooked beets vary greatly in moisture levels and I wouldn’t want you to bake a cake without 100% knowing how to alter the recipe for you!
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