• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Simply delicious oil-free vegan recipes

  • Recipe Index
    • Recipes by Category
    • Recipes by Tag
    • Recipe Box
  • About Me
    • Press
  • NewsBites
  • Shop!
  • Website

Can’t Be Beet Chocolate Cake!

February 28, 2006 By Susan Voisin 113 Comments
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Privacy Policy.

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe Share on Facebook

This oil-free, vegan chocolate beet cake has no hint of the beet about it. Dark and rich-tasting, it’s a great way to get some beta carotene into your dessert!

Beet Chocolate Cake with Banana-Peanut Butter Sauce

Please allow me this one cutesie title, and I promise not to do it again (fingers crossed secretly behind back).

That’s no misspelling you see in the title. I actually made chocolate cake yesterday and put beets in it. And, if you’re asking (as my husband D. did) Why?, then I’ll tell you as I so eloquently told him, Just because.

Just because I had a single solitary beet in the fridge and I wanted to get rid of it. Just because Dr. Fuhrman lists beets as one of “10 SuperFoods to Use in Your Recipes.” But primarily just because I vowed to get E. to eat beets and like them!

And…it worked! I watched as she finished her piece of cake with Banana-Peanut Butter Sauce, and just as I was about to inform her of the secret ingredient, she looked up at me, reading my mind as only a child can, and said, “Hey, what happened to that yucky red stuff you were cooking?” “It’s in the cake,” I said, with only a hint of evil glee. “Cool,” she said, and brought her plate to the sink.

Well, that was a let-down. But the cake wasn’t. It’s very dark-cocoa tasting, with no hint of the beet about it. It’s not terribly sweet, so probably next time I’ll add a bit more sugar. And I’ll put it in a smaller pan, or perhaps in two 8-inch round pans. But it’s definitely a keeper–and a slick way to get whole wheat flour and beta carotene into your loved ones.

This was such a hit that this morning as I was packing her lunch, E. said to me, “Mom, put some of that beet cake in. I want to eat my veggies!”

Beet Chocolate Cake with Banana-Peanut Butter Sauce
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin SaveSaved! Add to Recipe BoxGo to Recipe Box

Beet Chocolate Cake

You'll never taste the beet in this vegan dark chocolate cake.
Prep Time 35 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 8
Author Susan Voisin

Ingredients

  • 1 large beet
  • water
  • unsweetened apple sauce
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour I like white whole wheat
  • 1/2 cup unbleached white flour or more whole wheat
  • 1/2 cup cocoa
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • Peel and dice one large beet. Place the pieces in a saucepan with water to cover and boil until soft. (I’ve heard that you can buy canned beets, so you may want to skip this step–and the resulting red hands–by using pre-cooked beets.) Allow the beets to cool, and then drain them, reserving the red water for another purpose. Put the drained beets into the food processor with 1/4 cup (clear) water, and process until pureed.
  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Oil or spray your cooking pan(s).
  • Put the pureed beets into a 2-cup measure. Add enough apple sauce to reach the 2-cup line. Add the 2 tablespoons water, vanilla extract, and apple cider to the beets and mix well.
  • Mix the dry ingredients together; then add the beet mixture and stir until well-combined. Bake for 35-60 minutes, depending on the size of pan you use: more for small, deep pans and less for a 9X13 pan. (I used a 9X13 pan, and it took 35 minutes.) Test by inserting a toothpick into the center; it’s done when the toothpick comes out clean.
  • Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.

Notes

Banana-Peanut Butter Sauce:
  • 1/2 of a 12-ounce package lite, firm silken tofu
  • 1 banana
  • 2 tbsp. natural peanut butter
  • 1/4-1/3 cup agave nectar, to taste
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla
  • 1/2 tsp. lemon juice
Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender until smooth. Refrigerate until needed. The sauce will thicken in the fridge, so it’s best to give it time to chill if you plan to sandwich it between layers of cake. (Just for fun, the next time I make this, I’ll add a couple of drops of the beet juice to it to give it a slightly pink color.) Serve over cake.
Nutritional info below is for the cake without topping. The Banana-Peanut Butter Sauce adds the following, per serving: 91 calories, 2.5 g fat, 63mg sodium, 115mg potassium, 13g carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 6g protein.
Nutrition Facts
Beet Chocolate Cake
Amount Per Serving (1 slice without topping)
Calories 212 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Sodium 471mg20%
Carbohydrates 50g17%
Fiber 4.5g19%
Protein 4g8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutritional info is approximate.

Course Dessert
Cuisine Vegan
Keyword beet cake
Have you made this recipe?Mention @SusanFFVK and tag #fatfreevegankitchen in your photos on Instagram.
Share on Facebook Pin This Recipe Share by Email
Please pin and share!Beet Chocolate Cake: This oil-free vegan chocolate cake has no hint of the beet about it. Dark and rich-tasting, served with peanut sauce, it's a great way to get some beta carotene into your dessert. #vegan

Filed Under: Desserts Tagged With: Cakes, Holidays, Vegan Valentine’s Day Recipes

Get NewsBites!

Sign up for our newsletter to receive new recipes & tips by email!

Privacy Policy
Previous Post: « Winter Squash Stew with Pinto Beans and Corn
Next Post: Hurry-up Hoisin Tofu and Vegetables with Rice Noodles »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tom

    December 16, 2017 at 4:25 pm

    This was really tasty, a very moist, lightly sweet cake. I was disappointed with the German chocolate frosting recipe though, it came out like glue and tasted terrible. I tossed it and made a tofutti cream cheese icing with coconut and pecans stirred in. It was for a party and everyone loved it!

    Reply
  2. Karen Lunzman

    May 20, 2019 at 9:20 pm

    This came out perfect!! So moist and the frosting drizzle really topped it off. Even my non vegan family and friends couldn’t stop themselves. Another winner Susan☺️

    Reply
  3. Maria

    January 11, 2020 at 12:37 pm

    This cake was delicious! And the texture was perfect! Is there a flour I could use instead of wheat (I did both wheat flours) instead to make it gluten free?

    Reply
  4. ACC

    October 12, 2020 at 12:45 pm

    Do you think reconstituted pb2 would work well to replace the peanut butter in the frosting?

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      October 12, 2020 at 1:15 pm

      I haven’t tried it, but it’s worth a shot!

      Reply
  5. Amelia

    February 13, 2021 at 8:27 pm

    Thank you for the recipe! Does the cake need to be refrigerated?

    Reply
    • Susan Voisin

      February 13, 2021 at 8:35 pm

      I think it could stay out for a day or two, but I would refrigerate it after that.

      Reply
  6. Jules

    January 24, 2022 at 3:35 pm

    Had to add 1/2 cup oat milk to make it the consistency I wanted and used a half cup of applesauce as well. The cake came out freaking amazing. I used whole wheat pastry flour and a little bit of all-purpose, as well as monk fruit sweetener instead of sugar.

    So moist, so delicious, SOOOO GOOD!!!!!

    Reply
  7. Dina Anthony

    October 19, 2022 at 1:12 pm

    Hi. Thank you for the recipe. Do you think oat flour would work in place of the wheat flour? I would like to make this but usually use oat flour. Thank you in advance for your reply.

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to My Kitchen!

Susan VoisinI'm Susan Voisin, and I love creating delicious whole foods plant-based dishes with no added oil. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram.
  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Find It Fast

  • Instant Pot Recipes
  • Ridiculously Easy Recipes
  • Weight Watchers Recipes
  • Recipes by Tag (ingredient, gluten-free, etc.)
  • Complete Recipe Index

Find a Recipe

Allergens

All of my recipes are vegan, dairy-free, and fish free. To find recipes free of other allergens, click on an icon below.

Gluten FreeNut FreeSugar FreeSoy Free

Footer

Fall Favorites

Pasta Fagioli with Cranberry Beans and Kale

Pasta Fagioli with Cranberry Beans and Kale

Vegan Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Vegan Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Spaghetti Squash Pesto Lasagna

Spaghetti Squash Pesto Lasagna

Lentil Soup with Coriander and Cumin from FatFree Vegan Kitchen

Lentil Soup with Coriander and Cumin

See More Fall Favorites

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Photos, original recipes, and text © Susan Voisin. All rights reserved. Do not republish content without permission.

Nutritional information is approximate and is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate. This site has no affiliation with Weight Watchers™️ and cannot guarantee accuracy of Points™️.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Copyright © 2023 · Susan Voisin · Privacy Policy· Log in