When I first thought of this chocolate-beet combination, I was a little doubtful this was going to work at all. Des légumes avec mon chocolat préféré ? Ca va pas, non ? (Vegetables with my favorite chocolate, are you nuts?). Now I like dark chocolate a lot, and beets as well, so I thought : Pourquoi pas ? Browsing once more through my numerous cooking sheets lying all on the floor this am (I had the time, yes!) or on the living room chairs, my magazines and books, I discovered a recipe for Dark Chocolate and Beet Brownies (from Cuisine Gourmande). And because today is D Day on SlashFood, I decided to take the jump and make:
Dark Chocolate-Beetroot Brownies
The letter D for Dark Chocolate on D Day !
Here is what to do to make this little treat, if you are courageous enough! Come on. No need to be afraid! I just did a few adjustments to the recipe I had found, because I like my sweets to taste Dark chocolaty and less sweet.
You need:
- 3 oz (90 g) Dark chocolate (I used a 75 % cocoa dark chocolate)
- 3.5 oz (100 g) flour
- 3.5 oz (100 g) almond powder
- 3 oz (90 g) sugar
- 3 oz (90 g) butter (soft)
- 4 eggs
- 7 oz (200 g) shredded raw red beetroot
- Vanilla extract
- Confectioner sugar and cocoa for decoration
Steps
- Start by peeling and shredding the beets. Set aside
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
- Mix together (using a food processor, I use my Kitchen Aid Stand) the butter with the eggs, then add the sugar.
- Mix until lighter, then add the chocolate, flour, almond powder, the beets and the vanilla extract, and mix well.
- Butter a small mold (argh, grrrgrr, I cannot be consistent, mold, mould, you know what I mean! One of those things I just can not register) (I used a round mould but a square one works well) and placed greased parchment paper at the bottom)
- Pour the preparation in it and bake in the oven for about 30 mns in a preheated oven, 350 F (180 C)
Note: Your brownies are cooked once the blade of a knife comes out dry after you insert the blade in the cake.
Anything with Dark Chocolate! I say : Yes! But one condition: only if the chocolate is dark enough, that is a minimum of 70%. I personally dislike Lindt 70% (leaves an after taste). I love Michel Cluizel, La Maison du Chocolat, NewTree. Amongst my favorites. With beets in the preparation, I was just happy. I tested it. Moist, sweet, but not too much.
Morale:
Could this be the French-American version of the English carrot cake, I wonder now! The reconciliation between the two stubborn bodies?
Et pourquoi pas! (And why not!)
These are the 3 words to remember from today’s lesson. (Béa, you are not teaching French anymore, stop it!)
I think it’s a good idea, the dark chocolate and the beetroot. I want to try this recipe … Thank you.
what a discovery I bake a lot of brownies but never tried with beetroot
no more beetroot season is over!!
Merci Bea for sharing this
Oh please mumble in francaise its ok
at least am learning… I might go back to France early summer…
Waouh! je me demande si la photo rend la couleur réelle ou si en vrai, c’est encore plus beau??!! Super idée en tout cas, il faut que j’essaie ça surtout que tu as ajusté la recette à mon goût!
au fait, rien à voir, préfères-tu les commentaires en anglais?
Amazing picture and recipe. Last week I made a beetroot cake in the same way I make my carrot cake and it was delicious. I would rather say that this cake would be a british version of the carrot cake but this is only my personal point of view.
Bonne soirée.
Hi Fabienne,
Glad you like it!
Hi Sha,
You are funny! No more beets for you? in Greece now?
Coucou Avital,
Les commentaires en francais ou en anglais, c’est comme tu preferes! 😉 Tu peux pratiquer ton anglais comme cela! 😉
Les couleurs sont bien comme cela, et c’est delicieux! 😉
Hi Pascale,
Thanks for your nice note. You are right, it is certainly an English version of the carrot cake. But now I am wondering where brownies were first made. England? The States? They are certainly very popular here in the States! I should google it! Bonne soiree aussi!
I’m not a chocolate addict but the association between chocolate and beetroots seems interressant and the photography is terrific!
Interesting combination (I think they get some sugar substitutes from beets now)…so it would actually compliment the bitterness of the dark chocolate.
Great photo!
Bea, this chocolate-beet cake looks stunning! Thank you for coming over to my blog. I’m happy to have found yours. And you’re doing great with the photography!
Bea, thanks for stopping by my Messy Cucina! I really like your blog and will be back! I’m going to make these brownines if only to sound like a genius when I tell everyone what kind they are!
Hi Claire Emma,
Thanks for your nice note. The combination is indeed surprising!
Hi Kat,
You are quite right, the sweetness of the beetroot replaces sugar. If you like them sweeter, just do 75 g chocolate and 100g sugar.
Hi Shauna,
Thanks for your nice note too. Your blog is a real nice discovery for me. Tons of great information!
Hi Darla,
Thanks for stopping by, I am glad you like my blog. Yes wouldn’t it be funny to serve this to people who hate beets (and there are many) and they tell they like it? Try more sugar of you are not too fond of dark chocolate. The original recipe was 75 g chocolate and 100 g sugar. Let me know.
Bea
Last fall, I had similar great fun with Secret Ingredient Chocolate Cake!
Sorry – html goof — that link is Secret Ingredient Chocolate Cake.
Wow, what an unusual combination! Love beets and dark chocolate but would never have thought to combine them together in a cake.
Wow, interesting combo. How did you keep your hands from turning pink??? I hate working with beets!
Best thing about this recipe: Shred the beets and set aside.
Far as I can tell that’s the only thing you do with them.
Hi Alanna,
Nice recipe of yours! Looks good!
Hi MM,
Yes the beets and chocolate are unsual but really, if you are not told about the beets when eating, you might not be able to tell!
Hi Gerald,
Yes you get dirty hands, that’s for sure. But I just love beets, so 😉
Hi Gustavo,
Beets in all forms, great choice!
Gustavo is right — there are no instructions for the shredded beets.
Ah sorry, I am getting it now. I corrected the instructions. You of course need to add the beets. Thanks Gustavo and Maureen.
Tried it, ate it, loved it!! 😉
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I’m looking to start a food cart with Quinoa and related gluten and wheat-free menu.
Your blog has made me even more determined to get started.
Hi Bea, I’m crazy for beetroot and have never made dessert with it, so I am eager to try this.
p/s: I mentioned your brownie in my beetroot post.
Daughter mistakely bought block of 90% callebaut chocolate. What does one make with this block. Hate to waste it, but it can’t be eaten plain. Where to find recipes using this 90% dark chocolate?
Hi,
this is in regards to the question above regarding the 90% dark chocolate. You should be able to use it in anything which calls for unsweetened chocolate – there are a lot of recipes for that. I just made a batch of espresso brownies this weekend (twice actually) using unsweetened chocolate, from an internet recipe. Came out absolutely yummy (thats why had to make it twice in 3 days!)
I tried this and I’m sorry to say, it was pretty unpleasant. It really tasted of beetroot. I like beetroot, but it really spoiled the chocolate flavour.
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Bea, I love this flavor combination…and the photos totally have my mouthwatering! We are so excited to have it (and the photo) included in this week’s FoodieView Recipe Roundup! Thank you!
Has anyone converted this into an American scale? I don’t have a scale for weighing the ingredients, but would love to make it… cups, teaspoons, anyone?
What exact SIZE is your “small mould?” 8″ x 8″??? Or half of that? Thanks!!!
Hi Michelle,
8 x 8 would be fine.
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This is the first cake I made from a recipe! And it’s great! Light, not too sweet, chocolate, my favorite beets, no baking powder (desperately looking for the recipes without it)… Maybe I will add some alcohol next time. Do you think it makes sense? what would you suggest? You see, I cannot stop changing recipes… it’s stronger than me.
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is almond powder the same as almond flour or almond meal? i can’t seem to find it
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I loved the pictures and just had to do this recipe. It seemed awesome, but unluckily, it came out TERRIBLE. I wonder if it’s just something about the ingredients. It tasted like beetroot but not in a pleasant way. It tasted just like the raw smell of it, making the cake feel somewhat salty. Plus, I had an awful time trying to mix butter with eggs and then add sugar, butter and eggs just didn’t blend together at all… I’m tempted to try again, this time beating butter with sugar and then add eggs, or melt chocolate and butter and add to the beaten eggs with sugar… any thoughts on this?
The thing I really wonder if my beets are a total different type of beet. They gave a nice moisture but the most disgusting flavor 🙁
Anyways. I will let you know if I get to successfully make this one again. I really want it to work. Thanks for the recipe!
Bea, looks yummy! So do all of your other recipes! I *always* enjoy your photographs. I am looking for a chocolate recipe that freezes well. Does this one? Do any of your others? thanks!
Thanks for converting ounces to grams and farenheit to celcius.
I just made a batch of your brownies. Absolutely amazing! Best brownies ever. Thank you so much for publishing this recipe!!
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