I decided to try something new because my garden had an excessive amount of beets. This chocolate cake with a bright pink icing was the end result.

Ingredients

Cake:

• baking spray with flour
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup baking soda
• 1 cup baking powder
• 1 cup salt
• 4 separate large eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup pureed cooked beets
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Glaze:

• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2 teaspoons pureed cooked beets
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt

Directions

• Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Use a flour-containing baking spray to grease a 10-cup Bundt pan.
• In a bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder.
• Sort the eggs. Whip the egg whites in a bowl on high speed until they form stiff peaks. Place aside.
• Using an electric mixer, combine the brown sugar, white sugar, butter, and oil in a large bowl for two to three minutes. Beat for three more minutes after adding the egg whites. Blend in the vanilla and beet puree. Mix in half of the flour mixture that has been sifted until it is just combined. Mix in the buttermilk just until it is just combined. Mix in the remainder of the flour mixture until it is just combined. Add the chocolate chips by hand.
• Fold in 1/3 of the whipped egg whites into the cake batter to combine. Fold in the remaining egg whites gently until there are no more egg white streaks. Fill the prepared pan with batter, and then gently smooth the top to form an even layer.
• Bake for 50 to 55 minutes in a preheated oven until the cake’s top springs back when touched, or until a bamboo skewer inserted into the cake’s center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Before loosening the cake by gently running a knife around its edges, allow it to cool for 20 minutes in the pan. Cool the cake completely by inverting it onto a wire rack.
• In a bowl, combine salt, powdered sugar, heavy cream, beet puree, and vanilla extract to make the glaze. Whisk to combine. Add more heavy cream if the glaze is too thick; If the glaze isn’t thick enough, add more powdered sugar until it’s the right consistency. Spread glaze all over the cooled cake.

The Cook’s Notes:

For the 1 1/4 cups and 2 teaspoons of beet puree required for this recipe, I used 8 small to medium beets. I scrubbed the beets clean after removing the roots and stems to prepare them. I covered them with enough water in my pressure cooker, closed the lid, set the temperature to medium-high, and let the pressure build up. After the beets reached pressure, I turned off the heat, let the pressure fall naturally, and then let them cool completely. You can quarter the beets before adding them to a food processor to puree until smooth once they are cool enough to remove their skins. Before turning off the heat, the beets may need to cook for a few minutes at pressure (between 5 and 10 minutes) to ensure that they are soft and thoroughly cooked.

On the other hand, canned beets can be substituted for fresh ones; just make sure to thoroughly drain them before pureeing; use pickled beets in no way!