When life hands you vegetables, make cake!

When our family joined a CSA this year, I never pictured myself baking a cake from our shares.

But, in our box this week…BEETS!

Now, I'm not sure I've ever actually consumed a beet.  {There was a beet diet I vaguely remember several years back, but I think I quit before I ate one.} I searched for beet recipes, but wasn't too jazzed about the results…and I knew my boys wouldn't be either.

The next morning, it hit me…cake!  I wondered if there was such a thing.  Well, it turns out, there is!  Yay!

{Aren't they pretty?!?}

I sifted through recipes and came up with a combination of a few.  THIS is the way I will eat beets in the future.  The result: a yummy, moist cake…very similar to zucchini bread.  Of course, what's cake without icing?  A little cream cheese icing on top provides much needed calcium!

Not enough beets?  Don't fret!  Add in shredded carrots to equal the amount called for.  That's what I did!

Can't Beet It! Cake

• 4 eggs
• 2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 c. vegetable oil
• 2 c. unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 & 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. coarse (kosher) salt
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 3 c. grated beets (or a mix of shredded beets and carrots)
• 1 c. chopped walnuts

1. Grease a 9 X 13" baking pan.  Preheat oven to 350.
2. Beat eggs, sugar, applesauce and oil until well combined.
3. Sift together flour through cinnamon.  Add to egg mixture and mix well.
4. Add vanilla, beets and walnuts.  Beat on med-low until combined (1 minute or so), scraping down sides as needed.
5. Pour into prepared pan and bake about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
6. Cool completely in the pan on a wire rack and then frost (optional, but delicious!).

Cream Cheese Icing
(I used a tiny bit of pink food coloring in mine, hoping the cake would stay pink like the batter, it didn't.)

• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temp
• 8 TBSP unsalted butter, room temp
• 1 c. powdered sugar
• 1  & 1/2 tsp. vanilla bean paste (or 1 tsp. vanilla)
  

1. Beat cream cheese until softened.
   
2. Add butter gradually in 8 chunks, beating after each addition until smooth.
3. Sift in powdered sugar and beat until smooth.  Stir in vanilla.
   
4. Spread onto cooled cake.

Store in the refrigerator.  Shhh…Don't tell the kids they're eating their veggies!

I'm so excited to be a contributor here at BlissfullyDelish!  I hope you'll come visit me at my blog, Bake at 350!

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