This noteworthy vegan double chocolate beetroot cake is beyond good; it’s sure to surprise unsuspecting palates. Beets are naturally sweet, and despite their distinctive flavour, they pair really well with chocolate…so well that they’re practically undetectable in this recipe. Not only are beets full of fiber and other healthful nutrients, they can be surprisingly decadent. Topped with a simple dairy-free ganache, this cake is perfect for that special someone when the occasion strikes. One would ne’er suspect there are serious vegetables hiding in this belle vision!
For various reasons, chocolate cake appears in our home for special events. One reason being, it’s my favourite; two, because I tend to sneakily hide vegetables in my cakes…chocolate make it easy to do just that. And today’s recipe is no different.
This recipe was inspired by Traci at Vanilla & Bean when I spotted her Beet Red Velvet Cupcakes on social media last week. The thought of making a beet-chocolate hybrid cake had been on my mind for ages, but I have to thank Traci for finally enticing me to do it. And of course, this post comes out on exactly the day I need it to, and not a minute too late *phew*. Not that you need to celebrate Valentine’s day to make this noteworthy (love that term) cake.
While it looks devilishly decadent, this recipe is actually filled with good-for-you ingredients. The base is made from spelt flour and contains the bonus of omega three’s from flax. Beet puree makes this cake fudgey and brownie-like without being overly sweet (I use my Vitamix for this). It’s a definite chocolate lovers cake.
The ganache couldn’t be more simple: similar to traditional ganache made with cream, this recipe uses semi sweet dark chocolate and heated coconut milk. It sets up beautifully after the elapsed time. Between the beet puree and ganache, this cake does take a little longer to prepare. Plan give yourself a good two hours from start to finish. However, if you’re looking to save time, the beet puree can be made in advance and kept covered in the fridge prior to use.
Do give this vegan double chocolate beetroot cake a go. Also, don’t forget to leave me a comment below and share your work on Instagram by tagging @the.simple.green. I can’t wait to see!
All the best
xo
Want more chocolate recipes like this one?
If you love this recipe, check out some of my other popular chocolate recipes:
Triple Chocolate Sweet Potato Cupcakes
Vegan Chocolate Bundt cake with Peppermint Ganache
Double Chocolate Beetroot Cake [vegan, dairy-free]
This notable double chocolate beetroot cake is beyond good and sure to surprise your palate. Beets are naturally sweet, and despite their distinctive flavour, they pair so well with chocolate…so well that they’re practically undetectable. This cake is decadent, fudgey, and full of good for your ingredients! Beetroot puree can be made in advance to save time.
Ingredients
Chocolate Beetroot Cake
- 1 cup beet puree *see direction 1
- 2 tablespoons flax meal
- 4 tablespoons water
- 2 cups sprouted spelt flour or whole wheat flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- 1 cup organic cane sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Dairy Free Chocolate Ganache
- 6 oz (170g) semi-sweet dark chocolate pieces
- ¾ cup full fat coconut milk
Instructions
Prepare Beetroot Puree
-
Peel and quarter 3-4 medium sized beets (approx. 1 pound of beets). Steam the beets for 15 minutes or until a knife easily pierces them. Add the cooked beets to a food processor or Vitamix and blend until smooth. Measure out 1 cup for use and set aside.
For the Cake Base
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Preheat the oven to 350'F. Line an 8" round cake pan with parchment paper and grease around the side.
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In a small bowl, combine the flax meal and water and let stand for 5-10 minutes or until thickened. Meanwhile in a large bowl, sift together the spelt flour, cane sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the centre and set aside.
-
In a small bowl, combine the flax mixture, beetroot puree, olive oil, almond milk and vanilla. Add the beet mixture to the flour mixture and stir just until combined.
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Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
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Remove the cake from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Carefully remove the cake form the pan, remove the parchment paper, and cool completely on a wire rack. While the cake is cooling, prepare the ganache.
Prepare the ganache
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Add the chocolate pieces to a medium sized heat proof bowl. In a small saucepan, gently heat the coconut milk until steaming, but not bubbling. Carefully pour the hot coconut milk over the chocolate and stir until all the chocolate is melted. Allow the ganache to thicken at room temperature for 40-50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Note that the ganache may seem runny at first, but it will thicken to a spreadable texture after the elapsed time.
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Using an offset spatula, frost the cooled cake and serve.
Recipe Notes
Beetroot puree can be made in advance and kept in the fridge until ready to use. It's also not necessary to let the puree cool before adding it to the cake batter. If your coconut milk has separated during storage (it has a thick layer of fat and a watery layer), it's imperative that you mix it back together before measuring; a blender or food processor can assist with this if need be.
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I have all the things except beets! I didn’t have anything special planned for Valentines, but perhaps making a cake is in store. This looks delicious!
Thanks, Melissa 😀 That sounds like an excellent plan xo
I bet it would work with mashed bananas – though decrease the milk in that case
Bananas would work! If you give it a try, let me know!
Do you think that this recipe would work with any other types of flour? Cassava, or coconut flour as an alternative to the spelt flour?
Hi Charlotte! I haven’t tried making this recipe with anything other than spelt or whole wheat flour, so unfortunately, I can’t say for sure that it would work with those. If you give it a go, let me know how it works for you 🙂
Carrrots will work
I need to substituye the spelt flor, what can I use?
Hi Monica! If you need to substitute, you can use all-purpose or whole wheat flour (or a mix of both) 🙂
Heidi: I substituted the spelt flour with gluten free flour plus some xantham gum as needed. It was so good! Thank you for this recipe!
You’re most welcome and that’s wonderful to hear. I’m happy it worked out for you and you love it 🙂
I am – sorry to say – very anti-vegan – but I came across this recipe/picture on Foodgawker and it looks beautiful; it roses wonderfully. I am going to make it the next time I’d rather eat my eggs instead of use them in cake OR if I quite simply run out! Thanks!
Thank you, Monika!! I’m happy you’re intrigued and inspired to give it a try 🙂 If you make it, let me know how it turns out for you. All the best!
Simply delicious!!!!!
So glad you like it, Simone!
Could this cake be made with chia eggs instead of flax meal? Thanks in advance!
Hi Steph! I suspect you’ll have no issue using chia gel to bind the ingredients. Let me know how it works for you 🙂
This looks and sounds delicious! Can’t wait to try it! I love beets any and every way, and with chocolate? Yes please!
Thanks so much, Kelly! If you give it a go, let me know how you like it 🙂
Hello! Is there any chance to substitute the organic cane sugar with something else (stevia, xylitol or erythritol )? Thank you!
Hi Carmen 🙂 I haven’t tried any sugar substitutes in the recipe, however, xylitol may work here in equal measure. Let me know how it works for you!
Love this recipe!
😀
Hi Heidi, thanks for the recipe.
I don’t have a flax seed meal at home. Can I substitute it with more oil and if so how much more?
Hi there! Flax meal is ideal to act as a binder in the recipe, and I wouldn’t use extra oil for this purpose. However you could use ground chia seed in equal measure if you have that.
Fun to make, although it does take some time. Beets are hardly noticeable. Substituted the flax meal for chia seeds and it went perfectly; they aren’t noticeable in the cake at all. Do make sure to stir the chia seeds to avoid clumping along all the stages. The ganache took more than an hour to thicken (although I did mess up the ratio a little) but it did thicken, so do be patient. Overall a nice, not too sweet cake! Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Tala! I’m so happy to hear you like the recipe…it’s one of my favourites! And thank you for sharing your feedback here, it’s much appreciated. All the best 🙂
Just wanted to say I’ve made this cake three times now and love it! Thank you for a great keeper recipe!
I’m so happy you like the recipe, Kasia! Thank you for sharing 🙂
This recipe is the best! makes a moist beautiful cake,
loved by vegans and non-vegans alike. I find it easy to make and it works overtime. Its my go to recipe now. Thank you so much Heidi for sharing it with us.
You’re most welcome and thank you so much! I’m really glad you like it, Darci! It’s one of my all-time favourite cakes, too 🙂
Hi Heidi, came across your recipe on Google and I must say it is really appropriate for baking these delicious moist muffins. I make my own multigrain flour at home (no all purpose/whole wheat) and tried the recipe with that. It came out very close to your pictures. I tried muffins though and reduced the time to 27mins. Also they tasted better the next day as the flavours matured a little more. Need a suggestion- Can I include chocolate chips in the recipe next time? I’m confused whether they would overpower the taste of the beets. Thanks for your reply.
Hi Shivangi! I’m very happy to hear you like the recipe! And yes, I find that the cake is better the next day as well. I don’t foresee any issues with adding chocolate chips to the recipe; let me know how it works if you try it. Thanks again 🙂
I added chocolate chips and named them ‘Double Chocolate Beet Muffins’, and voila!, my customers loved the muffins totally. Thanks again 🙂
That’s wonderful! Thank you so much for sharing that, Shivangi!
Delicious!! Gonna make extra! Made with ready to eat, whole beets (packaged) from local store to save time, and swapped a few things I already have plenty on hand – Coconut sugar, Avocado oil, 1/2 plain flour 1/2 spelt. Didn’t have anything for the Ganache so I just some with coco yogurt and blueberries mmhmm X
I’m so happy to hear you like the recipe, Darby! Thank you for leaving your lovely feedback!
My cake didn’t rise . Shame! What do you think went wrong? I followed the recipe. Thanks
Hi Tiffany! Most often this is due to an inactive leavening agent- in this case, I gather it’s because your baking soda is outdated. I hope this helps 🙂
Hi Tiffany! Most often this is due to an inactive leavening agent- in this case, I gather it’s because your baking soda is outdated. I hope this helps 🙂
i took the risk and made this with dutch processed cocoa powder, which is what i had on hand. i think that’s where i went wrong.. i think you used natural cocoa powder. my cake tasted horrible and i could really taste the beet, and not so much the chocolate. wish you specify what kind of cocoa powder you use next time..
Hi Shalini! I’m so sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy this recipe. Often times in recipes, it will specify to use dutch process, otherwise regular cocoa powder is usually the way to go. If it tasted too much like beets, the beets were likely under-cooked or possibly old- the latter causes beets to have a very earthy taste.
I would love to try this recipe! Can i use eggs instead of flax meal and how many?
Hi Sapna! I haven’t tried it with eggs before so I can’t be sure, but the equivalent should be 2 eggs.
great I’m going to try it right now! thanks
Let me know how it works for you!
Hi, this recipe looks wonderful. I would like to ask if i can use almond flour instead of spelt flour, or chickpea flour. Also, can I skip the sugar? Thank you 😋😊
Hi Katrina! Thank you for the kind words! I have not tried the recipe with almond or chickpea flour and can’t guarantee they will work (almond and chickpea flour contain no gluten and this recipe also has no eggs). If you are trying to avoid gluten, an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend should work as a substitute for the spelt. Sugar also provides structure to the cake, so I wouldn’t eliminate it entirely, but you may be able to reduce it by 1/4. Nevertheless, please let me know if you have success with any flour or sugar substitutes 🙂
So when making the ganache, you say to leave it for 40-50 mins – is that on heat? Many thanks for your reply.
Hi Julie! The ganache is left to thicken at room temperature. Hope this helps!
Heidi
Thank you for the recipe, Heidi! I think it worked for me, going to try it tomorrow – could you please tell me what the best way to keep it for a few days is? Thank you!
HI Lisa! The best way to keep it would be covered in the fridge, although it is best when enjoyed on the same day it’s made 🙂 Let me know how you like it!
My beetroot cake did not rise at all was very dry very disappointing
Hi Tara! I’m sorry to hear the recipe didn’t work for you. Chances are your baking soda is not fresh if you did not get any rise from the cake. And depending on how fresh the beets are will determine how much moisture they impart to the recipe. I hope this helps!
Simply delicious!!!
I’m so happy to hear you like the recipe!
Love this recipe! We use it quite often. I double the carrots and celery and add minced onion flakes to it and use Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice. After a couple hours check it to see if it needs a little bit more water added.
Hi Heidi, I’ve just come across this recipe and I’m excited to try it out this week, I haven’t done much vegan baking but I’m making a friend’s wedding cake in the summer and need to make the cakes in advance and was hoping to freeze them- do you think this cake would freeze and defrost well? Thank you!
Hi Cait! That’s a great question! While I haven’t tried freezing this specific cake, I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. I’ve frozen other vegan cakes in the past without issue 🙂 I’ll definitely try it myself and update the recipe, assuming there are no issues!
This recipe was so super easy and turned out perfect which is a first for me when making vegan cakes with spelt flour, let alone a frosting that can hold its own. I appreciated the simple and basic ingredients. I was very skeptical at first that the chocolate ganache would work and even though I totally messed up the ratio it still worked! Amazing. Despite the pandemic and social isolation there’s really no reason not to have a birthday cake 🙂 Thanks for this great recipe.
I’m so happy to hear the feedback, Kim! Thank you so much for making my recipe! HBD!
-heidi
Hey this cake looks delicious! I was wondering why you don’t bloom the cocoa in this recipe. Is the cake still super chocolaty? Or could I add some instant espresso powder to bring out the flavor? Don’t know how that would work out with the beets.. I’m planning on making this tomorrow for my chocolate loving boyfriend.
Hi Totsi! That’s a great question. Most chocolate cakes I make involve blooming the cocoa, however, I find this cake to be quite chocolately on its own, and frankly, it’s a step I never thought about when creating this recipe lol. Espresso could be a nice addition to enhance the chocolate too (although, I haven’t tried it myself). I hope you love it either way 🙂
My family loved it! Kiddie approved – my kids and 6 & 7 year old and they thoroughly enjoyed it. Next time I would use coconut cream rather than full fat coconut milk for the ganache. It was the best vegan chocolate cake i’ve baked. Thank you.
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback, Loura! It’s one of my favourite cakes and I’m super happy you and your family love it 🙂
Hi Heidi! I have a quick question is this a cake I can bake & freeze well? I’m asking just because as a pastry chef I always bake my cakes prior to the order & just decorate the day of. Another silly question is all purpose flour vegan? Thank you!
Hi Isabella 🙂 That is great question. I haven’t frozen the cake specifically, although I don’t anticipate there would be any issue. Also, yes all purpose flour is vegan friendly! Let me know how it turns out for you!
This may be my second ever attempt at cake, much less vegan cake and it came out wonderfully! Made this yesterday for my hubby’s birthday and we both loved it.
Definitely don’t skimp on the sugar. I shaved just a bit off and my husband said it could have used more but all in all we really enjoyed it.
The moistness from the beets was certainly there without the beet taste. Next time I will do what another reviewer wrote to add espresso powder to “bloom” the chocolate.
Also a great idea from another reviewer to use coconut cream instead of milk for the ganache because the frosting took a loooooong time to get hard enough to top the cake.
I used a drinking cocoa powder instead of one specifically for baking and it may have also made the chocolatey taste of the cake more subtle. Don’t know. But next time baking cocoa powder and all the sugar + espresso + coconut cream and I really can’t wait to try it again.
Thanks Heidi!
I am so pleased to hear the feedback, Alex! Lets me know how it turns out with take 2 🙂 All the best to you and happy belated birthday to your hubby!
Hi Heidi, how tall is the cake? I am thinking about making two in a bigger pan and joining them with the genache,so I could feed 12 people.thanks a lot for the answer.
Hi Hanka! The cake stands roughly about 3.5″ high.
Aloha! I had a question about the ganache, it did thickened but it was still quite runny – like one you use for drip. Curious how yours was so thick?
Hi Loren! It does take a while for it to thicken up. If it didn’t thicken, it could be that the ambient room temperature is on the warmer side, or did you happen to use a low fat coconut milk? Placing the ganache in the fridge for 10-15 minutes will also help it to thicken faster.