Chocolate beetroot cake

Every now and then, I would take my daughter to grocery shopping and let her pick one vegetable that’s unknown to her. Then, we will make the dish together at home. By doing so, she is willing to try and eat new vegetables. That’s how she fell in love with kale chips.

So last weekend, I had her pick a bunch of organic red beets at Whole foods. I sautéed beet greens with olive oil, garlic, and a tiny piece of canned sardine (for my son’s sake). My daughter was totally into it and my son also tried some. The most picky eater (aka my husband) of course turned his nose up at it><.

Monday morning, I roasted the three beetroots at 375F for about 55 minutes. Totally unprepared, I ate a slice after peeling off the skin. The earthy flavor grossed me out. No offense. It tasted like dirt to me!! I had to say no to my daughter when she asked to try a piece. I was so worried that she will hate it after I let her try without dressing it up.

So I sliced one beetroot into strips and added them to the cauliflower fried rice. I also used sesame oil to cover up the earthy flavor. The bright pink color did make my daughter excited about eating them, but not long she started complaining about their taste… My son ate some without questioning because he was hungry after coming back from school. So that’s not a very successful attempt.

Tuesday afternoon, I thought about my one bowl banana chocolate cake (the only way to get my daughter eat banana). So I decided to make a chocolate cake out of beetroots.

Ingredients:

1 midium size roasted beetroots (about 1 1/4 cup)

1/3 cup unsweetened apple sauce

2/3 cup water

2 tablespoons avocado oil

1 teaspoon organic apple cider vinegar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/4 cup of organic raisins

Dry ingredients:

1 1/2 cup white whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of salt

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup organic raw sugar

Add wet ingredients in the blender and blend well. I specifically smelled and tasted the mixture. The apple cider vinegar and cinnamon did cover most of beetroots’ earthy flavor ^^.

For better presentation, use a cake pan, and oil and dust the pan. I just grabbed Pyrex 9″ pie plate. Combine all dry ingredients in the plate before pouring in the wet mixture. Mix well and bake at 350F for about 50-55 minutes. I just left the cake cool down in the plate. I wished to take a better picture with camera, but not iPhone. The cake baked very well with a glossy shine on the top.

We all had the cake as the dessert after dinner. The cake was very moist and delicious though I can still taste a bit of beetroots. My son raved about the cake and ate almost half of it. My daughter liked it too. The cake kept well in room temperature for couple days and its taste improved day after day. I had the last piece yesterday afternoon (the 3rd day), and couldn’t taste the beetroot in it.

Being encouraged by my kids, I am now thinking to use the last roasted beetroot for morning pancakes tomorrow. Wish me good luck!

 

February 5, 2016May 11, 2016 by tracy1153 Categories: Dessert, recipeTags: Beet, beetroot, Chocolate cake, Cocoa powder, Dairy free, Easy, eggless, Healthy, Vegan, Whole wheat 1 Comment

One bowl banana chocolate bread

I truly believe that involving kids in cooking makes them more open to try new food. My kids love to bake cookies at play dates (under my supervision, of course). Here I am sharing this kids-friendly recipe that I have made for years. This was inspired by the Recipe on king author website.

Ingredents:

3 ripe bananas

2 cups of flour of your choice (see note 1)

1 tablespoon grounded flaxseed (optional)

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch sea salt

2-4 tablespoons of sugar (or more to your preference)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon vinegar

0-4 tablespoons of oil of your choice (see note 2)

3/4 – 1 cup of water or milk of your choice (see note 2)

 

In a 8 by 8 glass bakeware, mesh the bananas with a fork. In a bowl, mix well the flour, flaxseed if using, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. Pour the dry ingredients on top of the meshed banana. Then, dig 3 holes with the fork, one for vanilla extract, one for vinegar, and one for the oil if using. Last, pour in the liquid of your choice and stir with the same fork. You can also sprinkle some rolled oats or chopped nuts on the top for decoration. Bake at 350F for about 30 to 35 minutes. My daughter made this mostly by herself this morning and ate a BIG piece with a big smile. You can do it too^^.

Banana chocolate bread made of oat and whole wheat flour

 

Note 1: I have tried different combinations of whole wheat, spelt, oat, buckwheat, and/or cornmeal. You will get more cake like texture if using 100% whole wheat pastry flour.

Note 2: I have used either extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil. For any reason, you can skip oil but add more liquid of your choice. I have used water, 1% organic milk, and unsweetened almond or soy milk. I found that organic milk makes the bread taste sweeter compared to unsweetened almond or soy milk.

July 4, 2015 by tracy1153 Categories: recipeTags: Banana, Cocoa powder, Kids friendly, Vegan 3 Comments