Purple Velvet Torte
It's amazing what you can do without any flour! I made this gluten free chocolate cake using beets. Being "Deceptively Delicious"
Because of his strong critiques and my perfectionist bent, I often find myself testing a new recipe four, five or more times. Though this one I nailed the second time, it was that easy.
As I whipped up beet cake 2.0, I did find myself thinking, "How can I hide this mystery ingredient from him?" He had scoffed at beet cake 1.0, spitting it into the sink. "How can I fool him?" I thought as I stirred the batter. I guess that would make me Jessica Seinfeld to his Jerry.
Though unlike Ms. Seinfeld, I found myself sneaking beets in not to add nourishment (all of my recipes are fairly nourishing with high protein almond flour and low glycemic agave). I was rather, trying to figure out a way to make a less costly cake.
Almond flour is fabulous to cook with, though pricey. I wanted to come up with a cake that would be cheaper to make -though do keep in mind that this cake while cheaper, does not offer the same nutritional benefits that one made with almond flour would.
Here's my "deceptive" purple velvet torte. Enjoy!
2 ½ cups grated beets
1 cup agave nectar
4 eggs
½ cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon almond extract
½ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon celtic sea salt
- In a medium saucepan, heat the beets and agave to a boil, then cover
- Reduce to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, until beets are soft
- Transfer beet-agave mixture to a Vita-Mix
(or other high speed blender) and puree on highest speed until smooth
- Blend in eggs, oil, vanilla, almond extract, cocoa and salt until thoroughly incorporated
- Pour batter into a well greased 9-inch cake pan
- Bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean
- Cool and serve
My older son has been steadily working away on this blog with me. He is 10 years old and every week he discusses what "we" will be posting. He often sneaks down after I put him and his brother to bed, for a blogging session during which we take photos or write copy here.
This week, as I was on a deadline for another project, he decided that he would be the one shooting the pictures of the purple velvet torte. So, please welcome my new phototgrapher! He took these pictures on his own as I proofread another document, knocking the camera over only once. Besides that incident he was a total pro! Really.
He was however, very disappointed as he "proofread" this copy that I used the word "sneaks" above. He wanted me to say that we "work together," and I must say, he is correct. I guess that would make me Heather to his Leta (once her daughter starts reading dooce Ms. Armstrong may have her hands full).
Update: I've edited the cooking time in this recipe thanks to one of the comments below. The one in the recipe above is now correct and my family is very happy since they are eating this gluten-free torte yet again (since I made it a third time to verify the cooking time). As always, thanks for your comments!
Posted on March 17, 2009 in desserts by Elana
other entries you may like: Passover Torte
or Chocolate Cake — Coconut Flour Continued
or Double Chocolate Orange Torte
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"Check out Elana's FAQ page for info on substitutions -- there are just too many possibilities so she can't answer all of these : ) But the Forums are an excellent resource and I highly recommend posting your substitution questions there; everyone is friendly and helpful." -Katie
Wow! That looks amazing. I'm still not entirely convinced that it's not made with flour - it looks like it is!
I've been checking out your recipes from time to time, and finally subscribed! This was the first post to show up in my feed and I'm thrilled. Thanks for your hard work and dedication to sharing with your readers. =)
This looks fabulous. I know almost all of your recipes are Passover-friendly, but having a budget-friendly seder cake makes this one super-awesome since we are expecting many guests, including a nut-free one! And this way I can stick veges into my vege-hating dad and in-laws! :P
Is the texture cakey (like your coconut flour cake) or more like a flourless chocolate cake? Are you able to use less agave due to the beets' natural sweetness?
Also, do you grate the raw beets and then take the gratings and cook them with the agave and then puree? I'm a little confused about this part. And when you make this again, it'd be super helpful if you could weigh your beets at the market so it would be easier to figure out how many are needed to yield 2.5 cups grated.
Thanks, Elana! I hope your hands are not dyed pink from your experiments!
Oh - and excellent photography! Good job!
Definitely trying this. I feel like this is one of those recipes (and I have many like this) where it is best to get your tasters to eat it first, and then tell them what it is.
Ohhhh! Love it! Cute story and your son is a pro photographer. I would not have guessed.
You didn't tell us what your husband said about the cake!?! I would not have been able to be the room while he tasted it in fear the look on my face would give it away!
I often do this with my taste testers because they are usually surprised to hear the wholesome ingredients I’ve used... this has what in it?
So fun :-D
That cake looks delicious! I have to put it on my to do list, your recipes always work and taste so good.
I have been wondering what your thoughts are about the fructose in agave? Since fructose needs to be processed by the liver, it can become quite a burden for the body. Since I know how health conscious you are, I would love to know your opinion?
I have also read some stuff about how even young children in the US suffer from problems like a fatty liver because of the wide use of fructose which impairs the function of the liver?
Your son has a good eye for composition.
This looks delicious! I haven't ever done much with beets, but this looks like a great application. You continue to amaze me at your no-grain baking.
I use a lot of almond meal, and it does get expensive!
Oh my, so stunning!!
This cake looks both tempting and intriguing ;).
I have a few beets in the fridge and didn't know what to do with them...I guess I'll turn them into a cake!
How many do you think are needed to match the 2 1/2 grated cups? I guess you used raw beets right?
Thanks ;).
Oh this looks fantastic! Onto Delicious it goes...
NAOmni
Can this be made with Egg Replacer?? Have you tried it?
Your beet torte looks delicious! I was wondering how much water to use when I boil the beets with the agave nectar? Or, maybe I don't use any water?
Gorgeous! Your son is a natural. How cool that he enjoys doing this with you! He's definitely learning some bankable and enjoyable skills. :-)
Shirley
Interesting, but it sure look good!
"And the beet goes on"...When I first saw this it reminded me of a red velvet torte/cake I had as a kid at a friends B day party. His mom called it "the red velvet million dollar cake." I never realized in the old days they used red dye to make "Red Velvet" cakes. Some bakers used boiled beets to enhance the color of their cakes. In fact boiled grated beets or beet baby food are still found in some red velvet cake recipes today. The red food coloring was later dropped as to a controversy about the health effects of common food colorings. Looks like your on the right tract Elana. However, I would like to try both versions this one and one with almond flour. :o)
my mother in-law came over this evening with some beets from her garden, talk about awesome timing! i can't wait to make this! my husband is very intrigued to say the least lol
Beautiful cake! I made a chocolate beetroot cake recently (with flour) and it was very well received - and gorgeously moist. Will definitely have to try this as I am somewhat addicted to unusual cakes and sneaking vegetables into things! Do you find that the 'earthy' beet flavour is very apparent? I actually have some agave nectar too so no excuse not to try this :)
Since purple is my favorite color - of course I'll try this! Have to say Elana, can't get that picture of cold beet soup out of my mind - so I'll have to get over that thought! Will let you know how it goes! Glorie and Griff
This torte recipe is amazing! I can't wait to try it out, and fool my family. Your son is quite the photographer. I see a blog of his own in the future! Thanks for sharing Elana!
So funny. I just gave a workshop on feeding the whole family with whole foods and I was making reference to Jessica Seinfelds chocolate beet cake, saying that they are still learning about chocolate cake, not beets by eating it. I like your take on its not about nutrition, but creativity. You are as always brilliant with your use of ingredients. Somehow our thoughts were aligned this week. I love when these funny little things happen!
A beautiful cake enhanced by excellent photography! I must try this soon.
Elana,
Your class last night was full of great gluten free recipes and it was fun working with others to prepare our dishes. Thank you for your "recipe creations" and making this class happen. As I mentioned, I do personal one on one counseling with those who are gluten intolerant for any reason. I welcome emails from anyone who would like to learn more about how I can help them be Gluten Free for LIFE!
Elana
If he's taking such photos at 10 yrs, start collecting everything for a 'portfolio' any art school will want to see his history--scraps, scribbles etc everything.
Elena, when do the eggs go in?! I just dumped it into the well-greased pan and then remembered that I never put the eggs in. Since I'm this far along, I'll add them now and mix it all together in another bowl, but for future reference....
I'm sorry, Elana--I just realized I misspelled your name in my moment of panic! Wanted to let you know that it turned out great. I whisked the eggs and then whisked them into the batter, poured it into another well-greased pan, and it's delicious! Shared it with Mom, Dad, and the neighbors...so far, everybody has thoroughly enjoyed it...even the non-healthy-food people.
Thank you, yet again!
Hi Elana,
My Purple Velvet Torte did not come out well. It smelled nice in the blender and had good consistency; however, it deflated and became watery after it cooled down. It was also very sticky (I greased the warm cake pan with grape seed oil). Also it took me much longer to bake it. Maybe 40 min or so until a knife was coming out clean. Could my failure be due to a delay in blending the cooked beets with the rest of the ingredients? (I left the pan with beets on a warm stove for about half an hour). I turned my watery torte upside down and put it in the oven for another 20 min at 400°. It started to burn around the edges and on top, but it is still watery when I make a cut. I took a picture of my torte, but I do not know how to attach it to my message. Thank you in advance for your feedback.
This looks delicious! I'd love to try it but can not have eggs or almond extract. Do you think it would still work with a flax seed/water replacer for eggs and skipping the almond extract?
It's kosher for Passover! I can't wait to try it. Beets is the only food my husband will not eat. Guess what I am making for a Passover desert... Thank you very much for a terrific idea.
You are so innovative, Elana! I love the slightly purple hue of the cake. Beautiful... and nutritious with those beets!
You are a genius! I just happened to have some left over roasted beets in my fridge and was wondering what to do? So...
I grated them up (5 ounces exactly), quartered your recipe. Heated the agave with the cocoa powder (it brings the flavor out), tasted, added a scant 1/8 cups of semi sweet chocolate off the stove. Then proceeded as directed.
One fourth of your recipe came to exactly six cupcakes (half full).
I baked them for 15 minutes at 350F. They are soft, almost pudding like and wonderful.
Thanks for all the non-grain experiments. I don't do well with grains of any kind but will eat the gluten free ones at a pinch but now I don't have to!
Thanks again.
Baked this two nights ago. My husband was super skeptical, but liked it! I didn't need to add any water with the beets and agave nectar. 1 Tablespoon seemed like a lot of almond extract so I decreased that to 2 teaspoons and I also used only 3 eggs. My cake burned a tad with the recommended baking time, but I just cut off those edges and it was still wonderfully moist and yummy. I decorated the cake with some stencils and cocoa and sugar mixed together (didn't have any powdered sugar). Next time I think I might add a few chocolate chips and try decreasing the agave just a bit. Thanks so much for the recipe, Elana.
Thanks for the lovely recipes. I heard that the White House kitchen garden does not include beets because the President doesnt like them This just might be the recipe that changes his mind. Would you be willing to send it to him? I think that you can submit suggestions at the White House site: http://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/
I would send a link but didnt think that would be right as it is your recipe.
Thanks again for a great site
I made this today--beautiful purple hue and surprising texture, more like baked custard than the fudge I was expecting. To make this cake a little more decadent, I would serve it atop some chocolate sauce (i make mine with coco powder, maple syrup and water or oil), and garnish with a few banana or strawberry slices alongside.
[...] Gluten-free Purple Velvet Torte Recipe [...]
Deborah -What a great idea. I would be honored if you would send it in. xo
Hi Elana,
Well, I've just sent a note and your recipe (with a link to your website) in to the White House. Let's see what response we get. I'll be sure to let you know.
Thanks
Deborah
Deborah -Thanks so much! Let's see if they are up to snuff on their veggie stuff over there :-)
Thank you for this recipe! One of our guests has nut allergies, and it's always so difficult to find flourless recipes that do not call for nuts. I will definitely try it this Passover (and just omit the almond extract). Can't wait to try it!
Hey all,
I just made this last night. I used two beets to get 2 1/2 cups. I use weight watchers, and so I swapped grapeseed oil for pureed prunes cup for cup. It added another layer of sweetness, so I might decrease the agave in the future. It got rave reviews, and lowered the fat content. Thank you Elana! Another recipe successfully taste tested by my picky family!
I made this last night - very good! An interesting Passover option. I will make it again, but not blend the beets - for more texture. I might also add something else for texture (coconut or matzah meal), might decrease the oil a bit... and bake longer.
I also whipped up some cream cheese frosting, to make richer ; )
Hi Elana, I finally got around to making this (swapping erythritol/stevia for agave) and it was absolutely scrumptious. No beet-y taste that I could discern. Will be blogging about it after finals, perhaps with a veggie based GF recipe of my own. ;) Thanks so much for all that you do! You are a genius. Looking forward to your cook book!
[...] combination of delicious and nutritious. Some will surprise you with their ingredients … like the Purple Velvet Torte. Look forward to an adaptation of one of Elana’s salmon recipes (three ingredients) on my blog [...]
Just made this the other night and it was absolutely wonderful! Very moist and quite the crowd pleaser, I still can't believe it's made with beets, great recipe, thank you! :)
Hi,
I made the Purple Velvet Torte yesterday and it was yum! I didn't have grapeseed oil, so I used coconut oil and the flavour worked well. Very moist and decadent.
fabulous...made this last night...10pm...gone this morning...delish!
Love this cake... I am on my second round of baking it. I am also cooking your Agava/Lime Chicken tonight. YUMMY!
I tried making the cake and it turned out great! It was very moist and delicious, I think I added a bit too much almond extract and it stood out a bit too much but it was still great. I couldn't even tell there were beets in it nor could my father who swore them off many years ago.
It was very easy to make as well. Also I did not had any grape seed oil so I used peanut oil since thee isn't really any taste to it....still turned out great
[...] content from other blogs: Purple Velvet Torte @ Elana’s PantrySpicy Chocolate Bean Cakes @ The Salty CodAmazing Black Bean Brownies @ 101 [...]
I loooove this cake! My daughter and I have made this twice, so far. The second time we added about a quarter cup of grain-free "flours" ... delicious either way. She's in the kitchen right now making the passover cake for my birthday. We will use kumquat jam for the filling. Beets are a wonderful liver cleanser, by the way ... so for people who don't eat beets unless it in an fantastic chocolaty cake (that would be me) ... start slowly! Thank you, Elana, for this website.
Door to Door Organics Colorado recommended this recipe this week in their emails for people who aren't sure what to do with beets. We knew we had to try when we saw your name attached. I realized I was out of agave so we used 1 cup sugar and a little water while boiling. My 11 year old daughter finished making this because I had to leave. She baked it in the 10inch? round Pampered Chef stone. It was wonderful. Reminded us of a thin cake like brownie.
My hubby said beets are the only food he won't eat. He changed his mind tonight...
I love how involved your sons are in this blog. A great parenting example! Thanks!
Dear Elana,
The Purple Velvet Torte is beautiful.... and I too love everything about beets. Certainly the color. And they taste yum.
I appreciate your designing this stupendous cake to be more affordable. I think you've also addressed a factor for some of us: nuts and nut flour have lots of calories. Beets, not.
While at this time my own weight is fine [used to be fat] I am very aware of the fact that SCD food tends to be caloric...
This cake really does get thru that.
Another deep appreciation,
Ruth Hirsch
can you use canned shredded beets?
I used shredded, then cut them up smaller. Once you cook them they turn soft, then Vita Mix them and they become smooth. It will work.
This purple torte was amazing! It tasted so good and I used coconut oil instead of grapeseed oil and 2 eggs instead of 3! Thank you Elana!
I made this and had to use an egg substitute for my son who is allergic. I used ener-g egg replacer for two of the eggs and ground flax seed and water for the other two. It seemed too watery (I think I had a bit too much beets) so at the last minute I threw some more flax seed in to help bind it all together. The flavor was amazing, but the texture was crazy I know just due to all the flax seed. I just bought more beets to try it again this time without the flax. My son loved it by the way :) it was like really thick pudding. Thanks for your great site, I came across it off of Hope for Maddy's site, my son has type 1 diabetes as well.
Thanks so much Elana! I love your site and cookbook! I made this torte for my family amongst a few other desserts to try and this was the hit! No one could guess there was beets in it! Love it and it's wonderful and moist. Since I'm also dairy free, I made a whipped "cream" with cashews, agave and lemon juice which was a perfect topping to the torte!
Made this, it turned out great. My husband even liked it, and he's really picky. I used half coconut oil, also used honey and cane sugar.
I would like to see calorie information on the recipes if possible. I added up all the ingredients for this, divided it by 20 pieces... 115 calories each. Yikes!
Daughter here.
This is the best torte EVER! I love making this! A friend said if I make this for her birth day, she would love me forever! This is my all time favorite thing to bake! Eating it's the most fun! ;)
Love this cake! The color is amazing - and it's a great way to use those beets. We included it in our Fun Food Saturday (vegetable cake edition) this weekend. http://bit.ly/ath0yR
Thanks,
Jeanne
I printed this recipe out last year and finally got around to making it. Our small basket of veg from a local organic farmer had a HUGE amount of beets in it.
I substituted coconut oil for the grapeseed oil, and honey for the agave.
This torte is amazing! It reminds me of chocolate covered candied cherries. So yummy!